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THE  RIFLEMAN; 


OB, 


ADVENTURES  OF  PEECY  BLAKE. 


BY 

M;4voW 

CAPTAIN    RAFTER, 

»t 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  GUARDS,"  "OUB  INDIAIT  ABMT,"  ETC. 


;  There  was  an  ancient  sage  philosopher, 
Who  had  read  Alexander  Ross  over; 
And  swore  the  world,  as  he  could  prove, 
Was  made  of  fighting  and  of  love.'' 

HUDIBBAS. 


A    NEW    EDITION. 


LONDON: 
G.  ROUTLEDGE  &  CO.  FARRINGDON  STREET; 

NEW  YORK:  18,  BEEKMAN  STREET. 
1858. 


THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN, 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  IRISH  BRIGADE. 

IT  is  customary,  I  believe,  with  autlmrs  who  have  but  little  to  relate, 
to  press  into  their  service  every  possible  resource  of  the  literary  art ; 
that,  by  the  charm  of  their  eloquence,  they  may  hide  the  paucity  of 
their  material.  The  contrary,  however,  being  my  case.  I  trust  the 
reader  will  be  content  to  receive  a  plain,  unvarnished  tale  of  military 
life;,  instead  of  a  flowing  dissertation  de  omnibus  rebus,  which  I  have 
neither  ability  nor  inclination  to  cook  up  for  his  amusement. 

I  was  born  in  a  small  country  town,  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  which 
has  furnished  more  officers  to  the  army  than  any  place  in  the  United 
Kingdom  of  thrice  its  importance.  I  leave  it  to  casuists  to  determine 
whether  this  was  owing  to  the  proverbial  pugnacity  of  the  Tipperarv 
boys,  or  to  the  idle  and  unoccupied  life  of  the  small  gentry,  whose 
family  pride  made  them  scorn  that  trade  which  was  best  calculated 
to  repair  their  family  indigence.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  the 
soil  of  many  lands  has  been  moistened  by  the  blood,  or  has  witnessed 
the  sufferings,  of  many  of  my  townsmen  and  schoolfellows,  who  began 
their  career  in  life  as  I  did  myself,  about  the  commencement  of  that 
tremendous  struggle,  in  which  the  genius  and  good  fortune  of  Napo- 
leon sank,  at  length,  under  the  wealth,  the  power,  and  the  energies 
of  Great  Britain. 

jMy  family  is  traditionally  said  to  be  of  Spanish  descent;  but, 
without  looking  so  far  back  into  the  misty  days  of  Eld,  it  will  be 
sufficient,  as  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the  sayings  and  doings  of 
my  own  checkered  existence,  to  state  that  it  was  one  of  the  numerous 
Irish  families  ruined  by  a  too  faithful  adherence  to  the  cause  of  the 
Stuarts ;  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  having  effectually  disposed  of  a 
handsome  estate,  which  had  belonged  to  a  Catholic  branch  of  the 
Blakes  for  many  preceding  ages. 

After  that  celebrated  "passage  of  arms,"  my  pugnacious  ancestor, 
William  Biake,  who  had  exchanged  his  "  dirty  acres"  for  the  doubt- 
ful honour  of  following  King  James  to  the  field,  obtained  a  company 
from  the  French  monarch  in  the  Irish  Brigade,  and  continued  to 


2  THE  YOUNG  IlIFLEMAN. 

serve  In  that  glorious  band  of  expatriated  heroes  for  several  years, 
till  an  ardent  desire  to  see  his  family  and  native  seat  once  more 
brought  him  again  to  Ireland.  His  relations,  however  were  all  dis- 
persed or  dead,  his  estate  forfeited  to  the  crown  by  that  bvalty  to 
his  sovereign  which,  under  the  new  reign,  was  called  rebellion;  and 
marrying  soon  after  a  lady  in  London,  with  whom  he  received  a 
moderate  fortune,  he  gave  up  foreign  adventure  and  settled  tor  the 
remainder  of  bis  days  in  his  native  country.  Prom  this  gentleman  1 
am  lineally  descended.  -,,,••  c  n  •  + 

One  brother,  a  sister  and  myself  were  the  last  living  of  thirteen 
children.  We  loved  one  another  with  great  affection ;  but  as  I  was 
the  youngest  by  ten  years,  their  love  tor  me  had  more  of  a  parental 
character,  while  mine  for  them  was  mingled  with  that  deep  respect 
necessarily  inspired  by  their  more  advanced  age  and  superior  attain- 
ments. They  were  both  married,  and  immersed  in  the  cares  of  the 
world,  when  my  infant  memory  first  began  to  dawn ;  and  at  a  very 
early  period  of  my  boyhood,  I  was  led  to  think  myself  a  person  of 
some  consequence,  by  having  several  playfellows  of  my  own  age  and 
size,  who  invariably  saluted  me  as  their  uncle,  and  treated  me  with 
all  the  deference  due  to  so  revered  a  title. 

"Whether  this  early  habit  of  authority  and  protectorship  had  any 
influence  in  imparting  to  me  the  steadiness  and  decision  of  character 
and  principle  of  self-reliance  which  have  marked  my  subsequent 
career,  I  leave  to  the  discussion  of  metaphysicians  and  ideologists ; 
sufficient  for  me  is  the  conviction  that,  without  this  upholding  prin- 
ciple, mercifully  implanted  in  my  nature,  1  must  have  sunk  long  since 
under  the  strange  trials  that  have  signalized  my  scramble  through  life. 

At  an  early  period  of  my  existence,  though  I  read  with  unbounded 
voracity  such  works  as  pleased  my  fancy  and  captivated  my  imagina- 
tion, I  held  everything  in  the  shape  of  a  task  in  horror;  having  a 
special  aversion  to  the  confinement,  and,  as  I  foolishly  deemed  it,  the 
drudgery  of  schools.  Hence  I  took  every  opportunity  of  playing 
truant,  and  never  felt  myself  completely  happy  but  when  roving  at 
liberty  through  the  fields,  by  the  banks  of  the  river,  over  bog,  heath, 
and  mountain;  indulging  in  dreams  and  reveries  without  end,  fighting 
over  again  the  battles  of  the  Greeks  and  Trojans,  or  dwelling  with 
delight  on  the  adventures  of  Romulus  and  Remus,  the  fortitude  of 
Mutius  Sca3vola,  the  magnanimity  of  Horatius  Cocles,  but,  above  all, 
on  the  glorious  self-devotion  of  Leonidas.  With  these  classical 
reminiscences  were  mixed  up  the  mongrel  compositions  of  a  later 
age,  such  as  Don  Belianis  of  Greece,  the  Seven  Champions  of  Chris- 
tendom, and  other  specimens  of  what  maybe  called  mediseval  fiction; 
but  not  without  some  little  appreciation  of  their  respective  merits, 
as  compared  with  the  pure  and  classic  models. 

With  the  exception  of  the  injury  I  was  unconsciously  doing  myself 
by  the  neglect  of  my  school  duties,  these  solitary  rambles  were  of  a 
perfectly  innocent  character;  for,  absorbed  as  1  was  in  heroic  and 
poetical  imaginings,  the  idea  of  anything  in  the  shape  of  depredations 
on  orchards  or  gardens  never  once  entered  my  mind.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  always  left  home  with  some  creature  comfort  in  my  pocket 


THE  IRISH  BRIGADE.  3 

in  the  shape  of  a  cake,  or  a  few  apples,  with  which  I  was  perfectly 
content  for  the  whole  day ;  caring  little  for  any  other  nourishment, 
till  night  brought  me  back,  tired,  hungry,  and  penitent,  to  the  casa 
paterna.  As  Lamartine  says  of  himself,  "  J'avais  la  fievre  perpetuelle 
de  la  liberte ;  j'avais  le  delire  de  la  nature."  Such,  indeed,  was  the 
extreme  simplicity  of  my  enjoyment,  consisting  in  little  more t  than 
the  mental  excitement  occasioned  by  incessant  locomotion,  which  is 
to  this  day  a  favourite  luxury  of  mine,  that  the  country-people 
looked  upon  me  generally  as  a  respectable  and  harmless  sort  of 
lunatic,  and  I  was  universally  known  amongst  them  by  the  title  of 
the  "  fairy-hunter." 

This  soubriquet  arose,  no  doubt,  from  the  partiality;!  always  evinced 
for  those  conical,  round-headed  hills  so  numerous  in  many  parts  of 
Ireland,  and  which  are  commonly  called  Danish  forts  and  fairy- 
mounts.  The  traditionary  lore  connected  with  these  curious  eleva- 
tions is  redolent  of  "Faery,"  and  some  of  pur  Irish  romancists  have 
made  ample  use  of  it.  Their  great  attraction  to  me  was  their  com- 
manding n  eight,  their  green  velvet  sod,  and  the  uninterrupted  day- 
dreams I  indulged  in  on  their  lofty  summits,  so  far  removed  from  the 
small-beer  doings  of  this  work-day  world. 

Here,  also,  my  schoolfellows  and  1  had  many  a  pleasant  sham  fight, 
when,  mustering  in  large  numbers,  "on  a  sunshine  holiday,"  and 
dividing  our  forces  into  two  equal  bodies  of  Danes  and  Irish,  under 
distinguished  leaders,  of  whom  I  had  always  the  honour  of  being  one, 
we  struggled  hard  in  many  a  fierce  assault  for  the  mastery  of  the 
fairy-mount.  Nor  were  these  pastimes  always  of  a  sham  description; 
for  we  not  unfrequently  had  to  do  battle  in  good  earnest  with  boys 
not  belonging  to  our  clique ;  who,  envious  of  our  real  or  fancied 
superiority,  often  provoked  us  with  taunts  and  other  hostile  demon- 
strations. We  accordingly  fought  many  a  desperate  action  with  the 
young  ragamuffins  of  two  notorious  suburbs — one  very  properly 
called  "  Dirty  Lane,"  and  the  other  the  "  Spital ;"  the  latter  of 
which,  from  the  showers  of  stones  always  flying  there,  we  christened 
the  "Dardanelles" 

These  battles  of  ours  were  sometimes  fought  in  the  church -yard, 
when  every  tombstone  became  a  redoubt,  and  the  church  itself  a 
citadel ;  and  sometimes  in  the  "  old  gardens."  These  were  spacious 
wastes,  which  had  once  been  the  gardens  of  houses  and  of  families 
long  since  gone  to  decay,  but  which  now  lay  either  entirely  open,  or 
badly  fenced  against  the  intrusion  of  idlers,  who  resorted  thither  at 
all  hours  of  the  day,  either  to  play  pitch -and-toss,  or  to  enjoy  those 
gymnastic  exercises,  such  as  runm'ng,  jumping,  putting  the  stone, 
&c.  &c.,  in  which  the  Irish  have  been  always  considered  to  excel. 

It  is  not,  however,  to  be  supposed  that  I  enjoyed  this  truant  dis- 
position of  mine  with  impunity.  Though  indulged  by  my  father,  as 
iris  last  and  favourite  child,  with  more  than  usual  freedom,  my  fre- 
quent absence  from  school  was  a  source  of  great  uneasiness  to  him  ; 
but,  unwilling  to  punish  me  himself,  he  generally  left  the  disagreeable 
task  to  the  schoolmaster^  who  had  frequently  to  send  a  detachment  of 
boys  in  search  of  me,  with  stern  directions  to  bring  me  back  m  et 


4  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

amis  if  necessary,  to  the  hateful  confinement  and  drudgery  of  the 

SCT°htrSemy,  to  which  I  had  been  sent  as  a  boarder,  by  ray  own 
desire,  in  preference  to  entering  business  as  my.  father  wished  wa* 
an  establishment  of  high  repute  to  which  the  principal  gentry  01  the 
town  and  neighbourhood  sent  their  sons  for  education,  Here  though 
passionately  fond  of  the  literature  of  the  ancients,  which  I  devoured 
Ksantly  through  the  medium  of  translations,  I  never  made  much 
mog?ess  in  their  languages,  having  acquired  from  my  school  studies 
like  many  other  great  men,  "little  Latin  and  less  Greek."  But  what 
was  infinitely  more  useful  to  me  m  after-life,  I  became  thoroughly 
grounded  in  French,  and  even  respectably  acquainted  with  Spanish; 
our  Trench  teacher,  who  had  been  originally  intended  for  the  Catholic 
priesthood,  having  graduated  at  St.  Omer,  and  also  at  Salamanca. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  RECRUITING  SERGEANT. 

1  OFTEN  look  back  with  mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and  regret  on 
my  first  false  step  in  rejecting  my  father's  wish  that  I  should  go  into 
business :  regret  at  the  wanton  sacrifice  I  made  of  comfort,  inde- 
pendence, and  perhaps  wealth  and  civic  honours  ^  and  pleasure  at  the 
career  1  thus  opened  for  myself  of  strange  and  foreign  adventure, 
and  practical  knowledge  of  those  singular  vicissitudes  with  which  the 
world  abounds,  and  of  which  I  have  had  a  share  sufficiently  ample  to 
satisfy  the  most  romantic  imagination. 

I  must,  however,  say,  in  extenuation  of  my  folly,  that  the  scenes 
and  recollections  of  my  childhood  were  all  of  a  martial  character, 
calculated  to  unfit  the  mind  for  the  ordinary  routine  and  sober  rela- 
tions of  life.  Then  our  domestic  traditions  were  all  of  a  military 
cast,  the  decline  of  our  family  having  sprung  from  a  too  heroic 
adherence  to  the  fortunes  of  a  'fallen  race.  My  father  himself  was 
an  old  retired  officer  of  the  army,  and  loved  to  indulge  in  relations  of 
foreign  adventure,  especially  in  connection  with  Prince  Ferdinand 
and  the  Battle  of  Minden,  where  he  had  been  desperately  wounded. 
His  ordinary  costume  was  somewhat  allied  to  the  Kevenhtiller-hat 
and  Kamilies-wig  style  of  the  Marlborough  military  dandies ;  while, 
instead  of  an  ordinary  walking-stick,  he  generally  carried  over  his 
shoulder  a  long,  goldhcadcd  cane,  a  faint  vestige  of  the  old  espon- 
toon ;  and  when  of  an  evening,  by  his  own  fireside,  he  indulged  in  a 
sober  glass,  and  a  song  that  smacked  of  the  German  wars,  I  "listened 
delighted  to  strains  that  fired  my  young  blood,  but  of  which  I  can 
now  recollect  nothing  more  than  such  scraps  as  this  : 

"  All  hail  to  great  Crasar ! 
Long  life,  love,  and  pleasure ! 
May  the  king  live  for  ever ! 

'Tis  the  better  for  us,  boys ! " 


THE  RECRUITING  SERGEANT.  5 

Or  else  the  following  jovial  chorus  : 

"  Then  why  should  we  quarrel  for  riches, 

Or  any  such  glittering  toys  ? 
A  light  heart  and  a  thin  pair  of  breeches, 
Will  go  through  the  world,  my  brave  boys." 

When  I  add  to  these  incentives,  the  absolute  manner  in  which  I 
was  allowed  to  indulge  in  my  taste  for  chivalrous  reading,  to  the  total 
exclusion  of  everything  practically  useful;  and  the  unrestrained 
freedom  with  which  1  was  permitted  to  ramble  over  moor  and  moun- 
tain, field  and  meadow,  absorbed  in  day-dreams,  and  thick-coming 
fancies ;  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  that  my  young  mind  should 
have  received  a  bias  so  decided  and  so  durable,  that,  even  to  tiiis 
hour,  it  imparts  a  tinge  to  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf  into  which  my 
davs  have  fallen. 

tent  my  wayward  imagination  was  further  impressed,  fascinated  as 
it  were,  with  the  daily  occurrences  of  a  pugnacious  character  spring- 
ing from  the  semi-barbarous  state  of  society  which  then  prevailed  in 
Ireland,  and  of  which  a  mere  English  reader  can  have  no  adequate 
conception.  Long  before  Eather  Matthew  had  ever  dreamt  of  the 
modern  miracle  he  has  since  accomplished,  when  the  unlimited  abuse 
of  ardent  spirits  kept  up  to  fever  heat  the  passions  of  an  excitable 
people,  private  feuds  and  quarrels  were  of  constant  recurrence ;  the 
pistol  91  the  gentleman  and  the  wattle  of  the  plebeian  making  fre- 
quent inroads  on  the  peace  of  society,  and  carrying  mourning  and 
desolation  into  many  a  dwelling. 

In  addition  to  these  occasional  interludes,  the  grand  drama  of 
factious  warfare  was  carried  on  with  a '  degree  of  method  and  martial 
tactics,  unknown,  perhaps,  in  any  other  country  beneath  the  sun.  A 
register,  something  like  an  adjutant's  roister,  seems  to  have  been 
kept  by  the  infatuated  leaders  of  the  two  great  factions  which 
divided  the  country  for  miles  around;  and  in  this  not  only  the 
numbers,  names,  and  physical  qualities  of  their  respective  adherents 
were  carefully  registered,  but  also  the  days  of  battle  appointed  for 
months  previous,  to  admit  of  necessary  preparations.  During  this 
interval,  the  most  active  partisans  on  both  sides  were  in  constant 
requisition ;  beating  up  for  recruits,  lecturing  on  military  science, 
inspiring  the  timid  and  exhorting  the  brave,  to  prepare  for  the  glori- 
ous day  that  was  to  crown  with  triumph  their  respective  clans ;  for 
defeat  or  dishonour  never  seems  to  have  formed  a  part  of  their  anti- 
cipations. 

During  this  period  of  combustion  every  description  of  business 
was,  of  course,  sadly  neglected ;  irregularity  and  drunkenness  in- 
creased, and  the  whole  framework  of  society  was  disorganized,  till  at 
length  the  day,  "big  with  the  fate"  of  one  or  other  of  the  contending 
factions,  arrived.  This,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  a  fair-day,  when 
vast  numbers  of  the  peasantry  arrived  from  all  quarters,  with  horses, 
black  cattle,  pigs,  poultry,  and  other  country  produce,  for  the  market; 
and  at  the  same  time,  ready  for  all-glorious  war  as  soon  as  the  vulgar 
business  of  sale  and  purchase  should  be  despatched. 


(J  THE  YOUNG 

Innumerable  wounds  and  occasional  deaths  were  the  sad  results  of 
these  ferocious  battles,  in  the  course  of  which  deeds  of  individual 
fceroism  were  performed  that  would  have  immortalized  the  actors  m 
a  worthy  cause :  but,  alas  !  the  strength  and  courage  that  might  have 
wrought  miracles  under  the  sacred  inspiration  of  patriotism  produced 
nothin°-  iu  these  suicidal  struggles  but  private  misery,  general 
wretchedness,  and  dissolute  habits,  which  laid  a  sure  foundation  tor 
the  fearful  ruin  that  has  since  fallen  upon  the  unhappy  land. 

Breathing  thus,  as  it  were,  a  martial  atmosphere,  where  _  every 
individual  thought  himself  justified  in  taking  the  law  into  his  own 
hands ;  and  the  family  idiosyncrasy  being,  moreover,  essentially  belli- 
cose, my  longing  for  a  military  life  was  natural  enough.  But  the 
culminating  point  of  my  destiny,  which  gave  the  finishing  touch  to 
my  incipient  military  mania,  was  the  arrival  in  our  town  of  my  ma- 
ternal uncle ;  who,  having  run  away  from  school  several  years  before, 
and  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier,  had  returned  to  his  native  place  in 
all  the  seductive  glory  of  a  recruiting  sergeant. 

In  these  degenerate  days,  when  one  hears  of  nothing  but  temper- 
ance societies  and  peace  congresses,  when  the  military  virtues  seem 
to  be  scouted,  and  manhood  cried  down,  as  if  by  general  consent,  it 
is  refreshing  to  cast  a  glance  back  upon  those  gallant  fellows,  whose 
united  valour  gave  a  splendour  to  the  British  arms  which  they  had 
never  attained  before,  and  perhaps  never  will  a^ain. 

Mick  Flaherty  was  one  of  those  old  war  bull-dogs,  who  were  so 
accustomed  to  sport  with  death,  and  to  brave  the  grim  tyrant  to  his 
very  teeth,  that  enterprise  and  danger  never  came  amiss  to  them ; 
though  their  actions  in  civil  life  were  too  often  looked  upon  by  the 
ordinary  run  of  mankind  as  the  result  of  madness  or  intoxication. 

On  many  trying  occasions,  Mick  had  displayed  such  admirable 
courage  and  address,  that,  even  at  the  commencement  of  his  career, 
he  would  have  been  elevated  far  beyond  his  humble  P9sition  of  a 
private  soldier ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  had  two  propensities,  which 
always  operated  as  a  drag-chain  to  his  ambition  and  a  stumbling- 
block  to  his  valour.  Most  unfortunate  men,  when  lamenting  their 
evil  destiny,  and  anathematizing  some  besetting  vice  to  which  they 
attribute  it,  are  in  the  habit  of  exclaiming,  "  That's  the  rock  upon 
which  I  split ! "  Now  my  poor  uncle  had  two  rocks  to  split  upon, 
one  of  which  was  women,  and  the  other  wine :  either  is  enough, 
Heaven  knows,  to  do  any  man's  business ;  but  Sergeant  Flaherty  was 
never  thoroughly  satisfied,  unless  he  combined  both,  and  then  the 
consequences  were  what  any  rational  man  may  anticipate. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  however,  his  distinguished  conduct  in  the  field 
was  rewarded  with  the  worsted  epaulette ;  and  as  Sergeant  Flaherty 
he  was  sent  home  to  recruit,  at  a  period  when  the  urgency  of  the 
service  called  for  redoubled  exertion  on  the  part  of  all  who  were 
interested  in  the  glory  of  the  British  arms. 

A  better  theatre  could  not  possibly  be  chosen  for  the  trial  of  my 
uncle's  wheedling  powers  than  the  town  of  Tipperary ;  and  here,  oi 
a  market-day,  at  the  head  of  his  recruiting  party,  he  exhibited  his 
martial  figure,  and  bunches  of  beautiful  ribbons,  to  the  admiration  of 


THE  EECEUITING  SEEGEANT.  7 

rural  belles,  and  the  envy  and  jealousy  of  their  beaux  and  spouses. 
All  acknowledged  that  he  was  a  brave-looking  man,  a  beautiful  ele- 
gant man,  ay,  and  a  fine-spoken  man  to  boot,  as  evinced  in  his 
numerous  harangues  to  the  public ;  but  when  he  entered  a  tavern, 
and  invited  all  to  partake  of  his  hospitality,  there  were  no  bounds  to 
rustic  enthusiasm,  and  all  joined  uproariously  in  the  burthen  of  his 
well-known  song — 

THE  EECEUITING  SEEGEANT. 

I. 

"  Come,  take  these  ribbons,  then,"  said  he, 

"  And  give  me  no  denial : 
You  may  rise  to  the  rank  of  a  great  grandee, 

Or  a  prince  of  the  blood  royal ;  * 
And  have  an  empress  for  your  wife, 
With  a  coach  and  six,  and  a  very  merry  life ! " 
Chorus. — Huzza!  huzza!  huzza! 

II. 
"  A  wooden  leg,  or  a  golden  chain, 

Is  the  maxim  of  the  brave ; 
And  if  you  are  king  of  France  and  Spain, 

What  more  would  you  wish  to  have  ? 
Unless  for  India  you'd  like  to  pull, 
And  there  you  may  be  the  Great  Mogul ! " 
Chorus. — Huzza!  huzza!  huzza! 

Ill  short,  nothing  could  exceed  the  popularity  of  Sergeant  Flaherty, 
especially  amongst  the  fair  sex;  and  though  he  picked  up  nrore 
recruits  than  all  his  predecessors  p_ut  together,  he  might  have  carried 
off  a  wife  for  every  one  of  them,  if  the  regulations  nad  allowed  him 
to  beat  up  for  petticoats. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  so  fascinating  a  man  should  be  free 


shrugs  and  shakes  of  the  head,  as  the.  safest  mode  of  expressing 
their  sentiments  and  opinions :  others  hinted  that  "talk's  cheap,  and 
that '  many  a  bowld  word  comes  off  a  weak  stomach/  The  sergeant, 
no  doubt,  spoke  very  slightingly  of  battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death, 
which  the  prayer-book  taught  all  sober  people  to  look  upon  with  be- 
coming reverence ;  but,  for  all  that,  when  the  hour  of  trial  came,  he 
might  not  be  a  whit  better  than  other  men  who  held  their  tongues 
and  minded  their  own  affairs."  Of  this  a  proof  was  very  soon 
afforded. 

One  market-day,  when  the  main  street  of  Tipperary  was  more 
than  usually  crowded,  and  the  recruiting  party  was  parading  up  and 
down,  with  ribbons  t  flying,  and  drums  and  fifes  playing  "llory 
O'More,"  the  most  inspiring  quick-step  that  ever  was  composed; 

*  This  is  not  so  purely  imaginative  as  may,  at  first  sight,  appear  5  for  by  a  recent 
decree  of  the  emperor  of  Austria,  that  soldier  of  fortune,  Radetzky,  has  been  (very 
properly,  we  think)  created  a  prince  of  the  blood.— ED. 


8  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

while  hundreds,  I  may  say  thousands,  pf  the  admiring  rabblement 
surrounded  and  accompanied  their  glorious  march,  Sergeant  O'Fla- 
herty  (for  he  had  recently  tagged  the  great  0  to  his  otherwise  vulgar 
patronymic),  thinking  it  a  good  opportunity  to  display  his  eloquence, 
gracefully  waved  his  flashing  sword,  and  cried  out  with  stentorian 
lungs:  "Recruiting  party,  halt!"  Then,  hemming  significantly 
thrice  to  clear  his  manly  voice,  he  was  about  to  address  the  smiling 
multitudes  of  males  and  females  who  crowded  around  him,  with  his 
customary  eloquence. 

Suddenly  a  terrific  shout  arose  at  the  top  of  the  main  street,  which 
increased  rapidly  in  volume,  intermingled  with  shrieks  and  yells  of 
terror ;  till  at  length  the  words  "  Mad  bull !  mad  bull ! "  were  distin- 
guished in  the  gathering  tumult.  All  fled  in  horror  and  confusion ; 
men,  women,  and  children,  tumbling  headlong  over  each  other,  in 
their  heedless  hurry  to  escape  the  fury  of  the  savage  monster ; 
soldiers,  drummers,  fifers,  all,  in  short,  fled,  except  the  bold  O'Ela- 
herty,  who,  to  the  general  amazement,  stood  there  alone  in  his  glory. 

The  bull,  raging  mad  with  the  noise  and  confusion  he  himselt  had 
caused,  was  now  seen  tearing  down  the  street,  goring  some,  and 
tossing  others  head  over  heels  on  the  rough  pavement ;  till  the  tall 
motionless  figure  of  the  recruiting-sergeant  met  his  sight,  glowing  in 
all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow. 

With  a  bellow  of  intense  and  concentrated  rage,  he  made  directly 
at  him,  while  hundreds  of  pitying  voices  cried  out :  "  Run,  sergeant ! 
Run,  for  the  love  of  God,  and  save  yourself!" 

.Firm  as  a  rock,  however,  stood  the  bold  O'Flaherty,  as  if  deter- 
mined to  take  the  bull  by  the  horns,  literally,  and  in  downright 
earnest;  while  the  crowd,  forgetting  their  own  terror,  gazed  in 
stupid  wonder  at  the  inevitable  destruction  of  their  universal 
lavourite. 

My  uncle,  however,  had  witnessed  a  few  bull-fights,  while  he  was 
a  prisoner  of  war  in  Spain  (for  he  was  captured  in  Whitelock's  un- 
happy expedition  to  Buenps  Ayres),  and  had  seen  with  delight  the 
periect  sang  froid  with  which  the  matador  awaits  the  onset  of  the 
savage  monster,  and  the  dexterity  with  which  he  gives  him  the  coup 
ae  grace.  With  equal  coolness  he  now  stood  erect,  alert  and  ready 
for  action, 

t  Just  as  the  bull,  with  a  furious  bound  and  a  savage  bellow,  lowered 
his  head  to  toss  him  in  the  air,  OTlaherty  stepped  aside ;  and.  as  the 
animal  passed  him.  m  headlong  haste,  he  seized  him  by  the  tail  with 
ins  lett  hand,  holding  on  firmly,  in  spite  of  the  violent  lunges  of  his 
enraged  enemy  -then,  with  two  rapid  and  well-directed  blows  of  his 
sabre  he  cut  the  tendons  of  both  hind  legs ;  and  the  ham-strun°- 
animal  m  a  vam  attempt  to  rush  forward,  fell  helpless  and  exhausted 
Z°aiV  f  Pa!?menf  ^ile  a  shout  of  Joy  and  triumph  rang  through 
the^air  from  the  astonished  and  delighted  multitude. 

•etiie  close  of  that  eventful  day,  fifty  young  fellows,  in  the 
their  enthusiasm,  took  the  king's  shilling  from  Sergeant 

,™  if       "J     •  a  sf,cret  ^ut  a  solemn  vow  tliat  I  would  never 
adopt  any  other  profession  than  that  of  my  gallant  uncle. 


THE  GAGE 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    GAGE    D3AMOUR. 

Foit  a  long  time  the  whole  country  rang  with  the  exploit  of  the 
brave  O'Maherty :  lie  was  deified  by  the  mob,  courted  by  the  middle- 
classes,  and  even  visited  by  the  gentry,  and  fcasted^t  their  houses; 
being  himself  of  gentle  blood,  though  a  wild  scion  of  an  ancient  race. 
It  was  actually  proposed  to  get  up  a  subscription  to  purchase  him  an 
eusigncy ;  but  he  disdained  the  idea  of  acquiring  the  silver  epaulette 
through  the  medium  of  filthy  lucre,  exclaiming  that  "  he'd  win  it  on 
the  breach,  or  not  at  all."  For  my  part,  I  became  wild  to  "  follow 
to  the  field,"  so  renowned  a  leader ;  and  day  and  night  worried  my 
poor  brains  to  accomplish  this  first  and  only  wish  of  my  heart. 

Fortune  at  length,  whether  for  good  or  evil,  seemed  disposed  to 
favour  my  juvenile  aspirations ;  and  an  opportunity  was  afforded  me, 
when  I  least  expected  it,  of  escaping  from  the  loathed  drudgery  of 
civil  life.  My  brother,  who  was  in  business,  and  evidently  on  the 
high  road  to  fortune,  having  occasion  to  go  to  London,  offered  to 
take  me  with  him,  and  procure  me  a  commission ;  while  I  was  so 
delighted  with  the  idea,  that  I  never  gave  my  father  a  moment's 
peace  till  he  consented  to  let  me  go— with  the  proviso,  however,  that 
I  should  limit  my  ambition  to  the  militia ;  and  thus,  as  the  phrase  is, 
he  abandoned  the  last  prop  of  his  declining  age,  to  gratify  my  boyish 
propensity. 

Behold  me,  then,  scarcely  in  my  fifteenth  year,  about  to  launch  on 
the  great  unknown  world,  in  a  profession  the  difficulties  of  which  I 
had  no  possible  means  of  ascertaining,  and  whose  splendour  alone 
occupied  my  thoughts.  Great,  indeed,  was  the  envy  pf  my  school- 
fellows at  the  fame  and  fortune  that  awaited  me,  in  that  ever- 
glorious  career  which  first  enlists  the  sympathies  of  the  youthful 
heart ;  and  greater  still  was  their  admiration  at  the  pictures  I  drew 
from  reading  and  imagination,  alas !  how  unlike  the  reality  of  a 
soldier's  life.  I  became  to  them  an  object  of  intense  interest ;  many 
voAyed  they  would  embrace  no  other  profession  than  the  military, 
while  several  made  me  promise  to  correspond  with  them,  and  give 
them  a  regular  account  of  all  the  battles,  sieges,  and  single  combats 
in  \yhich  1  might  be  engaged.  Thrice  happy  age !  when  the  banquet 
of  life  is  enjoyed  in  advance,  and  the  writing  on  the  wall  is  lost  in  the 
splendour  of  imagination  and  the  dreams  of  a  heated  fancy  ! 

I  shall  never  lorget  the  day  I  rode  out  of  Tipperary  on  this  my 
first  start  in  life,  at  a  period  when  other  boys  were  immersed  in  the 
drudgery  of  school,  and  possessing  no  other  knowledge  of  the  world 
than  what  I  had  gleaned  from  books  of  imagination ;  which,  like  the 
flimsy  novels  of  our  penny  periodicals,  contained  anything  but  faith- 
ful pictures  of  real  life  and  manners.  My  brother  had  preceded  me 


10  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAK. 

to  Clonmel,  about  twenty  miles  distant,  where  he  had  some  business 
to  transact,  and  where  I  was  to  join  him.  For  this  purpose,  I  was 
mounted  on  a  large,  powerful  horse,  which,  though  I  had  frequently 
ridden  him  after  the  stag-hounds,  was  big  enough  for  a  generals 
charter  My  holsters  contained  a  very  tidy  brace  ot  brass-barrelled 
pistols,  the  last  gift  of  my  poor  father,  and  my  clothes  were  packed 
in  a  large  valise  fixed  upon  the  crupper;  on  the  top  ot  which  was 
also  strapped  an  old  silver-hilted  sword,  of  formidable  length,  which 
had  decorated  my  father's  thigh  at  the  battle  of  Mmden.  This 
deadly  weapon,  protruding  at  either  end  far  beyond  the  dimensions 
of  the  valise,  seemed  to  indicate  that  its  owner  was  a  sort  of  person 
that  was  never  to  be  taken  alive. 

Having  bade  my  parents  a  last  farewell,  very  affecting  on  their 
part,  and  very  light-hearted  on  mine,  I  rode,  thus  accoutred,  through 
the  main  street  of  Tipperary,  accompanied  by  my  most  attached 
playfellows,  to  the  admiration  and  amusement  of  the  townsfolk. 
Some  of  these  affected  to  be  frightened  at  my  martial  aspect,  some 
offered  me  friendly  advice  and  scraps  of  proverbial  wisdom  for  <  my 
future  guidance,  while  others  laughed  heartily  at  niy  curious 
equipage,  and  one  graceless  vaiiet  exclaimed : 

"  I'll  roast  on  my  finger  all  that  you'll  kill  in  the  wars." 

Too-  happy,  however,  in  my  own  thoughts  to  regard  their  idle 
bantering,  I  proceeded  onward  at  an  easy  pace,  till  I  finally  bade 
adieu  to  my  school-companions,  with  renewed  protestations  and 
promises  of  mutual  correspondence. 

But  my  greatest  trial  was  yet  to  come.  Amongst  my  young  re- 
latives, I  had  a  little  cousin,  Honoria  Blake,  a  child  of  extraordinary 
sensibility  and  intellect;  who,  though  several  years  younger  than 
myself,  had  formed  such  a  singular  attachment  to  me  that  she  could 
scarcely  be  said  to  exist  out  of  my  presence.  She  was  singularly 
precocious,  and  had  contracted  at  a  very  early  age  such  a  fondness 
for  reading,  that  a  book  was  in  reality  the  only  rival  I  had  in  her 
affections,  though  even  that  always  yielded  to  my  superior  claims. 

My  great  delight  was  in  ministering  to  this  early  passion  of  my 
little  cousin  for  literature,  and  all  my  pocket-money  went  in  pur- 
chasing  food  for  its  gratification.  To  this,  and  the  facility  with 
which  I  invented  fairy  tales  for  her  amusement,  may  be  attributed,  I 
suppose,  her  excessive  partiality  for  me ;  but,  whatever  may  have 
been  the  cause,  the  poor  little  soul  was  never  happy  unless  walking, 
running,  or  riding  her  little  pony  by  the  side  of  her  cousin  Percy ;  or 
*jro)£  m  ,hls  arms,  while  he  recounted  to  her  the  marvellous  legends 
of  mu°n  ^cCoul>  Mouldewarp,  and  the  Headless  Coach. 

ihe  trial  I  had  now  to  undergo  was  the  parting  with  this  dear 
little  cousin  of  mine.  Gladly  would  I  have  avoided  the  scene 

11  gi   ji'         xt  was  imP°ssible  to  evade  her  vigilance.    Ever  since 
3  had  heard  of  my  expected  departure,  she  had  never  ceased 

weeping.  Like  Niobe,  all  tears,  she  hung  upon  my  footsteps, 
fallowed  me  like  my  shadow,  and  on  the  morning  of  my  departure, 
was  up  at  daybreak,  planted  herself  at  her  parlour  window,  which  I 
must  necessarily  pass,  and  for  whole  hours  kept  watch  and  ward  for 


THE  GA.GE  D5AMOIJB.  11 

her  cousin  Percy,  who  was  going  to  the  wars  to  be  killed  by  the 
naughty  Frenchmen. 

But  I  must  spare  the  gentle  reader  the  misery  I  myself  experienced 
in  this  harrowing  interview.  Poor  little  Honoria  absolutely  wept 
herself  into  convulsions,  which  threw  us  all  into  a  terrible  fright,  and 
nothing  could  pacify  her  but  my  solemn  promise  to  return  from  the 
wars  in  a  week,  and  not  to  allow  myself  to  be  killed  by  any  naughty 
Frenchman  whatever.  She  then  clasped  upon  my  left  wrist  a  bracelet 
of  her  own  hair,  which  she  had  woven  for  the  occasion,  our  united 
cipher  being  engraved  upon  the  gold  clasp.  She  exacted  from  me  a 
vow  that  this  gage  d'amour  should  never  be  lost,  stolen,  or  given 
away;  and,  singular  to  relate,  this  gift  of  a  child,  only  six  or  seven 
years  old,  was  so  sacred  in  my  eyes,  that  in  all  my  vicissitudes  by  sea 
or  land,  it  never  left  the  spot  on  which  she  had  placed  it. 

To  the  dreadful  renewal  of  her  sorrow,  I  at  length  tore  myself 
away  from  my  poor  little  cousin,  and  setting  spurs  to  my  horse,  I 
galloped  off  to  Clonmel,  where  my  brother  and  1  took  the  coach  for 
Dublin,  and  proceeded  to  London,  via  Holyhead,  every  inch  of  the 
way  producing  to  my  enraptured  eyes  fresh  objects  of  wonder  and 
delight. 

Yes  !  let  the  world-weary  traveller  boast  of  the  miracles  of  art  and 
nature  he  has  seen;  let  him  discourse  eloquently  to  admiring 
auditors  of  the  various  lands  he  has  traversed,  and  the  many  strange 
sights  and  startling  events  with  which  his  memory  is  fraught,  I  very 
much  question  if  the  enjoyment  he  finds  in  descanting  for  the 
hundredth  time  on  "the  Alps,  the  Apennines,  and  river  Po,"  can  at 
all  equal  the  ecstasy  with  which  the  unsophisticated  mind  of  youth 
sees  the  veil  of  ignorance  and  inexperience  first  rent  asunder,  and 
the  world,  in  all  its  wonders,  opening  in  endless  succession  to  his 
enraptured  vision. 

At  length  we  reached  the  "never-ending,  still-beginning"  metro- 
polis ;  and  were  hurried,  as  night  fell,  through  innumerable  streets, 
where  the  lights  of  shops  and  street-lamps  flashed  incessantly  into 
the  windows  of  our  stage-coach;  while  the  interminable  crowds 
hurrying  on,  as  it  were,  for  life  and  death,  in  opposing  tides,  and 
the  steady  and  incessant  roar  of  the  "  Great  Babel,"  more  than  re- 
alized the  image  I  had  formed  in  my  own  mind  of  Pandemonium. 
At  length  we  were  driven  under  a  gloomy  and  narrow  gateway,  into 
a  still  more  gloomy  court-yard,  when  the  carriage  suddenly  stopped, 
the  door  was  opened,  the  step  let  down,  and  two  or  three  smart- 
looking  waiters,  with  napkins  tucked  under  their  arms,  ushered  us 
into  that  well-known  hostelry  of  ancient  times,  "The  Bull  and 
Mouth." 

e  After  an  early  breakfast  the  following  morning,  I  quitted  this 
singular  old  dungeon  of  an  hotel,  so  fearfully  enveloped  amidst 
narrow  lanes  and  lofty  buildings  that  I  verily  believe  the  sun  had 
never  once  fairly  shone  upon  it,  and  fought  my  way  manfully  through 
the  crowded  and  bustling  streets  to  the  Park.  But  I  shall  never 
forget  the  delight  I  experienced  when  the  glories  of  the  Horse 
Guards  burst  upon  my  view,  and  Life  Guards  and  Foot  Guards,  in 


12  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

their  dazzling  panoply,  were  passing  and  repassing  before  my  eyes, 
with  all  the  admirable  precision  of  military  movements ;  while  the 
towers  of  Westminster  Abbey  rose  majestically  above  the  surround- 
in?  foliage,  and  the  joy-bells  poured  forth  a  glorious  peal  in  honour 
of  vimeira,  the  first  of  our  immortal  series  of  Peninsular  triumphs. 

Then,  indeed,  did  my  bosom  swell  with  military  ardour;  and  so 
unreasonable  did  it  appear  that  my  father  should  object  to  my  choice 
of  the  army  as  a  profession,  that  I  actually  wondered  how  any  human 
being  could  ever  think  of  any  other.  Apprehending,  now,  that  all 
the  battles  would  be  won  before  I  had  time  even  to  buckle  on  my 
armour,  I  urged  my  brother  not  to  lose  a  moment  in  preparing  me 
for  the  field  ;  and  he,  smiling  at  my  boyish  enthusiasm,  accordingly 
addressed  Jiimself  to  this  high  emprise.  _  Nor  did  he  experience  much 
difficulty  in  the  matter.  Through  the  influence  of  the  member  for 
our  county,  who  reckoned  on  a  quid  pro  quo  from  my  father  at  the 
next  general  election,  I  was  appointed  to  an  ensigncyin  the  Hereford 
Militia,  and  lost  no  time,  when  my  outfit  was  completed,  in  starting 
for  Chelmsforcl,  the  head-quarters  of  the  regiment. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  THREATENING  LETTER. 

IT  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  arrived  at  Chelms- 
ford  ;  and  having  somewhat  arranged  my  outward  man  after  my 
journey,  at  the  inn  where  the  coach  stopped  I  inquired  my  way  to 
the  barracks. 

On  entering  the  gateway,  the  smart  slap  of  the  sentry  on  the  butt 
ol  his  musket,  as  he  carried  arms  to  a  young  officer  who  was  entering 
at  the  same  moment,  attracted  my  attention  to  the  latter,  and  I 
begged  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  direct  me  to  the  quarters  of  Sir 
George  Cornwall,  the  commanding  officer.  He  very  politelv  offered 
to  conduct  me  thither,  and  we  accordingly  walked  across  the 'barrack- 
yard,  where  several  squads  of  recruits  and  defaulters  were  at  drill ; 
two  or  three  horses  in  body-clothes  being  trotted  about  by  a  groom 
in  livery,  and  some  buglers  and  drum-boys  practising  the  roll-call 
and  tattoo  on  their  respective  instruments. 

We  found  Sir  George  amusing  himself  in  his  barrack-room  with 

Jus  violoncello,  which  he  played  remarkably  well.    He  was  a  tall 

legant-lookrng  man,  with  a  pleasing  aristocratic  countenance,  but 

fnwmn       t       reqeiVe(?  mc>  most  graciously;  and  after  chatting  a 

lev  moments  consigned  me  to  the  care  of  my  conductor,  Lieutenant 

Moments  ^  '  and  assist  me  in  my  barrack 

This  task  Richardson  undertook  con,  amors,  being  a  lively,  good- 

vl  £hf hS  *  }?  Le  rm'  Wit>  some  crotcll^s  of  ^s  own,  however, 
which  showed  themselves  on  further  acquaintance.  He  introduced 


THE  THREATENING  LETTEK.  13 

me  to  the  quartermaster,  who  immediately  furnished  me  with  a 
barrack-room,  and  to  the  adjutant,  who  supplied  me  with  a  servant. 
We  then  proceeded  to  the  mess-room,  where  I  was  introduced  to 
several  other  young  fellows,  with  whom  I  lunched,  and  we  were 
speedily  on  the  best  possible  terms  with  each  other,  s&gfidui  Achates 
next  accompanied  me  into  .town,  where  he  introduced  me  to  Solomon 
Levi,  from  whom  I  purchased  some  barrack  furniture ;  to  the  billiard- 
room,  where  we  had  a  rubber  or  two ;  and  to  some  pretty  milliners, 
with  whom  we  flirted  till  the  first  bugle  warned  us  to  dress  for 
dinner. 

It  was  a  day  to  be  remembered  amongst  the  resgestae  of  the  Blakes, 
when  I  first  donned  my  regimentals  with  apple-green  facings,  Here- 
fordshire being  proverbially  the  "Land  ol  Cider."  On  this  great 
occasion,  my  servant,  Tom  King,  was  materially  assisted  in  his 
multifarious  duties  of  valet  by  my  friend^  Richardson,  who  really 
seemed  to  take  a  pride  in  his  new  protege,  for  it  was  his  great  hobby 
to  chaperon  and  patronize  all  recent  arrivals,  by  inducting  them  into 
all  the  vices  and  follies  of  military  life,  till  he  either  got  tired  of 
them,  or  they  of  him.  Accordingly,  after  some  learned  discussions 
between  my  two  assistants,  as  to  the  exact  quantity  of  pomatum  and 
powder,  the  regulated  length  of  my  false  queue,  and  the  tying  of  my 
sash  before,  or  behind,  I  was  at  length  turned  out,  it  was  admitted 
on  all  hands,  a  most  unexceptionable  recruit. 

The  mess-room  was  crowded,  as  we  entered,  with  the  officers  of 
the  regiment  and  several  civilians,  as  guests  of  the  day ;  and  I  was 
presented,  in  succession,  to  every  one  of  any  consequence,  being 
received  by  all  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  urbanity.  Our  regiment 
was  highly  aristocratic :  Sir  George  Cornwall  was  an  old  baronet  • 
the  Honourable  Thomas  Foley  was  our  lieutenant-colonel;  Lord 
Rodney  captain  of  the  light  company,  and  his  brother,  the  Honour- 
able (and  truly  amiable)  Thomas  Harley,  captain  of  grenadiers, 
besides  several  other  off-shoots  of  noble  houses.  The  mess  was 
richly  furnished  with  plate ;  we  ate  off  china ;  and  champagne,  at 
that  time  a  luxury  confined  to  certain  classes,  encouraged  the  "  feast 
of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul,"  on  "  stranger  days  "  especially,  such 
as  the  present ;  while  an  excellent  band  alternately  played  opera  airs 
and  overtures,  or  sang  madrigals,  glees,  and  catches  in  full  chorus  for 
our  entertainment. 

Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than  this  my  coup  d'essai  in  my 
new  career,  and  pleasant  dreams  that  night,  in  my  comfortable  camp 
bed,  seemed  to  augur  a  happy  future.  In  the  morning,  Tom  King  lit 
my  fire,  made  my  breakfast,  prepared  my  clothes  for  dressing,  and 
called  me  just  ten  minutes  before  the  first  bugle  had  sounded  for 
parade.  Everything,  in  short,  was  done  with  the  most  perfect 
regularity  and  precision,  and  I  had  little  or  no  occasion  to  exercise 
any  thought  myself;  my  wants  being  all  supplied  and  my  wishes 
anticipated  as  if  I  had  been  some  favoured  prince  in  fairy-land. 

On  parade,  I  underwent  a  more  critical  scrutiny,  with  reference,  at 
least,  to  personal  appearance,  than  on  the  previous  evening ;  and  I 
was  happy  to  find  that  the  tacit  verdict  was  favourable ;  for,  on  being 


14  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

posted  to  a  battalion  company,  Lord  Rodney  applied  to  have  me  in 
the  Light  Bobs,  and  his  wishes  being  acceded  to,  I  was  directed  to 
supply  myself  forthwith  with  wings  and  a  sabre  and  sling-belt,  in  lieu 
of  the  epaulette,  frog-belt,  and  straight  sword  with  which  I  had 
joined.  The  good-natured  reader  will,  I  hope,  excuse  me  for  dwelling 
on  such  trifles  as  these ;  but  they  were  my  halcyon  days,  an  oasis 
in  the  broad  desert  of  my  chequered  existence. 

I  spent  that  evening  at  a  barrack  soiree,  given  by  onr  major's  lady ; 
and  though  \ve  were  somewhat  restricted  for  room,  we  were  not  the 
less  happy.  Several  of  the  Chelmsford  belles  being  amongst  the 
company,  the  card-tables  were  voted  a  bore,  and  consigned  to  the 
passage ;  a  carpet-dance  was  improvised,  our  hostess  sat  down  to  the 
piano,  I  occasionally  assisted  her  with  the  violin,  while  "  Sir  Roger  de 
Coverley"  and  the  Boulanger,  those  venerable  relics  of  the  olden  time, 
were  danced  with  grace  and  spirit,  in  spite  of  the  intervening  obstacles 
of  tables,  chairs,  sofas,  and  book-shelves. 

This  was  all,  in  turf  parlance,  going  upon  velvet;  but  the  reader  is 
not,  therefore,  to  infer  that  I  met  with  no  checks  in  my  career,  to 
remind  me  of  the  common  lot  of  humanity.  Though  still  compara- 
tively happy,  I  59011  began  to  find  I  was  not  exempt  from  these ;  for, 
as  my  old  favourite  Hudibras  so  pathetically  sings, — 

"  Ay,  me !  what  perils  do  environ 
The  man  that  meddles  with  coir!  iron  ! 
What  plaguy  mischiefs  and  mishaps 
Do  dog  him  still  with  after-claps ! " 

In  the  first  place,  I  was  handed  over  to  the  drill-sergeant,  who  put 
me  through  the  goose-step  and  firelock  drill,  with  the  most  stern  and 
unbending  rigour ;  and  as  these  diabolical  evolutions  were  all  per- 
formed in  public,  I  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  drum-boys  and 


-  -,  w      one  eg  suc    ou 

behind  in  a  most  ungraceful  angle  of  incidence  with  the  remainder 
or  my  body. 

To  the  dnll-sergeant  succeeded  the  adjutant,  with  company  and 
skeleton-drill,  while  the  major  stood  by,  picking  holes  in  mv  jacket 
for  losing  my  distance,  or  directing  me  to  hold  up  my  head  and  throw 
back  my  shoulders ; ;  he  himsel  being  the  most  clumsy  and  misshapen 
mass  ot  flesh  that  could  be  imagined.  On  one  occasion,  this  func- 
for^ive  my  amourpropre  in  a  manner  that  I  can  never  forget  or 

ft  was  our  Sunday  evening  parade,  and  all  the  belles  and  beaux  of 

om fe  £H?  rr7alTnf  ^-fd  down  the  fc™ck-yard,  listening  to 
our  beautiful  band.    I  had,  it  seems,  ventured  to  deviate  from  the 

th^GSfh  H   T?>  ^.matter  of  parade  etiquette?  when 

is    bustling  botherby  "  ot  a  major,  desirous  of  showing  the  world 

that  he  had  something  to  do  for  his  money,  rode  furiousl?  up  to  me 

and  theaprn±reaT°n  **  -S°  heretjcal  *  deviatior X the L*w 
the  Prophets.     I  very  innocently  replied  that  I  thought  my 


THE  THREATENING  LETTER.  15 

manner  of  performing  the  duty  in  question  was  an  improvement  on 
the  old  method. 

"  You  thought,  sir ! "  cried  the  major,  foaming  at  the  mouth.  "How 
dare  you  think,  sir  ?  never  let  me  hear  of  your  thinking  again,  sir ! " 

The  reader  may  judge  of  my  confusion,  mortification  and  wrath, 
when  I  saw  Miss  Julia  Densham,  a  rich  heiress,  with  whom  I  had 
lately  fallen  in  love,  show  her  beautiful  teeth  in  a  most  unequivocal 
smile,  which  I  thought  anything  but  comme  il  feint,  under  the  circum- 
stances. In  the  agony  of  the  moment  I  made  a  mental  vow  never 
again  to  think  upon  any  subject  whatever  connected  with  my  military 
duties ;  and,  after  mature  experience,  1  now  recommend  this,  as  a 
very  safe  rule  to  begin  with,  to  the  junior  branches  of  the  army, 
especially  those  military  tyros  who  are  familiarly  denominated  "Five- 
and-threepenny  targets." 

But  all  these  rebuffs,  serious  as  I  then  thought  them,  were  "trifles 
light  as  air  "to  the  next  "untoward  event,"  to  which  I  was  very 
nearly  falling  a  victim. 

Having  taken  offence  at  my  commanding  officer  for  supplanting 
me,  one  evening,  at  a  ball,  in  the  honour  of  dancing  with  Miss  Julia 
Densham,  the  heiress  upon  whom,  as  I  before  said,  I  had  last  fixed 
my  somewhat  erratic  affections,  I  took  up  my  pen,  determined  to 
chastise  him  for  his  presumption,  and  wrote  him  a  letter  of  three 
foolscap  pages,  of  a  most  inflammatory  and  "  aggravating  "  descrip- 
tion. In  this  I  larded  the  leanness  of  my  own  composition  by  copious 
quotations  from  Lindley  Murray  and  Tooke's  "  Pantheon,"  all  tending 
to  liken  him  to  one  of  those  powerful  and  ruthless  tyrants  who,  in  the 
olden  time,  took  a  pleasure  in  baffling  the  wishes  and  blighting  the 
happiness  of  sighing  Strephons  and  of  ladies  fair. 

The  consequence  of  this  precocious  and  pugnacious  proceeding 
was,  that  I  found  myself,  one  fine  morning,  in  close  arrest ;  a  sentry 
was  placed  at  my  door,  and  old  Rivet,  the  adjutant,  having  marched 
off  with  my  sword,  soon  after  marched  back  with  a  list  of  charges  to 
be  preferred  against  me,  as  long  as  my  arm.  Sir  George  had  doubtless 
laughed  at  my  boyish  folly,  for  I  had  actually  only  completed  my 
fifteenth  year,  but  thought  it  necessary  to  give  me  at  least  a  salutary 
fright  on  the  occasion. 

In  the  pride  of  composition,  and  to  give  due  force  to  my  philippic, 
I  had  witten  it  in  a  very  antithetical  style,  which  has  since  been 
adopted  by  the  erudite  author  of  "  Lacon ; "  so  that  it  was,  in  fact, 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  string  of  about  twenty  epigrams  put 
together  as  chance  directed. 

My  own  style  was  now  retorted  on  me  ;  every  epigram  produced  a 
separate  charge,  and  every  charge  began  with  the  awful  preamble, 
"for  conduct  unbecoming  the  character  of  an  officer  and  a  gentleman, 
and  highly  subversive  of  military  discipline."  Every  paragraph  of 
my  unfortunate  epistle  was  ingeniously  discovered  to  be  an  infraction 
of  some  specific  article  of  war;  in  short,  the  whole  Mutiny  Act 
seemed  to  have  been  devised  and  invented  solely  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  my  becoming  commander-in-chief,  or  marrying  an. 
heiress. 


16  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

I  leave  my  readers  to  judge  of  the  consternation  I  was  in  at  the 
formidable  array  of  pains  and  penalties  I  had  so  inadvertently  in- 
curred, for  I  had  never  anticipated  a  legal  proceeding  on  the  part  of 
Sir  George,  who  was  certainly  bound  by  all  the  laws  of  honour  to 
settle  the  affair  in  a  gentlemanly  manner,  with  coffee  and  pistols.  As 
the  case  stood,  however,  shooting  and  quartering  was  the 


merciful  sentence  I  could  possibly  expect ;  and  the  idea  of  quitting 
this  best  of  all  possible  worlds,  when  I  was  only,  as  it  were,  on  the 
very  threshold,  put  me  into  a  most  horrible  fright.  My  hair,  it  is 
true,  did  not  turn  grey,  at  least  perceptibly,  owing  to  the  quantity  of 
powder  I  wore ;  but  I'll  venture  to  say  that,  were  it  not  for  the 
stringent  mass  of  pomatum  which  was  then  de  rigueur,  it  would  have 
stood  on  end,  "like  quills  upon  the  fretful  porcupine,"  even  to  the 
very  extremity  of  my  false  queue. 

Old  Rivet,  the  adjutant,  whose  heart  was  as  hard  as  the  nether 
millstone,  and  unfeeling  as  the  halbert  from  which  he  had  just  been 
promoted,  "  grinned  horribly  a  ghastly  smile  "  at  the  impression  he 
had  made,  and  duly  reported  my  fallen  estate  to  my  powerful  oppressor. 
This  fell  tyrant,  as  I  deemed  him,  had  the  cruelty  to  leave  roe  in  an 
agony  of  suspense  for  a  whole  week ;  during  which  I  was  quizzed  to 
death  by  my  brother-officers,  and  confined  to  my  barrack -room,  which 
seemed  worse  than  Trenck's  dungeon,  or  Dante's  "Inferno,"  "where 
hope  never  comes."  Talk  of  the" Black  Hole  of  Calcutta!  it  was  a 
breezy  mountain-top  compared  to  my  den;  for  though  door  and 
window  wore  thrown  open,  the  grim  aspect  of  the  sentinel  at  my 
threshold,  and  the  wicked  leering  of  the  drummer-boys  as  they  passed, 
made  my  heart  swell  like  a  mountain  in  my  breast ;  till,  at  length,  I 
actually  felt  a  •"  M  '  n  ..»«•'.  &-*- 

an  air-pump,  ; 
ment,  aud  that 
agonized  frame  were  every  instant  on  the  point  of  explosion. 

When  the  vengeance  of  my  ruthless  foe  was  at  length  fully  satiated, 
1  was  allowed  to  sing  my  Palinodia ;  and,  at  a  full  mess-meeting,  I 
had  the  gratification  of  swallowing  my  confounded  epistle,  paragraph 
by  paragraph ;  every  gulp  being  accompanied  by  a  suitable  reprimand 
and  admonition  from  my  triumphant  rival,  who,  soon  after,  to  cap  the 
Climax  of  my  defeat,  had  the  additional  pleasure  of  marrying  the 
heiress  who  had  been  the  innocent  cause  of  rnv  disgrace 


CHAPTER  Y. 

BARRACK   SCENES. 

THE  sufferings  occasioned  by  this  "heavy  blow  and  great  discourage- 
ment of  my  first  attempt  at  literary  composition,  wrung  from  me  in 
the  bitterness  of  my  soul,  a  vow  never  to  be  guilty  of  a  similar  trans- 
gression ;  and  so  violent  was  the  shock  my  nervous  system  underwent 


BARRACK  SCENES.  17 

on  the  occasion,  that  for  many  months  after  I  never  committed  myself 
to  paper  in  any  more  elaborate  production  than  a  guard-report  or  an. 
innocent  love-letter — I  say  innocent,  for  as  yet  all  my  effusions  in  this 
way  were  of  the  high-heroic  cast,  and  but  little  calculated  to  do  any 
mischief,  even  to  the  most  tender-hearted  innamorata. 

But  I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  all  the  absurdities  I  com- 
mitted before  contact  with  the  world  had  somewhat  licked  me  into 
shape ;  for  it  was  now  but  too  apparent  that  I  had  rushed  into  a 
superior  phase  of  existence,  with  all  the  ignorance  and  conceit  of 
those  precocious  boys  embalmed  in  Punch's  immortal  page.  One 
practical  joke,  however,  I  must  not  omit,  which  was  played  off  against 
me  at  this  time,  and  which  was  not  altogether  devoid  of  salutary  con- 
sequences. 

I  had  taken  such  a  disgust  to  my  barrack-room,  from  mv  recent 
confinement,  that  I  went  to  reside  for  a  time  in  lodgings ;  and,  as  ill- 
luck  would  have  it,  pitched  upon  one  not  far  from  the  barracks,  which 
was  kept  by  a  buxom  little  grass  widow,  whose  husband  had  recently 
left  her,  and  who  was  therefore  compelled,  as  a  pis  aller,  to  take  ill 
single  gentlemen,  and  do  for  them. 

1  take  Heaven  to  witness,  that  my  thoughts  were  most  particularly 
innocent  when  I  entered  upon  the  establishment  of  Mrs.  Dawkins ; 
for  the  idea  of  trespassing  on  the  domain  of  another  never  once 
tarnished  my  imagination.  My  brother  officers,  however,  who  \vere 
constantly  dropping  in  upon  me,  to  have  a  chat  with  my  hostess, 
either  weret  or  affected  to  be  of  a  different  opinion ;  and  were  con- 
stantly rallying  me  on  my  good  taste,  on  the  tact  with  which  I  could 
choose  a  quarter,  on  the  tidy  manner  in  which  my  fflifagttwttl  conducted, 
and  a  variety  of  9ther  topics  of  a  similar  tendency.  I  must,  however, 
admit  that  my  little  grass  widow  gave  some  colour  to  these  insinua- 
tions, by  unguardedly  praising  to  my  \yild  companions  the  gentleness 
of  my  manners  and  the  beautiful  style  in  which  I  played  the  flute. 

All  this  came  in  due  time  to  the  ears  of  our  lieutenant-colonel,  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Foley,  who,  not  to  speak  irreverently  of  the  aristocracy, 
was  the  most  perfect  devil  I  ever  met  with ;  that  is  to  say,  though  a 
high-principled,  talented,  and  well-educated  man,  he  drank  more  wine 
than  a  dozen,  without  being  tipsy ;  he  was  a  desperate,  but  most 
honourable  gambler,  and  he  talked  in  his  cups  more  horrible  stuff 
than  ever  was  uttered  at  a  "  boozing-ken  "  in  St.  Giles's.  He  was, 
however,  a  general  favourite,  who  loved  to  play  the  bov  as  well  as  any 
of  us;  and  such  was  the  singularly  juvenile  cast  and  expression  of 
his  features,  that,  when  surrounded,  as  he  generally  was,  by  a  host  of 
young  fellows,  he  might  very  well  be  taken  for  an  overgrown  junior 
ensign. 

This  eccentric  scion  of  nobility  thought  it  was  an  opportunity  not 
to  be  overlooked,  to  have  a  little  fun  at  my  expense ;  for  he  had  taken 
a  fancy  to  me,  and  loved  to  get  me  into  scrapes,  for  the  pleasure  of 
getting  me  out  of  them.  He  led  me  into  a  duel  once,  and  was  my 
friend  on  the  occasion,  when  my  adversary  and  I  fired  seven  shots 
each,  without  hitting,  though  at  ten  paces.  The  considerate  Foley 
then  declared  that  enough  had  been  done  for  honour,  and  insisted  on 


Jg  THE  YOUNG  flIPLE]\LLN, 

our  shaking  hands,  which  we  accordingly  did..  The  sagacious  reader 
will,  doubtless,  understand  that  the  seconds,  m  k>adu\g,  had  lett^out 
the' 

Ih.       V~ 

attorney  arLeominster,  and  who,  in  the  hope  of  one  day  or  other  re- 
presenting that  snug  borougli  in  Parliament,  was  always  delighted  to 
be  the  agent  of  a  little  safe  devilry  to  gratify  men  who  had  paramount 
interest  therein.  This  cunning  accountant  prepared  the  scenery  and 
machinery  of  the  drama,  and  by  his  legal  knowledge  effectually  com- 
pleted my  mystification. 

Accordingly,  one  evening  when  Colonel  l*oley,  Davis,  two  or  three 
others,  and  myself  had  outsat  the  moderates,  and  were  just  commenc- 
ing on  our  fourth  whip — by  the  way,  it  may  be  necessary  to  explain 
the  meaning  of  this  term.  Know  then,  gentle  reader,  that,  on  ordi- 
nary days,  when  no  strangers  were  present,  and  the  usual  in  ess  allow- 
ance of  a  pint  of  wine  each  had  been  discussed,  of  which  due  notice 
was  always  given  by  signal  from  the  vice-president,  a  second  would, 
perhaps,  be  placed  upon  the  table,  and  those  only  who  chose  to  par- 
take of  it  would  remain.  After  this  an  empty  wine  glass  was  sent 
round,  and  those  who  wished  to  sit  longer  put  in  a  shilling  each  for 
an  additional  allowance.  This  was  called  "  whipping ;  "  the  mess- 
waiter  took  the  money,  fresh  bottles  were  placed  upon  the  table,  and 
the  company  closed  up  to  the  president,  to  enjoy  a  still  more  social 
chat  till  bed-time. 

This  was  the  position  in  which  we  were  on  the  present  occasion : 
the  generous  juice  had  made  me  eloquent,  and  I  was  discoursing  very 
largely  on  the  ordinary  topics  of  women,  war,  and  wine,  when  the 
mess-room  door  opened,  and  in  walked  two  very  suspicious-looking 
fellows,  muffled  up  in  wrap-rascals,  with  each  a  huge  bludgeon  in  his 
hand.  They  made  directly  up  to  me,  and  each  tapping  me  on  a 
shoulder,  as  if  "  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,"  one  of  them  handed 
me  a  partly  printed,  partly  written  paper,  and  said : — 

"  Ensign  Blake,  I  arrests  you  in  the  king's  name,  and  in  wartue  of 
this  here  latitat." 

I  mechanically  took  the  paper,  the  awful  title  of  which  gaye  me  a 
considerable  shock,  though  I  was  by  no  means  clear  as  to  its  significa- 
tion. It  might  be  a  mittimus  to  Newgate  for  robbery,  or  a  state- 
warrant  to  the  Tower  for  high  treason ;  but  which  of  these  two 
delinquencies  I  had  been  guilty  of  I  could  not  at  the  moment  tell :  in 
my  perplexity  I  kept  gazing,  with  mouth  wide  open,  on  the  intruders 
and  on  my  brother  officers  alternately,  but  I  could  not  utter  a  word  to 
save  my  life. 

At  length  Colonel  Eoley  very  kindly  interfered  in  my  behalf,  and 
sternh;  rebuked  the  men  for  daring  to  intrude  on  the  mess-room  of 
his  Majesty  s  troops :  but  they  very  stiffly  said  they  knew  what  they 
were  about ;  they  had  the  law  911  their  side,  and  they  never  cared 
nothing,  riot  they,  for  nobody's  big  looks. 

Let  us  hear,  then,  what  it's  all  about,"  said  the  colonel 
Had  you  not  better  read  the  latitat  ? "  suggested  Davis 


BARRACK  SCENES.  19 

"  Good  gracious ! "  said  the  colonel,  perusing  it,  and  mumbling  to 
himself,  "  distrain  ye  the  goods  and  chattels — criminal  conversation — 
Dorothy  Dawkins,  &c.  &c.,  that  is  altogether  beyond  my  interference. 
I  was  in  hopes  it  was  only  a  simple  caption  for  a  paltiy  debt  or  so, 
instead  of  an  action  by  Jeremiah  Dawkins." 

"  Very  serious,  sir,"  said  Davis,  shaking  his  head  and  sipping  his 
wine.  "Banco  regis,  a  very  serious  matter  indeed." 

"  Unlawful  communication,"  said  the  colonel,  "  with  a  fcmme 
converts" 

"  Destitution  of  marital  rights  and  comforts,"  chimed  in  Davis. 

"  Damages  laid  at  five  thousand  pounds,"  said  the  colonel. 

"But,  my  dear  colonel,"  I  at  length  gasped  out,  "my  dear  Davis,  I 
know  no  more  about  Dorothy  Dawkins  than  you  do." 

"Pray,  sir,"  said  the  colonel,  drawing  himself  up  with  great 
liauteur,  "  don't  attempt  to  implicate  me  in  so  disgraceful  a  trans- 
action." 

"For  my  part,"  said  Davis,  "  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  shocking 
affair  altogether." 

"  My  dear  Richardson,  my  dear  Jenkins,"  I  said,  appealing  to  the 
others. 

" It's  a  very  ugly  business,"  said  Richardson;  "'that  I^must  say, 
though  you  are  my  friend." 

"  Hang  me,"  said  Jenkins,  "if  I'd  stand  in  your  shoes  for  a  trifle." 

"My  good  fellows,"  I  exclaimed,  turning  round  to  the  bailiffs, 
"  I'm  perfectly  innocent,  'pon  my  honour." 

"  Gammon !"  said  one,  putting  his  tongue  in  his  cheek. 

"  You  look  like  it,"  said  the  other,  with  a  diabolical  leer. 

"I take  Heaven  to  witness,"  I  exclaimed,  casting  up  my  hands  and 
eyes  devoutly  to  the  ceiling,  "  that  Dorothy  Dawkins  may  be  a  vestal 
virgin  for  anything  I  know  to  the  contrary." 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh ! "  cried  some.     "  Shame !  shame  !"  cried  others 

"But  where  on  earth,"  I  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  profound 
despair ;  "  where  am  I  to  get  five  thousand  pounds  ?  " 

"There's  the  Kilkenny  estate,  you  know,"  said  the  colonel,  "  of 
which  you  talked  so  much  this  evening." 

"  'Tis  gone  long  ago,"  I  replied,  "with  that  humbugging  James  the 
Second." 

"And  that  beautiful  piece  of  bog  land  on  SlievenaMuck"  observed 
Davis. 

"  It's  mortgaged,"  I  said,  "  for  more  than  it's  worth." 

"Come,  come,"  said  the  principal  bailiff,  "we  can't  wait  here  no 
longer,  not  for  nobody.  So  put  on  your  hat  and  go  along  with  us ; 
we  have  apo-chay  at  the  door,  quite  handy." 

''  But  my  good  fellows,  I'm  innocent,"  I  exclaimed. 

"You  can  tell  that  to  the  judges,  or  the  marines,  if  you  like,"  said 
the  tipstaff ;  "  but  in  the  meanwhile  you  must  go  to  quod." 

I  threw  another  imploring  glance  upon  the  colonel,  upon  Davis, 
upon  Richardson,  upon  Jenkins;  but  they  all  sat  like  so  many 
statues,  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ceiling,  and  I  saw  that  the 
case  was  hopeless. 

c  2 


20  THE  YOUNG  BIPLEMAN. 

"  Confound  the  fellow ! "  I  said,  "  whp  doesn't  Jeremiah  Dawkins 
call  me  out,  and  vindicate  his  injured  honour  like  a  man  t 

"  There,  gentlemen,"  said  the  bailiff,  I  call  you  all  to  witness,  he 
has  confessed  his  guilt." 

"  I  have  done  no  such  thing,    1  cried. 

" Yes  you  did,"  said  the  bailiff's  assistant;  you  said  as  now  you 
injured  the  poor  man's  honour." 

"Oh,  oh!    Shame,  shame!     exclaimed  my  brother  officers,  una 

"I  said  nothing  of  the  kind,"  I  cried,  tears  of  shame  and  indigna- 
tion starting  from  my  eyes ;  "but  if  he  fancies  I  have  injured  his 
honour,  I'll  give  him  satisfaction  this  instant ;  and  I'll  give  him  three 
shots  to  one,  rather  than  go  to  your  infernal  banco  regis" 

"  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  that,"  said  the  bailiff  doggedly. 
"  Our  orders  is  to  seize  your  corpus,  and  go  with  us  you  must." 

With  a  heavy  heart,  I  accordingly  prepared  to  accompany  the 
myrmidons  of  the  law ;  and  we  had  actually  reached  the  door,  when 
the  colonel  called  out  in  a  voice  evidently  stifled  with  deep  emotion : . 

"  Stop  for  a  moment." 

The  bailiffs  accordingly  stopped,  and  came  to  where  the  colonel 
was  sitting. 

"  After  all,"  said  Foley,  when  he  had  somewhat  recovered  him- 
self, "this  is  a  bailable  offence,  even  supposing  it  to  have  been 
committed." 

"It  never  was  committed,  my  dear  colonel,"  I  exclaimed,/' I 
pledge  you  my  word  of  honour." 

"Pray,"  resumed  the  colonel,  "what  amount  of  security  do  you 
require  for  Mr.  Blake's  appearance  when  called  upon  to  answer  the 
charge  in  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  ?" 

"  We  cannot  take  a  farthing  less,  your  worship,"  said  the  bailiff. 
"  than  the  full  amount  of  the  damages  laid." 

"  'Tis  a  heavy  sum  to  be  bound  in,"  said  the  colonel  with  a  deep 
sigh ;  "but  rather  than  see  my  friend  in  jail,  I'll  risk  it,  though  'tis 
every  fraction  of  ready  I  have  in  the  world." 

I  threw  myself  into  the  arms  of  the  generous  Poley,  and  vowed 
eternal  gratitude  for  his  goodness. 

"  Davis,"  said  the  colonel,  "  be  good  enough  to  go  and  draw  up 
the  bail-bonds,  and  I'll  sign  them  at  once,  before  the  affair  gets 
wind." 

The  paymaster  accordingly  withdrew  with  his  worthy  instruments, 
and,  to  my  great  comfort,  I  saw  no  more  of  them.  I  sat  down,  9!' 
course,  to  another  bottle  with  my  generous  deliverer ;  to  whom,  in 
the  overflowings  of  my  heart,  I  made  an  ample  confession  of  aU  my 
peccadilloes. 

I  was  assisted  home  about  the  small  hours  by  Tom  King,  who  put 
me  to  bed ;  and  the  next  morning  I  awoke  with  a  splitting  headache 
and  a  misty  consciousness  of  something  like  a  frightful  nightmare. 


NORMAN  CROSS,  21 


CHAPTER  VL 

» 

NORMAN   CROSS. 

IN  a  few  days  the  roguery  oozed  out ;  and,  as  Dr.  Prolix  would  say, 
it  caused  a  great  laugh  at  the  time.  I  had  my  revenge,  however,  at 
a  subsequent  period,  at  least  on  the  paymaster,  for  Tiis  accomplice 
was  too  good  a  fellow  to  bear  malice  against ;  but  for  a  long  time 
after  I  was  never  called  anything  but  Dorothy  Dawkins. 

This  custom  of  giving  nick-names,  by  the  bye,  prevailed  very  much 
amongst  us  young  fellows  at  that  time,  as  indeed  it  may  to  this  day 
for  anything  I  know  to  the  contrary.  One  of  my  brother  subalterns, 
who  walked  in  a  strange  sidelong  manner,  we  always  called  Right- 
shoulders-forward;  another  who,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  made 
an  incessant  jerking  motion  with  his  elbows,  we  called  Shuffle-the- 
wind ;  a  third,  a  tall,  lanky  fellow,  with  a  receding  forehead  and  a 
wide  mouth  always  open,  and  uttering  turkey-like  sounds,  we  called 
Hobble-gobbleum ;  and  a  fourth,  who  was  certainly  more  like  a 
pioneer  than  a  gentleman,  we  nicknamed  Shoulder-your-shovel.  Our 
quarter-master  was  a  remarkably  stiff  skeleton  figure  and  had  several 
deep  blue  marks  on  his  face,  from  the  explosion  of  a  cartridge  when 
he  was  in  the  ranks:  we  called  him  Starch-and-blue ;  and  the 
sobriquet  derived  considerable  piquancy  from  the  fact  that  his  wife 
had  oeen  a  washerwoman ;  while  our  adjutant  never  went  by  any 
other  name  than  that  of  Mind-to-moye-forward !  this  being  the  very 
mystical  caution  with  which  he  invariably  prefaced  the  word 
"  march ! "  We  were  so  much  in  the  habit  of  calling  our  drill-sergeant 
Marshal  Saxe,  that  it  rather  mystified  a  young  fellow  who  had 
recently  joined,  and  who  in  all  seriousness  begged  the  colonel  one 
day  on  parade,  to  exempt  him  from  further  drill,  as  he  had  been  told 
he  was  quite.perfect. 

"  Who  told  you  so?"  asked  the  colonel,  incredulously. 

"Marshal  Saxe,  sir,"  replied  Johnny  Newcome,  amidst  a  general 
roar  of  laughter. 

But  these  are  boyish  recollections,  unworthy  of  this  scientific  and 
utilitarian  age,  when  the  youth  of  Great  Britain,  though  still  in 
their  teens,  are  deep  in  the  mysteries  of  steamships,  railroads,  and 
money  questions ;  working  to  a  thread-paper  their  organ  of  acquisi- 
tiveness, and  deigning  to  converse,  in  their  convivial  moments,  about 
nothing  but  nuggets,  cast  iron,  and  gold  dust.  Yes,  boyish  recollec- 
tions they  doubtless  are,  but  I  can  never  forget  that  they  refer  to 
those  beardless  youths  who  smote  the  hairy  warriors  of  Gaul,  and  broke 
their  golden  idol  with  the  feet  of  clay — those  laughing,  tender 
offspring  of  fond  mothers,  who  bore  with  unflinching  spirit  the 
march,  the  bivouac,  and  the  battle-field ;  and  whose  blood,  freely  and 
fearlessly  shed  on  many  a  distant  soil,  has  preserved  to  "  merrie 
England"  her  happy  homes  and  altars  free,  her  maids  and  matrons 


22  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

unscared  by  the  rude  glance  of  foreign  soldiery,  and  her  countless 
treasures  safe  from  the  greedy  grasp  of  continental  despots. 

The  first  few  months  of  my  novitiate  passed  thus  pleasantly  at 
Chelmsford,  in  the  performance  of  easy  duties,  and  the  society  of  my 
brother  officers,  and  the  wives  of  the  few  who  were  married :  for  we 
had  but  little  intercourse  with  the  surrounding  gentry,  who,  generally 
speaking,  kept  aloof  from  us  birds  of  passage  with  the  cold  formality 
peculiar  to  the  English  character.  This  was  a  circumstance  that 
struck  me  with  amazement,  accustomed  as  I  had  been  from  my 
earliest  years  to  see  the  military  courted  and  caressed  in  my_  own 
country,'  and  treated  with  that  unbounded  hospitality  for  which  it 
was  so  remarkable  in  its  days  of  comparative  prosperity ;  for  there, 
alas  !  prosperity  is  a  comparative,  not  a  positive  good. 

Much  of  this  precious  period  _  was,  I  shame  to  confess  it,  squan- 
dered in  idle  pleasures  and  trivial  amusements ;  but  our  youth  is 
spent  in  killing  time,  and  our  age  in  repenting  of  the  murder. 
Amongst  these,  the  billiard-room  had  its  usual  attractions ;  and  there 
I  was  fleeced  by  my  friend  Richardson  and  others,  till  at  length  I 
myself  became  an  adept,  and  might  have  fleeced  tyros  in  turn,  which 
I  am  happy  to  say  1  never  did.  I  loved  the  game  for  its  own  sake, 
as  one  essentially* military  in  its  character,  being  highly  suggestive  of 
thought,  combination,  and  enterprise  ;  but  when  it  was  debased  to  a 
mere  money-grubbing  speculation  it  lost  its  noble  impulse  in  my 
eyes,  and  its  fascination  greatly  diminished,  though  it  still  made  deep 
inroads  on  my  time. 

Fortunately,  however,  from  my  earliest  recollection,  I  have  been 
under  the  influence  of  three  great  passions,  or  hobbies,  call  them 
which  you  will— viz.,  books,  music,  and  painting;  and  I  cannot 
recommend  to  young  military  men  three  safer  or  more  agreeable 
companions.  My  absolute  devotion  to  these  amusements,  for  I  dare 
not  call  them  studies,  saved  me  from  becoming  a  mere  vapid  idler ; 
and  I  can  safely  say  that  the  long  hours  I  passed  in  my  own  barrack- 
room  during  the  winter  evenings,  when  ochers  were  at  the  bottle  or 
the  billiard-room,  were  at  once  the  most  delightful  and  instructive  of 
my  otherwise  monotonous  existence.  At  first,  I  was  somewhat 
quizzed  and  laughed  at  by  my  young  companions  for  this  solitary 
indulgence  in  what  they  called  gammon ;  but  in  time  I  came  to  be 
considered  a  clever  sort  of  fellow,  being  smart  at  repartee,  fearless  in 
expressing  my  opinions,  and  an  especial  good  scribe  at  a  court- 
martial.  I  soon  became  very  expert  in  this  way,  principally  from 
the  idleness  of  my  fellow  members,  who  were  always  glad  to  give  rnc 
a  monopoly  of  this  "  horrid  bore." 

By  the  time  I  was  dismissed  from  drill,  and  declared  by  Marshal 
Saxe  to  be  a  very  creditable  specimen  of  a  Light  Bob,  we  got  the 
route  for  Norman  Cross.  This  being  a  new  phase  in  my  existence,  I 
was  all  m  a  bustle  to  prepare  for  the  march  ;  packing  and  unpackin" 
my  trunks,  so  that,  on  a  sudden  emergency,  they  might  not  resemble 
the  midshipman  s  chest,  where  everything  was  uppermost,  and  no- 
thing at  hand  ;  and  arranging  my  canteen  so  as  to  make  the  greatest 
quantity  of  breakfast  and  tea  equipage  fit  into  the  smallest  possible 


NOBMAN  CROSS.  23 

compass.  Then  I  bad  to  get  a  box  made  for  my  camp-bed  and  bed- 
din?,  and  to  have  it  painted  of  a  deep  slate-colour,  with  my  name, 
rank,  and  regiment  at  full  length  in  large  white  letters  on  the  top. 
Then  I  bought  a  hollow  boot-tree,  in  whose  capacious  womb  my  boot- 
jack, brushes,  and  blacking  were  compactly  stowed;  while  for  my 
pistols  and  gun-case,  I  had  strong  canvas  covers  manufactured,  and 
painted  the  exact  ditto  of  my  bed-box.  In  all  these  matters,  which 
served  me  for  a  sort  of  jubilee,  I  was  eminently  assisted  by  my  valet 
in  ordinary,  Tom  King,  who  was  a  most  handy,  experienced,  and 
obliging  fellow ;  though  he  did  possess  one  or  two  unpleasant  pecu- 
liarities, of  which  hereafter. 

But  the  most  disagreeable  part  of  all  this  was  the  delivering  over 
of  my  barrack -room  ;  a  ceremony  very  repugnant  to  my  rooted  pre- 
judice against  everything  that  had  an  air  of  business,  but  which  I  was 
recommended  by  some  of  the  old  hands  to  superintend  myself,  and  I 
soon  found  out  the  reason  why. 

The  evening  before  we  marched,  in  walked  the  barrackmaster- 
sergeant,  with  an  ominous  aspect,  and  note-book  and  pencil  in  hand, 
to  take  an  inventory  of  breakages,  deficiencies,  and  holes  in  the  wall. 
He  was  accompanied  by  our  quartermaster-sergeant,  who  might  bo 
looked  upon  as  plenipotentiary  for  my  behoof;  though  I  thought  I 
detected  something  like  collusion  and  undue  fellow-feeling  in  the 
course  of  the  proceedings. 

These  two  high  functionaries,  having  first  taken  a  general  survey  of 
my  establishment,  which  was,  I  confess,  in  an  awful  state  of  confusion, 
looked  at  each  other  with  a  furtive  smile,  and  then  proceeded  to  note 
down  the  discrepancies  in  detail. 

"  This  coal-box,"  said  the  barrack-sergeant,  "  is  broken  all  to 
smash,  with  something  like  shot  holes." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  last  rainy  day  we  set  it  up  as  a  target  for  a  pistol- 
match.  'Twasn't  bad  practice,  as  you  see  ;  I  hit  the  bull's-eye  five 
times  running." 

"  One,  two,  five,  seven,  eleven,  fifteen,  five-and-twenty,"  said  the 
honest  sergeant,  as  he  counted,—"  it  must  have  a  new  bottom  alto- 
gether." 

"Very  well,"  I  said ;  " put  that  down  to  me,  and  go  on." 

"This  table  is  all  rickety,"  said  the  sergeant ;  "  and  two  of  the 
chairs  have  only  three  legs  between  them." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  charge  me  with  the  repairs,  for  they're  verv  use- 
ful in  our  gymnastics ;  but  make  haste,  for  there  goes  the  first  dinner 
bugle." 

This  injunction,  I  thought,  had  an  opposite  effect  j  for  the  barrack  - 
sergeant  began  very  deliberately  to  count  the  holes  m  the  wall  where 
I  had  nailed  up  pictures  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  changing  their  position 
every  now  and  then,  as  whim  or  fancy  dictated. 

"As  I  am  a  living  man,"  said  the  sergeant,  with  a  deep  in- 
spiration, "  there  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  nail-holes  in  this  wall 
alone." 

"Well,"  I  said;  "clap  'em  all  down;  and  don't  bother  me  anymore 
about  them." 


THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

"And  on  the  opposite  wall,"  said  the  sergeant,  "are  three  large 


I  leave  there  for  the  amusement  and  instruction  of  the  next  comer. 

" 'Twill  cost  me  three  shillings  in  yellow  ochre  and  whitewash,  said 
the  sergeant,  "to  rub  them  all  out/' 

This  was  the  cavalier  manner  in  which  the  Vandal  treated  my 
artistic  lucubrations  ;  which,  though  very  tolerable  landscapes,  were 
not  I  confess,  anything  to  be  compared  to  some  beautiful  chalk 
drawings  which  I  often  subsequently  admired  in  a  barrack-room  at 
Ipswich  the  productions  of  Sir  Robert  Kerr  Porter,  when  a  captain 
in  the  Leicester  militia,  and  which  were  allowed  to  remain  on  the 
walls  as  fine  specimens  of  his  genius. 

"  Now,  here  are  three  panes  of  glass  cracked,  said  the  sergeant, 
"  and  one  out  altogether." 

"  I  flung  my  boot  through  that,  an  hour  ago,"  I  said,  at  Hobble- 
gobbleum,  for  making  faces  at  me." 

"  Then,"  said  the  sergeant,  "  the  poker  is  bent  like  the  letter  b ; 
the  tongs  are  minus  one  leg ;  the  fender  is  crushed  down  as  flat  as  a 
pancake,  and  the  bellows  has  lost  its  nozzle,  and  has  fifty  air-holes  in 
it  besides." 

It  was,  in  fact,  a  wheezy  and  asthmatical  old  concern,  that  gave  out 
wind  everywhere  but  where  it  was  wanted. 

"  And  I'm  dashed ! "  said  the  sergeant,  with  a  fearful  oath,  "  if  this 
fire-shovel  isn't  burnt  down  to  the  size  of  a  mustard-spoon— all  along, 
I  dare  say,  of  melting  lead  to  cast  bullets  with." 

"  Weil?'  I  replied,  "  'twas  the  handiest  thing  I  could  find  for  the 
purpose." 

"  And  somebody,"  continued  the  sergeant,  "has  been  boring  a  lot 
of  holes  in  the  floor,  making  ghosts,  I  suppose,  with  the  red-hot 
poker." 

At  this  moment  the  second  bugle  sounded  for  dinner ;  snatching 
up  my  forage-cap,  for  I  had  some  friends  at  the  mess,  I  ran  off, 
leaving  the  two  sergeants  alone  in  their  glory :  and  under  their  con- 
siderate management,  my  barrack  damages  cost  me  only  fifty  shillings ! 

N'importe  !  We're  on  the  road,  and  hey  for  change  and  variety, 
new  scenes,  new  faces,  and  fresh  adventures ;  all  so  delightful  to 
unreflecting  youth,  yea,  and  to  sober  age  also,  as  I  myself  can  testify 
in  this  my  grand  climacteric,  when  the  tap  of  the  drum,  or  the  merry 
bugle-note,  echoing  through  the  woodland,  sends  the  blood  in  a 
tumultuous  current  back  to  my  heart,  and  I  long  for  the  times  of  old 
— "  the  deeds  of  the  days  of  other  years !  " 

Of  all  parties  of  pleasure,  give  me  a  march  in  happy  England ;  not, 
as  it  is  now  too  often  performed,  on  the  abominable  railway,  but  along 
the  smooth  carriage-roads  of  ancient  times  ;  with  their  toll-bars,  their 
smiling  cottages,  their  way-side  inns  enveloped  in  vines,  their  honey- 
suckle-hedges, their  bordering  meadows,  and  overhanging  elms  and 
beeches ;  amidst  which  the  soldiers  tramp  along  at  a  steady  pace,  in 
column  of  subdivisions,  singing  their  quaint  songs,  or  laughing  with 
reckless  glee  at  some  biting  jest  or  merry  story;  their  officers  jogging 


NORMAN  CROSS.  25 

on  beside  them  in  little  groups,  indulging  in  friendly  chat,  or  flirting 
with  the  rosy-cheeked  maidens  whose  road  may  happen  to  lie  in  the 
same  direction ;  while,  ever  and  anon,  entering  some  village  or  rural 
town,  the  ranks  close  up,  stragglers  hasten  to  join  their  companies, 
the  officers  resume  their  places,  arms  are  sloped,  and  the  baud  in 
front  striking  up  some  merry  quick-step,  fatigue  and  sore  feet  are 
forgotten,  and  every  man  is  a  hero,  at  least  in  his  own  unprejudiced 
mind. 

Our  marches,  which  rarely  exceeded  twenty  miles  a  day,  were 
generally  completed  before  breakfast ;  though  we  sometimes  break- 
lasted  at  some  rural  hostelry,  which  was  in  itself  a  source  of  no  small 
amusement,  from  the  bustle  and  confusion  into  which  all  were  thrown 
to  provide  for  so  large  a  party.  The  remainder  of  the  dav  we  had  for 
rest  and  amusement ;  and  our  excellent  mess  being  established  at  the 
principal  hotel  of  our  halt,  we  spent  our  evenings  like  gentlemen  who 
devoted  their  hearts  to  the  fair,  and  their  lives  to  their  king  and 
country.  In  this  manner,  we  were  not  long  in  reaching  Norman 
Cross,  that  once  celebrated  military  station,  whose  extensive  site  is 
now,  doubtless,  crowned  with  waving  fields  of  corn  or  bristly  stubble, 
as  the  season  may  happen  to  be;  though  it  was  then  a  cantonment, 
occupied  by  twelve  thousand  beings  full  of  life,  high  hope,  and  un- 
conquerable spirit. 

Of  these,  upwards  of  eight  thousand  were  Erench  prisoners,  of  all 
ranks,  naval  and  military,  horse,  foot,  and  artillery :  the  rest  were 
their  guards ;  consisting  of  five  or  six  splendid  regiments  of  militia, 
of  which  mine  was  by  no  means  the  least  conspicuous  for  its  nume- 
rical strength  and  superior  discipline. 

This  celebrated  station  C9vered  many  acres  of  ground,  the  inner 
portion  of  which,  constituting  the  prison,  was  divided  into  four 
quadrangles ;  these  were  surrounded  by  high  palisades,  placed  one 
foot  apart,  and  were  separated  from  each  other  by  broad  avenues ; 
the  whole  being  commanded  by  a  lofty  wooden  building,  mounting  a 
dozen  four-pounder  swivel  guns,  which  was  called  the  block-house, 
and  was  situated  in  the  centre,  at  the  intersection  of  the  avenues. 
The  barracks  of  the  garrison  formed  external  quadrangles  of  vast 
extent,  palisaded  also  towards  the  country.  They  comprised  quarters 
for  four  thousand  men,  with  large  barrack-yards,  stables,  cooking 
houses,  and  other  out-offices ;  the  whole  establishment  being  built  of 
wood,  tarred  and  painted,  and  looking  compact  and  comfortable. 

Each  of  the  inner  quadrangles  was  so  extensive  as  to  permit  the 
prisoners  to  amuse  themselves  bv  walking,  jumping,  fencing,  and 
other  healthful  exercises,  during  the  day ;  and  at  niglit  they  were  all 
locked  up  in  lofty  and  well-ventilated  apartments,  where  the  only 
inconvenience  they  experienced  was  want  of  room.  Prom  the  great 
increase  in  their  numbers  latterly,  this  inconvenience  at  length 
amounted  to  a  positive  evil.  Their  mattresses  were  laid  upon  the 
floor,  and  when  they  retired  to  rest,  they  were  jammed  so  close 
together  that  no  individual  person  could  turn  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  without  the  concurrence  of  the  whole. 

To  remedy  so  great  an  evil,  these  ingenious  fellows  entered  into  a 


26  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

treaty  offensive  and  defensive ;  by  virtue  of  which  a  timesmau  was 
appointed  by  general  consent,  whose  duty  it  was,  when  they  had 
lain  for  a  certain  period  on  one  side,  to  cry  out  with  a  loud  voice, 
"  Toi'rnsz!"  on  which  the  whole  company,  by  a  simultaneous  move- 
ment, was  to  make  an  immediate  change  of  position.  This  was 
certainly  not  very  pleasant  during  the  heat  of  the  weather,  and  it 
was  particularly  irksome  to  those  who  did  not  awake  at  the  critical 
moment  of  turning;  but  custom  soon  reconciled  them  to  it,  and 
they  at  length,  became  so  expert,  that  frequently  the  word  of  com- 
mand was  given,  and  the  change  _  of  position  made,  without  a  single 
individual  being  disturbed  from  his  slumbers  by  the  operation. 

With  the  exception  of  being  thus  packed  up  as  close  as  sprats  in 
a  barrel,  our  prisoners  were  comfortable  enough  at  Norman  Cross ; 
and  instead  of  fretting  themselves  to  fiddlestrings  by  reflecting  on 
their  helpless  condition,  and  vainly  attempting  to  escape,  as  is  the 
case  with  Englishmen  similarly  situated,  they  endeavoured  to  banish 
care  by  employment.  Some  of  them  taught  French,  dancing,  and 
fencing',  while  'others  manufactured  a  variety  of  toys  from  the  bones 
of  their  meat  and  the  straw  of  their  mattresses,  which  were  eagerly 
purchased  by  the  visitors  of  the  prison.  These  were  numerous,  and 
comprised  all  the  gentle  and  simple  inhabitants  of  the  country  round, 
the  officers  of  the  garrison  and  their  wives  and  daughters,  together 
with  casual  travellers,  whose  curiosity  led  them  to  view  a  place  of 
such  celebrity. 

With  all  these  the  prisoners  held  constant  communication,  between 
the  palisades  of  their  respective  quadrangles  ;  whither  fond  mothers 
went  to  purchase  a  spinning-jenny,  or  a  rattle  for  their  noisy  darlings; 
doting  fathers  to  buy  an  ivory  guillotine,  or  ship  model  for  their 
hopeful  heirs ;  country  Strephons  to  present  their  rural  belles  with  a 
qage  d'amonr,  a  needle-case  in  the  shape  of  Cupid's  quiver,  or  a  work- 
DOX  of  sandal-wood  beautifully  ornamented  in  classical  designs  with 
painted  straw  and  bits  of  looking-glass ;  while  curious  travellers 
flocked  thither  to  pick  up  a  memorial  of  the  strange  sights  they  had 
seen.  All  the  world,  in  short,  went  to  see  the  French  prisoners,  to 
profit  by  their  instruction,  or  to  avail  themselves  of  their  ingenuity ; 
and,  at  the  time  we  arrived  there,  Norman  Cross  presented  less  the 
appearance  of  a  prison  than  a  fair. 

Amongst  others,  I  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  renew  my 
French  studies,  which  I  prosecuted  with  much  success.  I  also  became 
a  good  fencer,  and  made  considerable  progress  in  Spanish,  many  of 
the  prisoners  having  served  in  the  first  army  of  occupation  sent  by 
Nappleon  to  the  Peninsula.  But  that  which  1  found  of  most  essential 
service  to  me  at  a  subsequent  period,  was  Freemasonry,  into  the 
sovereign  mysteries  of  which  I  was  duly  inducted  in  an  excellent 
1/oclge  held  in  the  garrison.  I  am  somewhat  particular  in  noticing  all 
these  points,  which  I  strongly  recommend  to  the  consideration  and 
adoption  ot  such  aspiring  young  heroes  as  may  honour  this  book  with 
a  perusal. 

At  Norman  Cross  we  were  close  to  that  great  hunting  country, 
Leicestershire;  and  but  a  few  miles  from  Whittlesea  Mere,  whose 


THE  FRENCH  PRISONER.  27 

sedgy  surface  I  have  often  ploughed  with  adventurous  punt,  while 
shooting  ducks  and  widgeons.  At  Peterborough  we  enjoyed  all  the 
amusements  of  that  pretty  little  city,  and  danced  and  flirted  with  its 
lovely  fair  ones  ;  while,  within  one  mile  of  our  barracks  lay  the  village 
of  Stilton,  world-renowned  for  its  cheeses ;  though  none  of  that  ex- 
cellent edible  is  therein  manufactured,  being  entirely  the  produce  of 
the  neighbouring  county  of  Leicester.  Stilton  still  occupies  a 
verdant  spot  in  my  memory's  waste,  as  there  for  the  first  time. I  fell 
seriously,  deeply,  and  irrevocably  in  love.  But  this  important  epoch 
of  my  checkered  life  is  worthy  of  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  FRENCH  PRISONER. 

THIS  world,  after  all,  is  a  mere  phantasmagoria ;  or,  as  Lord  Denman 
said  of  something  else,  "  a  mockery,  a  delusion,  and  a  snare."  When 
you  fancy  you  are  standing  upon  firm  ground,  and  have  all  your 
earthly  \yishes  within  your  grasp,  the  quicksand  upon  which  you  build 
your  "airy  nothings"  slides  from  under  your  feet,  and  you  arc 
engulfed  in  a  maelstrom  of  blighted  hopes,  ardent  longings,  and 
anticipated  joys. 

When  or  how  it  was  that  I  first  became  acquainted  with  Harriet 
Sibley  I  now  forget,  but  she  soon  became  the  ruling  star  of  my  destiny. 
She  was  serious,  romantic,  and  of  a  high  heroic  cast  of  thought ; 
being  thus,  as  it  were,  a  counterpart  of  myself.  Her  beauty  was  not 
brilliant,  but  her  features  were  pleasing  and  expressive,  and  her 
figure  symmetry  itself.  Her.  sister  Jane,  on  the  contrarv,  was  very 
handsome,  a  pure  blonde,  and  gay  and  lively  as  the  lark  while  it  soars 
aloft  and  cf  at  heaven's  gate  sings  "  amidst  ethereal  sunshine. 

These  two  fair  sisters  used  frequently  to  walk  up  to  Norman  Cross, 
which  was  situated  on  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  village  of 
Stilton,  where  they  dwelt  with  their  widowed  mother ;  and  thus  1  had 
opportunities  enough  to  advance  my  suit,  which  I  did  with  all  the 
ardour  of  a  boy  of  sixteen,  but  -syithout  any  of  the  dexterity  that 
most  speedily  wins  the  favour  of  the  fair.  I  was,  however,  the 
chosen  oeau  and  preux  chevalier  of  la  belle  Harriette,  as  she  was  de- 
nominated by  the  French  prisoners ;  and  though  many  of  my  brother 
officers  tried  to  cut  me  out,  by  all  those  means  which  are  proverbially 
fair  in  love  and  war,  she  still  manifested  a  decided  preference  for  me, 
which  was  repaid  on  my  part  by  the  most  delicate  attentions  and  de- 
voted attachment ;  but  I  never  once  ventured  to  ask  either  her  or 
myself  how  it  was  all  to  terminate. 

I  remarked  that  in  their  progress  with  other  company  through  the 
avenues  of  the  prison,  these  dear  sisters  generally  stopped  for  some 
time  at  one  particular  stall ;  for  the  prisoners  were  permitted  to  fix 
up  narrow  boards,  or  counters,  on  the  outside  of  their  palings,  upon 


28  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

which  they  exposed  their  toys  of  bones  and  straw  for  sale.  This  I  at 
first  imagined  was  for  the  purpose  of  making  purchases  ;  but  I  soon 
found  there  was  something  else  on  the  tapis,  and  that  a  certain  young 
Frenchman  always  gave  them  the  rendezvous  at  that  identical  spot, 
though  apparently,  poor  fellow,  he  had  nothing  either  to  buy  or  sell. 

He  was  a  handsome,  soldier-like  fellow,  with  a  very  threadbare 
frock  coat,  a  smart  moustache,  and  a  gold-laced  forage  cap,  stuck 
with  a  jaunty  air  on  the  side  of  his  head.  He  spoke  English  with 
fluency,  and  was  evidently  altogether  a  person  of  superior  rank  to 
those  around  him.  In  fact,  I  became  iealous  of  this  Frenchman ;  and 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  those  pangs  of  the  green-eyed 
monster,  which  have  never  been  so  truly  and  so  fearfully  depicted  as 
by  the  poet  of  all  times  and  nations. 

My  feelings  soon  became  too  powerful  for  restraint ;  they  were 
speedily  perceived  by  Harriet,  and  were  as  speedily  allayed  by  that 
delightful  tact  which  is  peculiar  to  the  sex.  By  a  fascinating  freedom 
of  tone  and  manner  in  the  presence  of  my  fancied  rival,  she,  in  a 
moment,  dispelled  my  fears ;  and  taking  my  arm,  the  first  time  she 
had  condescended  to  so  much  familiarity,  she  walked  up  and  down 
the  avenue  with  me,  while  I  could  perceive  her  sister  and  Adolphe 
Berton,  for  so  the^  Erenchman  was  called,  in  animated  and  delighted 
conversation,  tete-a-tete. 

Thenceforward  I  became  more  reconciled  to,  and  more  intimate 
with  the  poor  prisoner,  who  had  lost  his  liberty  at  the  battle  of 
Vimiera,  and  was  now  pining  his  soul  away  for  the  field  of  honour 
and  the  clash  of  arms.  One  only  source  of  comfort,  if  not  of  happi- 
ness, he  possessed  in  the  love  of  Jane  Sibley,  which  he  repaid  with 
interest,  not  only  as  a  means  of  present  enjoyment,  but  as  the  instru- 
ment of  some  ulterior  advantage  \vhich  he  doubtless  had  in  con- 
templation. 

Time  now  flew  with  me  on  eagle's  pinions,  for  I  was  perfectly  happy 
and  free  from  care.  My  regimental  and  garrison  duties  were  per- 
formed with  zeal  and  assiduity ;  I  was  high  in  estimation  with  the 
heads  of  the  regiment,  and  a  favourite  with  my  brother  officers 
generally :  nay,  I  began  to  be  talked  of  in  the  garrison  as  a  first-rate 
billiard  and  racket  player,  a  linguist,  a  good  fencer,  a  crack  shot, 
and  a  dashing  horseman ;  for  though  I  kept  no  cattle  of  my  own,  I 
hunted  frequently  in  Leicestershire  with  Colonel  Eoley  and  Lord 
Rodney,  and  always  rode  their  matches  at  the  Stamford  races,  where 
"Percy  Blake"  soon  became  a  "household  word."  Add  to  this, 
there  were  few  men  in  the  garrison  who  could  out- walk,  out-run,  or 
out-mmp  me ;  and  though  my  figure  was  slight  and  wiry,  I  could 
pitch  a  light  or  a  heavy  stone  with  any  grenadier  in  the  regiment, 
this  being  one  item  in  that  system  of  specious  idleness,  the  besetting 
sin  of  the  youth  of  Ireland.  Then,  again,  I  was  the  envy  of  my 
brother  subs  for  being  all  on  velvet,  as  they  termed  it,  with  la 
Belle  Rarriette;  and  though  my  old  tormenter,  Davis,  now  and  then 
reminded  me  that  I  was  on  the  debit  side  of  his  ledger,  an  occasional 
remittance  from  my  brother  always  enabled  me  to  book  up  in  time  to 
save  my  credit,  as  a  guarantee  for  a  future  advance. 


THE  FRENCH  PRISONEfc.  29 

But  still  there  was  some  little  liitcli  in  my  happiness  that,  like  the 
ruthless  gnaw  in  the  liver  of  an  old  Indian,  I  could  not  get  over ;  for 
it  had  been  insinuated  to  me  by  some  good-natured  friend,  who  v/as 
jealous  of  my  good  fortune,  that  there  was  actually  some  sort  of 
engagement  between  Harriet  and  a  cousin  of  hers  at  Stamford,  a 
rich  larmer  and  manufacturer  of  the  real,  ripe,  and  palmy  Stilton.  It 
is  true,  he  was  represented  to  me  as  very  plain,  round  and  squat, 
like  his  own  cheeses,  with  a  huge  shock  head  of  red  hair,  large  green 
spectacles,  and  otherwise  a  guy;  but  the  intelligence  made  me  so 
uneasy  that  I  actually  questioned  Jane  on  the  subject  of  this  reputed 
engagement. 

"Well,"  she  replied,  "there  is,  or  was  something  in  the  matter; 
for  mamma  was  very  anxious  about  it,  my  cousin  being  very  wealthy, 
and  having  quite  a  splendid  establishment." 

"  And  does  he  presume  to  aspire  to  Harriet  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Oh,  most  ardently,"  she  replied  with  a  smile ;  "  even  though  he 
has  heard  of  a  certain  Hotspur  trom  the  sister  island." 

"  And  how  does  Harriet  receive  his  addresses  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  She  doesn't  care  about  him,"  said  Jane,  naively,  "  especially  since 
— ahem — but  you  needn't  trouble  yourself  about  him." 

"Especially  since  when?"  I  eagerly  demanded. 

"I'll  tell  you  another  time,"  she  replied  in  some  confusion,  "but 
there's  mamma  calling  me  in  the  garden."  And  off  she  ran. 

"  Especially  since —  ! "  Oh,  that  excruciating  hiatus,  which  left 
me  suspended  between  the  heaven  of  hope  and  the  gulf  of  despair. 
There  was,  however,  something  encouraging  in  the  half-confidence 
with  which  I  had  been  favoured,  and  I  mustered  impudence  enough, 
when  I  met  Harriet,  to  utter  some  stupid  witticisms  about  Wigsbys, 
milk-pans,  cheese-vats,  &c.,  which  made  her  look  excessively  grave, 
and  put  a  sudden  stop  to  our  conversation. 

For  three  or  four  days  after  this  I  could  not  get  even  a  glimpse  of 
my  divinity,  till  at  last  I  ^  began  to  think  I  had  given  her  mortal 
offence,  and  was  revolving  in  my  own  mind  whether  I  should  shoot 
myself  or  Wigsby,  when  a  little  urchin  from  Stilton  put  a  note  into 
my  hand,  and  walked  off  without  waiting  for  an  answer. 

I  opened  the  missive,  and  found,  to  my  great  delight,  that  it  was 
from  Harriet,  asking  me  to  meet  her  that  evening  at  a  well-known 
stile,  midway  between  the  village  and  the  Cross. 

True  to  the  touch,  I  was  there  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  had  not 
long  to  wait  for  my  belle.  She  was  accompanied  by  a  little  brother 
and  a  huge  Newfoundland  dog,  and  held  out  her  hand  to  me  as  she 
approached ;  her  charming  face  all  radiant  with  mantling  smiles.  We 
took  a  few  turns  across  the  fields,  and  after  mutual  explanations  and 
concessions  on  my  part,  were  once  more  happy  in  each  other's 
society. 

"By  the  bye,"  she  said,  at  parting,  "  I  have  a  small  favour  to  ask 
of  you." 

"  To  command,  you  mean,  my  dear  Harriet,"  I  exclaimed  with 
energy.  "  Am  I  not  your  knight,  bound  to  obey  your  behest,  at  peril 
of  life  and  limb  ?" 


30  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN". 

"Nay,  nay,"  she  hastily  replied ;  "I  would  not  put  you  in  peril  for 
the  world;"  and  she  laid  her  hand  upon  mine  with  a  gentle  pressure, 
smiling  in  my  face  as  only  a  fond  woman  knows  how. 

"  Well,  then,"  I  said,  as  I  conveyed  her  hand  to  my  lips,  "  tell  me 
at  once  what  I  can  do  for  you." 

"3Tis  merely,"  she  replied,  rather  hesitating1,  "to  procure  me  the 
countersign  for  to-morrow  night." 

"  Oh ! "  I  cried,  laughing,  "  is  that  your  mighty  request  ?  I  confess 
you  mortify  me  most  exceedingly." 

"Nay,"  she  said,  "if  it  be  inconvenient — " 

"Not  in  the  least,  dearest,"  I  replied.  "You  shall  have  it  to- 
morrow afternoon,  the  moment  I  receive  it  myself."  And  we  parted. 

It  may  perhaps  be  known  to  the  reader,  that  in  garrison  towns 
during  the  war,  and  especially  at  a  place  of  so  much  consequence  as 
Norman  Cross,  all  persons  approaching  the  post  of  a  sentinel  at  night 
are  challenged  to  give  the  countersign,  in  default  of  which  they  are 
arrested  till  they  can  satisfactorily  account  for  themselves.  At  the 
Cross,  where  a  tenfold  vigilance  was  necessary,  the  countersign  for 
the  night  was  not  issued  by  General  Williams,  the  commandant,  till 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  it  was  communicated  to  the  officers  of 
the  garrison  through  their  respective  commanding  officers,  in  a  little 
note  sent  to  the  mess-room.  At  a  convenient  moment,  when  this 
note  had  been  seen  by  a  sufficient  number  to  give  it  circulation,  I 
seized  it,  galloped  down  to  Stilton,  put  the  magic  scroll  into  the  fair 
hand  of  my  Harriet,  and  was  amply  repaid  by  a  profusion  of  thanks, 
and  a  shower  of  ethereal  smiles. 

It  was  stranger-night,  and  I  sat  late  at  the  mess,  making  arrange- 
ments for  joining  Sir  Gilbert  Heathcote's  hounds  the  following  clay 
with  Colonel  Foley,  and  dine  with  the  "  Hunt "  after.  When  at  last 
I  sallied  forth  to  go  to  my  own  quarters,  I  found  it  was  blowing  a 

fale  of  wind,  and  the  old  wooden  buildings  were  creaking  in  the 
last.  It  was,  however,  a  fine  clear  night  otherwise ;  the  moon  was 
struggling  through  a  mass  of  clouds  that  seemed  shattered  by  the 
tempest,  and  lit  up  the  surrounding  objects  with  fitful  gleams  that 
vanished  as  suddenly  in  the  deepest  gloom.  Now,  I  dearly  love  this 
warring  of  the  elements,  when  the  atmosphere  is  free  from  rain, 
while  the  blustering  wind  braces  the  relaxed  frame,  and  stimulates 
the  blood  to  redoubled  action ;  therefore,  wrapping  my  cloak  around 
me,  and  strapping  my  forage-cap  under  my  chin,  I  determined  to 
take  a  stroll,  to  cool  me  a  little  after  a  more  than  usual  devotion  to 
the  rosy  god. 

As  1  sauntered  on,  not  knowing  whither  to  direct  my  steps,  my 
ear  was  saluted  by  the  deep  challenge  of  a  sentry. 

"Who  goes  there?" 

"Friend!"  I  replied. 

"  Advance,  friend,"  said  the  sentry,  "  and  give  the  countersign." 
t   I  advanced  close  up  to  the  sentry,  and  whispering  the  countersign 
in  Ins  ear,  walked  on. 

"Pass,  friend ! "  cried  the  sentry,  " and  all's  well." 

ibis  little  scene  reminded  me  of  Harriet ;  and  insensibly  I  strolled 


THE  FRENCH  P1USOSEB.  31 

down  the  road  to  Stilton ;  cogitating,  as  I  breasted  the  gale,  on  the 
pleasant  posture  of  my  affairs,  and  comparing-  every  sudden  puff  that 
assailed  me  to  some  rude  shock  of  fortune  which  it  was  my  duty  and 
my  pride  to  conquer.  By  the  time  I  had  got  to  the  end  of  a  long 
imaginary  concatenation  of  fortuitous  events,  I  passed  close  in  front 
of  my  charmer's  residence,  which  was  only  separated  from  the  road 
"by  an  ornamental  railing  and  a  narrow  slip  of  flower-garden. 

It  was  very  late,  but  I  could  perceive,  through  a  chink  in  the 
shutters,  a  light  in  tke  parlour ;  and  wondering  what  could  keep  them 
up  at  such  an  unseasonable  hour,  I  stopped  for  a  moment.  To  my 
astonishment,  I  heard  a  man's  voice  within ;  and  instantly  the  demon 
of  jealousy  seized  upon  my  soul,  for  I  could  not  suppose  it  to  be  any 
other  than  my  rival,  Wigs  by. 

Warmed  with  wine,  and  excited  by  exercise,  I  felt  my  passion 
mastering  my  reason,  and  I  determined  to  be  satisfied  on  the  instant 
about  this  mysterious  affair.  I  accordingly  rushed  up  to  the  door, 
and  gave  a  loud  single  knock,  that  I  might  not  put  them  on  their 
guard,  and  enable  Wigsby  to  escape.  I  had  to  repeat  it,  however, 
before  it  was  answered ;  and,  when  the  servant-gin  saw  who  stood 
before  her,  she  gave  a  squeak,  threw  the  door  in  my  face,  and  bolted 
off  into  the  parlour.  I  instantly  followed,  and  before  she  had  time  to 
fasten  the  door  1  was  in  the  apartment,  and  found  myself  face  to  face 
with  la  belle  Harriett e  and  that  detestable  Wigsby  ! 

I  had  never  seen  the  fellow  before,  but  there  could  be  no  mistake 
in  the  matter,  for  there  was  the  punchy  figure,  with  the  large  green 
spectacles,  and  the  horrid^  shock  head  of  red  hair.  They  had  been 
indulging,  forsooth,  in  a  tete-a-tete,  Miss  Harriet  being  determined  to 
have  two  strings  to  her  bow;  but,  though  so  palpably  caught  in 
flagrant  delit,  they  stood  calm  and  collected  before  me. 

"So,  madam!"  I  exclaimed,  as  well  as  passion  would  permit  my 
utterance,  "  I  have  at  length  discovered  your  treachery  and  false- 
hood." 

"  Pray,  sir,"  said  Harriet,  with  the  most  dignified  hauteur,  "  how 
dare  you  presume  to  enter  this  house  at  such  an  hour,  and  with  so 
little  ceremony  ?  " 

Her  effrontery,  I  confess,  somewhat  abashed  me ;  but,  sustained 
by  my  passion,  I  replied : 

"  It  was  Providence  that  directed  me  hither,  to  save  me  from  mis- 
fortune and  disgrace." 

"And  now  that  you  have  attained  your  object,"  retorted  Harriet, 
while  fire  flashed  from  her  eyes.  "  be  good  enough  to  retire ;  for  I 
have  never  given,  and  never  shall  give  you,  any  right  whatever  to 
dictate  to  me  what  company  I  shall -keep." 

"Then,  farewell,"  I  cried,  "for  ever,  false  perjured  woman,  since 
you  have  got  one  that  is  evidently  nearer  and  dearer  to  you  than 
I  am." 


"you  have  embittered  my  existence ;  but  I  forgive,  and  hope  I  sh 


32  THE  YOUNG 

soon  forget  you.  As  for  this  cheese-mailing  snob,  I  have  all  the 
mind  in  the  world  to  shake  him  out  of  his  shoes." 

Here  I  put  my  hand  on  Wigsby's  breast,  to  show  how  easily  1 1 
could  carry  my  threat  into  execution;  but  he  grappled  with  mem 
turn,  and  no  longer  master  of  myself,  I  shook  him  till  his  red  wig 
and  green  spectacles  fell  off,  and  Adolphe  Berton  stood  before  me, 
while  Harriet's  shrieks  brought  in  her  mother  and  sister.  The 
latter,  exclaiming,  "All  is  lost  and  ruined !"  fainted  in  the  arms  of  her 
lover. 

For  my  part,  I  felt  as  if  the  crash  of  thunder  that  was  pealing  out- 
side had  fallen  upon  my  devoted  head ;  and  I  stood  amidst  the  ruin 
I  had  caused,  m  mute  astonishment.  At  length,  Jane,  having 
recovered  from  her  swoon,  threw  herself  at  my  feet,  and  implored  my 
pity  for  her  hapless  lover  and  her  still  more  unhappy  self.  Her  mother 
knelt  by  her  side ;  and  finally  Harriet,  sinking  on  her  knees,  took  my 
hand,  and  bedewed  it  with  her  eloquent  tears. 

I  could  hold  out  no  longer :  I  grasped  the  hand  of  the  young 
Frenchman,  who  had  hitherto  stood  aloof  in  proud  defiance,  and 
said  :— 

"  Berton,  my  duty  forbids  me  to  assist  you  to  escape,  but  I  never, 
never  will  betray  you." 

"Generous  enemy !"  cried  Berton,  warmly  pressing  my  hands  in 
his,  "1  thought  you  had  a  noble  heart.  I  now  only  hope  that  fortune 
may  one  clay  put  it  in  my  power  to  requite  you_for  this,  and  I  swear 
to  Heaven  that  I  will  not  let  the  opportunity  slip." 

Fortune  did  put  in  his  power  at  a  subsequent  period  in  the  Penin- 
sula, and  he  nobly  redeemed  his  pledge. 

We  all  sat  down  now,  to  calm  our  agitated  spirits,  and  wait  the 
arrival  of  the  mail,  which  was  to  bear  Adolphe  to  London,  where  he 
hoped  to  conceal  himself  till  an  opportunity  offered  for  returning 
to  the  continent.  Meanwhile  I  was  let  into  the  secret  of  his 
escape. 

When  his  fellow-prisoners  were  locked  up  for  the  night,  he  had 
contrived  to  evade  the  vigilance  of  the  turnkey,  who,  as  it  veiy  often 
happened,  was  somewhat  fuddled ;  and  he  remained  outside  in  the 
quadrangle,  concealing  himself,  and  awaiting  a  favourable  moment  to 
proceed.  Another  piece  of  good  fortune  was  the  sudden  tempest 
that  come  on ;  for  amidst  the  hurly-burly  of  the  elements,  he  sawed 
through  one  of  the  palings  without  being  heard  by  any  of  the 
sentries.  He  was  now  in  the  main  central  avenue  of  the  prison,  but 
still  he  had  many  barriers,  gateways,  and  lines  of  sentinels  to  pass. 
Being  furnished,  however,  through  my  unconscious  means,  with  the 
countersign,  he  boldly  proceeded,  and  passed  all  impediments 
without  exciting  the  least  suspicion.  He  then  hurried  down  to  the 
house  of  his  mistress,  which  he  entered  in  the  disguise  of  her  cousin, 
in  order  to  baffle  the  surmises  of  all  who  might  see  him ;  and  so  well 
had  he  assumed  the  semblance  of  that  monster,  that  the  servant-girl 
herself  was  imposed  upon  :  hence  her  confusion,  and  the  squeak  she 
gave  on  seeing  me;  expecting  a  disturbance,  of  course,  when  I 
should  surprise  Miss  Harriet  with  her  country  beau. 


THE   LANCASHIRE  WITCHES.  83 

The  mail  at  length  arrived ;  Berton  departed  for  London,  and  I 
bade  adieu  to  my  sweet  mistress,  who  said  to  me  archly,  as  she 
pressed  my  hand : 

"I  hope  you  are  now  effectually  cured  of  the  e green-eyed 
monster?'" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  LANCASHIRE  WITCHES. 

WAKING  happiness  does  not  always  produce  pleasant  dreams,  other- 
wise mine  that  night  would  have  been  redolent  of  bliss ;  for  I  was 
C9nscious  I  had  done  a  generous  action,  by  which  two  deserving  in- 
dividuals were  saved  from  misery,  and  1  had  a  firm  conviction  in  the 
attachment  of  my  mistress.  Still,  however,  the  spirit,  as  if  prescient 
of  evil,  struggled  under  its  mvstic  conjunction  with  matter,  and  the 
result  was  nightmare,  and  all  the  hag's  attendant  horrors. 

In  the  morning,  I  was  roused  from  a  deep  slumber  by  the  voice  of 
Richardson,  who  rushing  into  my  room,  cried  out  in  joyous  accents : — 

"  Well,  Percy,  my  boy,  you're  in  for  a  row  at  last,  when  you  least 
expect  it." 

"  Good  heavens  ! "  I  exclaimed,  starting  out  of  my  bed,  "  what  is 
the  matter?" 

"Don't  be  frightened,"  he  replied,  laughing  at  my  agitation. 
"It's  only  a  small  matter  of  fighting,  which  I  know  won't  come 
amiss  to  you." 

"  Oh !  if  that  be  all,"  I  said,  wonderfully  relieved ;  for  at  first  it 
struck  me  that  Berton  had  been  retaken,  and  a  discovery  made  of 
my  connivance  at  his  escape. 

"The  Lancashire  weavers,"  resumed  my  friend,  " are  in  open  re- 
bellion, burning  power-looms,  factories,  and  Cotton-Lords'  palaces ; 
and  we  are  off,  at  a  forced  march,  for  the  scene  of  action." 

"  Oh,  Lord ! "  I  exclaimed,  sitting  down  disconsolately  on  my  bed 
side,  "  what  on  earth  am  1  to  do  ?  " 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  demanded  Richardson. 

"My  poor  Harriet !  "  I  exclaimed  with  a  sigh. 

"Nonsense,  man!"  said  my  friend.  "You  take  the  distemper 
like  a  pointer  pup, — pardon  the  simile ;  but  'twill  go  off  after  three 
days'  march.  Moreover,  between  you  and  me,  you  are  not  yet  fit  for 
marriage."  m 

"  You  think  then,"  I  said  slyly,  "that  I  want  a  little  more  school- 
ing at  billiards." 

"Well,"  he  replied,  "you  may  make  a  better  hazard  than  matri- 
mony just  now ;  and,  depend  upon  it,  your  church  canons  are  by  no 
means  so  pleasant  as  those  of  the  Board  of  Green  Cloth.  But,  come, 
dress  and  take  your  breakfast :  your  toast  would  have  been  all  burnt 
to  a  cinder,  if  I  hadn't  ate  it  myself." 

1  got  up  with  a  heavy  heart,  dressed,  breakfasted,  and  walked  over 
D 


34  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAK. 

to  the  orderly-room,  where  the  adjutant  was  dictating  to  a  dozen 
clerks  and  orderly-sergeants ;  and  there  I  learned  that  we  were  to 
march  at  five  o'clock  the  following  morning  for  Rochdale  in  Lan- 
cashire. All  the  guards  were  being  relieved,  baggage  waggons 
loading  mess-plate  packing,  orderlies  running  in  all  directions,  and 
the  quarter-master  drawing  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  per  man 
from  the  garrison  magazine ;  it  was,  in  short,  the  first  outbreak  ot 
what  has  since  been  termed  "  the  Luddite  War." 

There  was  now  no  time  to  be  lost ;  so  giving  Tom  King  the  neces- 
sary instructions  to  prepare  for  the  road,  I  walked  down  to  Stilton  ; 
ruminating  all  the  way  on  the  best  method  of  communicating  this 
sad  intelligence  to  Harriet,  and  thinking  how  I,  who  so  much  wanted 
consolation  myself,  could  impart  any  to  her. 

I  found  Mrs.  Sibley  and  her  daughters  sitting  at  work,  and  all 
were  very  grateful  to  me  for  my  conduct  the  night  before.  The  two 
girls  were  sadly  shocked,  however,  when  I  told  them  the  news, 
especially  Harriet,  whose  fine  eyes  kept  filling  with  tears,  till,  at 
length,  she  was  compelled  to  retire.  Her  mother,  1  fancied,  bore 
the  matter  with  great  philosophy.  Perhaps,  with  the  calculating 
coolness  of  age  and  experience,  she  thought  Wigsby,  with  his 
wealthy  establishment,  would  be  a  more  eligible  match  than  Ensign 
Blake,  with  his  shifting  inheritance  of  barrack-yard,  and  his  personal 
chattels  of  camp  furniture.  She  was  right,  I  have  now  no  doubt ;  but, 
at  that  time,  I  regarded  her  in  the  light  of  a  cruel  and  remorseless 
stepmother. 

I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  ^  with  all  the  tender  misery  of  leave- 
taking,  for  love  scenes  are  only  interesting  to  the  parties  concerned. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that  Harriet  and  I  vowed  interminable  affection, 
exchanged  keepsakes,  and  promised  to  write  to  each  other,  at  least, 
twice  a  week.  We  then  kissed  and  parted ;  but  such  were  the  ever- 
springing  changes  in  my  "  strange,  eventful  history,"  that  I  have 
never  seen  her  since.  Time,  the  great  soother  of  all  human  calami- 
ties, which  has  left  nothing  more  in  my  seared  heart  than  a  tender 
recollection  of  my  early  love,  has,  I  trust,  been  equally  bountiful  to 
poor  Harriet ;  and  if  she  still  live,  the  happy  mother  of  a  host  of 
young  cheese-makers,  perhaps  her  eye,  as  it  wanders  o'er  my  humble 
page,  may  yet  drop  a  tear  on  this  last  sad  tribute  to  her  worth. 

But,  hurrah !  the  road  is  before  us ;  the  battle  of  life,  the  field  of 
destiny  invite  us  on ;  and  the  misty  future,  like  Indra's  heaven  in 
the  Hindoo  mythology,  spreads  its  banquets  of  delusions  to  our 
longing  eyes.  We  commenced  our  march  at  daylight  on  the  follow- 
ing morning ;  but  before  I  quitted  Norman  Cross,  I  was  gratified  to 
learn  that  Berton  had  not  left  a  single  trace  of  his  flight,  and  that  he 
had  every  prospect  of  getting  clear  off  to  the  continent. 

My  first  march  from  Chelmsford  was  mere  child's  play,  compared 
to  the  one  I  was  now  engaged  in :  forty  miles  a  day,  and  this  con- 
tinuously for  six  days,  tried  our  stamina  very  severely;  but  the 
weather  was  fine,  and  waggons  were  pressed  every  now  and  then  to 
carry  the  men  s  knapsacks  and  give  an  occasional  lift  to  the  weary 
ana  loot-sore.  At  length  we  reached  the  lofty  and  rugged  eminence 


THE  LANCASHIRE  BITCHES.  35 

of  Blackstone  Edge,  where  we  piled  our  arms  and  halted  for  half-an- 
hour :  looking  down  upon  one  9f  those  broad  and  verdant  valleys  of 
the  manufacturing  district,  which  would  be  eminently  beautiful,  if 
the  gawky  factories  and  smoky  chimneys  did  not  mar  their  pic- 
turesque outlines.  As  we  again  got  under  arms,  and  prepared  to 
descend  this  lofty  boundary  between  two  such  immense  counties,  a 
mad  dog  ran  in  amongst  us  ;  and  while  every  one  was  endeavouring 
to  get  out  of  his  way,  as  he  gnashed  his  teeth  and  snapped  at  us  with 
rabid  fury,  one  of  our  mounted  officers  took  a  pistol  from  his  holster 
and  shot  him ;  at  the  same  time  expressing  a  hope,  that  it  would  be 
the  only  blood  we  should  have  to  shed  in  this  domestic  campaign. 
The  omen,  however,  was  not  altogether  vain. 

On  arriving  at  Rochdale,  a  large  manufacturing  town  at  the  other 
extremity  of  the  valley,  the  regiment  was  partly  distributed  in  billets, 
and  partly  lodged  in  an  old  factory,  where  a  miscellaneous  collection 
of  barrack  furniture  was  supplied,  for  the  nonce,  by  general  contri- 
bution of  the  inhabitants.  The  officers  were  accommodated  in  the 
large  private  mansion  of  a  great  Cotton-Lord,  who  had  quitted  the 
country  in  alarm  and  disgust,  when  the  disturbances  had  gained  such 
a  head  as  to  threaten  life  and  property.  Here  we  had  scarcely 
effected  a  lodgement,  when  we  were  inundated  with  visitors ;  the 
Entwistles,  the  Royds,  the  Walmsleys,  the  Vavasours,  the  Holts, 
the  Smiths ;  in  short,  the  heads  of  all  the  principal  families  in  the 
t9wn  and  neighbourhood  called  on  us,  and  so  overwhelmed  us  with 
civilities  and  invitations  to  dinners,  balls,  concerts,  pic-nics,  &c., 
that  I  began  to  fancy  myself  suddenly  transported  to  my  native 
land,  in  its  palmiest  days  of  prosperity  and  social  enjoyment. 

A  great  deal  of  this  hospitable  feeling,  altogether  so  novel  in 
England,  must,  of  course,  be  ascribed  to  the  disturbed  state  of  the 
country,  which  invested  the  arrival  of  an  armed  force  with  so  much 
real  importance  in  the  eyes  of  all  who  had  anything  to  lose ;  but  it 
would  be  unjust  not  to  give  the  people  credit  for  a  great  share  of 
sincerity  in  the  good  feeling  they  professed.  For  my  part,  having 
been  constantly  received  with  almost  parental  kindness  by  many 
wealthy  families,  doubtless  from  a  regard  for  my  boyhood,  for  I  was 
yet  but  sixteen,  I  shall  ever  entertain  a  grateful  recollection  of  this 
my  first  and  happiest  campaign  in  the  manufacturing  district  ot 
Lancashire. 

"  And  the  Lancashire  witches  ?  "  I  think  I  hear  a  reader  exclaim. 
Ah !  thereby  hangs  a  tale ;  and  I  fear  it  will  not  redound  to  the 
honour  of  my  fidelity.  But  let  me  not  anticipate,  for  I  really  did 
still  adore  my  far-distant  Harriet,  and  had  already  exchanged  letters 
with  her ;  giving,  in  return  for  her  simple  and  natural  effusions,  a 
somewhat  melo-aramatic  history  of  my  "moving  accidents  by  flood 
and  field  "  in  the  course  of  my  northern  peregrinations ;  descanting 
on  the  stubborn  fortitude  with  which,  in  spite  of  tortured  feet  and 
muscular  suffering,  I  had  walked  the  whole  way  to  set  a  due  example 
to  the  soldiery,  while  the  greatest  veterans  and  hugest  grenadiers 
had  knocked  up  and  been  glad  to  take  refuge  in  the  waggons  ;  how 
I  waded  through  rivers  and  rivulets,  and  clambered  over  rocks  and 

Tk     0. 


36  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

mountains ;  how  I  volunteered  to  lead  the  advanced  guard,  and  kept 
a  sharp  look-out  with  my  Light-Bobs  for  lurking-  Luddites:  in 
short,  I  fear  my  letter  must  have  excited  laughter  instead  of 
sympathy ;  for  Harriet  must  have  looked  on  her  preux  chevalier  as  a 
little  of  the  romantic,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  Gascon. 

But  the  war  is  afoot,  and  I  must  sharpen  my  pen  and  nerve  my 
style  for  the  martial  despatch  rather  than  the  effeminate  love-letter. 
In  one  place,  a  steam-engine  and  a  dozen  power-looms  are  destroyed ; 
in  another,  a  factory  with  three  hundred  windows  burnt  to  the 
ground ;  night  and  clay  we  are  on  the  alert,  defending  chateaux, 
extinguishing  incendiary  fires,  putting  mobs  to  the  rout,  apprehend- 
ing Luddites,  &c.,  &c.  And  then  such  scenes  of  squalid  poverty 
anH  wretchedness  as  we  had  unwillingly  to  witness :  fathers  of 
families  daily  thrown  out  of  work  by  the  increase  of  steam  machinery, 
incapable  of  earning  food  for  their  families  by  any  other  employment 
than  the  one  to  which  they  had  been  all  their  lives  accustomed ! 
Mothers  with  infants  perishing  at  their  breast,  through  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  maternal  fount !  Children  in  the  agony  of  starvation 
gazing  on  their  hapless  parents  with  looks  of  mingled  reproach  and 
pity !  Alas  !  alas  !  Holbein,  to  harrow  up  the  soul,  has  painted  the 
"  Dance  of  Death,"  but  still  more  frightful  is  the  Dance  of  Life  ! 
t  Meanwhile,  unbounded  hospitality  reigned  in  the  houses  of  the 
rich,  and  the  gallant  defenders  of  accumulated  wealth  were  every- 
where the  welcome  and  the  favoured  guests.  For  them,  the  table 
groaned  under  its  load  of  luxury;  for  them,  beauty  lavished  its 
countless  fascinations;  for  them,  vocal  and  instrumental  harmony 
filled  the  echoing  concert-room,  and  the  mazy  dance  spread  its  bland 
allurements.  Billiard-rooms  we  had  in  abundance,  and  no  markers 
to  pay ;  horses  we  had  to  ride,  preserves  to  shoot,  and  honnds  to 
follow ;  while  the  worthy  cotton-spinners,  smothering  in  a  plethora 
of  wealth,  seemed  delighted  with  the  healthy  drain  of  which  we  were 
the  willing  instruments. 

On  a  day,  "  alack  the  day  !  "  it  should  be  blotted  from  the  stainless 
almanac  of  true  love,  I  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  dinner  at  the 
princely  mansion  of  a  mill-owner  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  I 
had  been  up  all  night  with  a  party  of  Light  Bobs,  charging  a  gang  of 
poor  Luddites  over  moss  and  mountain,  and  had  only  got  to  bed  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  sleepy  and  fatigued  beyond  everything. 
I  therefore  did  not  wake  till  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  and  as 
the  dinner-hour  was  somewhat  early,  I  had  to  hurry  my  preparations. 
Three  or  four  others  were  also  going,  and  we  walked  up  together  • 
but  finding  the  time  was  rapidly  decreasing,  we  set  to  and  had  a  run 
lor  it.  I  distanced  my  companions ;  but,  not  satisfied  with  this, 
when  1  arrived  at  the  entrance  to  the  domain,  I  made  a  spring,  and 
jumping  over  a  very  handsome  gate  of  ornamental  iron-work,  about 
live  teet  high,  found  myself  on  the  other  side  in  the  presence  of  a 
bevy  ot  ladies  who  had  been  screened  from  view  by  the  boughs  and 
foliage  of  a  splendid  acacia. 

A  general  scream  evinced  the  terror  of  these  flushed  birds  of 
paradise ;  lor  they  looked  upon  my  saltatory  entrance  as  the  advent 


THE  LANCASHIRE  WITCHES.  37 

of  a  gang  of  Luddites.  The  fair  hostess,  however,  who  was  one  of 
the  party,  and  some  other  ladies  of  my  acquaintance,  received  me 
with  smiles  of  welcome ;  and  I  was  presented  to  three  strangers,  a 
widow  lady  with  two  daughters,  just  arrived  from  Bath. 

A  widow  lady  with  two  daughters  !  Strange  coincidence !  Fluellin 
found  a  sympathetic  chord  between  the  river  in  Wales  and  the  river 
in  Macedon ;  but  how  were  I  to  discover  an  equally  cogent  reason 
for  attaching  myself  to  these  tovely  strangers,  for  lovely  they  certainly 
were  ?  Mrs.  Netherby  was  in  full  possession  of  those  three  great 
requisities  once  so  essential  to  the  Mahommedan  Elysium  of  Carlton 
Palace.  Her  eldest  daughter,  Theodosia,  was  full  of  grace,  liveliness, 
and  badinage ;  but  the  younger,  and  by  far  the  lovelier,  was  quiet, 
amiable,  and  reposed,  like  Harriet.  Go  to  !  there's  more  sympathy 
for  you. 

Her  movements  were  grace  itself,  her  voice  ethereal  melody,  her 
smile  an  embodied  affection;  you  almost  looked  after  it  as,  in  imagina- 
tion, it  soared  aloft  to  seek  its  native  heaven.  I  know  not  how  I 
felt  when  I  took  wine  with  her  at  dinner ;  but  this  I  know,  that  the 
humble  juice  of  the  Burgundian  grape  was  suddenly  changed  to  that 
super-celestial  liquid  which,  according  to  the  Koran,  Soliman-ben- 
paoud  has  sealed  with  his  own  wise  signet  for  the  lips  of  True 
Believers ;  and  when  I  touched  her  hand  in  the  dance,  1  distinctly 
felt  my  love  for  poor  Harriet  oozing  out,  like  the  courage  of  Bob 
Acres,  at  my  fingers'  ends.  Yet  but  a  month,  "  a  little  month,"  had 
elapsed  since  I  vowed  interminable  loye  to  that  injured  fair  one.  A 
month !— nay,  not  a  month— the  very  ink  was  scarcely  dry  of  my  last 
amorous  epistle — and  yet 

"  Oh,  frailty !  thy  name  is  Percy  Blake  !  " 

Mrs.  "Netherby  and  her  fair  daughters  were  natives  of  Lancashire, 
but  had  lived  some  years  at  Bath,  where  Mr.  Netherby  had  recently 
died,  leaving  his  brother,  a  wealthy  mill-owner,  joint  guardian  with 
his  widow  of  the  two  young  ladies.  With  this  crusty  old  bachelor, 
for  such  I  heard  he  was,  they  were  now  residing,  being  only  on  a  visit 
of  a  few  days  with  the  family  where  I  met  them. 

I  slept  but  little  that  night,  thinking  of  the  fair  vision  I  had  en- 
countered ;  and  the  next  morning,  at  the  very  earliest  of  all  possible 
visiting  hours,  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  shrine  of  my  new  divinity,  in 
whose  celestial  presence  tl-ie  impression  of  the  previous  evening  was 
more  than  strengthened,  it  was  irrevocably  confirmed  : — yes,  irrevo- 
cable is  the  word  ;  for  who  of  mortal  mould  could  withstand  such  a 
galaxy  of  charms? 

We  walked  through  the  grounds,  the  garden,  the  conservatory 
together;  laughed  and  chatted ;_  talked  of  horticulture  and  flower 
exhibitions ;  but,  to  my  shame,  it  became  evident  that  I  scarcely 
knew  the  difference  between  a  lily  and  a  carnation.  Poetry  and  the 
bell'  arti  and  romance  then  succeeded ;  and  1  was  delighted  to  find 
that  Mary  had  read  nearly  as  much,  and  could  appreciate  quite  as 
well,  as  myself;  which  was,  however,  not  saying  a  great  deal  for 
either  of  us.  In  short-,  time  flew  with  more  than  proverbial  velocity ; 


38  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"with  her  conversing,  I  forgot  all  seasons,"  and  parades  •  and  at  six 
o'clock  I  was  seated,  I  knew  not  how,  by  her  side  at  the  dinner-table : 
nay,  so  utterly  oblivious  was  I  of  the  "  outward  barbarians  "  who 
composed  the  world  around  us,  that  having-  asked  her  to  take  wine, 
and  fancying  myself  at  home  with  "the  apple-greens,"  I  called  out  in 
a  voice  of  command :  "  Mess-waiter,  champagne  !  " 

This,  of  course,  caused  an  explosion  of  laughter  at  mv  expense ; 
but  I  joined  the  merriment  with  all  my  heart  and  soul,  while  the  face 
and  neck  of  my  ineffable  Mary  were  suffused  with  blushes,  for  on  her 
every  eye  was  fixed  as  the  sufficing  cause  of  my  blunder.  In  short, 
I  had  paid  a  morning  visit  to  my  kind  friends,  and  it  was  long  past 
midnight  before  I  could  tear  myself  away.  As  I  tumbled  into  bed, 
that  fellow,  Richardson,  thrust  in  his  ugly  phiz,  and  cried  out  loud 
enough  to  alarm  the  main  guard :  "  In  for  it  again,  old  fellow !  I 
told  you  how  quick  you  would  take  the  distemper."  ' 

The  short  visit  of  the  Netherbys  was  about  to  terminate  •  but  I 
begged  hard  for  a  respite.  I  represented  to  them  the  really  dan- 
gerous state  of  the  country  about  Mr.  Netherby's  mill,  the  most  dis- 
turbed portion  of  the  district.  I  told  them  we  were  getting  up  races, 
subscription  balls,  and  private  theatricals ;  and,  at  length,  I  prevailed 
on  the  dear  mamma  to  get  invited  to  another  friend's  house  in  the 
very  town  of  Rochdale,  actually  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  my 
own  quarters !  Only  fancy  my  delight ! 

But,  poor  Harriet !  Alas !  the  thought  of  poor  dear  Harriet  came 
over  my  heart  like  a  withering  blight;  and  I  was  compelled,  as  I 
fancied,  in  self-defence,  to  plunge  into  every  sort  of  dissipation.  I 
had  not  written  to  her  for  some  time,  and  I  reproached  myself  bitterly 
for  my  neglect,  promising  my  accusing  conscience  that  I  would 
speedily  make  up  for  all  by  writing  her  a  very  voluminous  and  affec- 
tionate epistle,  worth  a  dozen  scribbled  in  the  ordinary  manner;  but  I 
tear  that  my  countrymen,  according  to  the  Portuguese  proverb,  con- 
tribute more  to  the  paving  of  a  certain  place  than  all  the  other 

peoples  (to  use  a  recently-adopted  Gallicism)  of  the  old  world  or 
the  new.  This  plaguy  epistle  was  put  off  from  hour  to  hour,  and 
from  day  to  day,  till  at  last  it  was  dismissed  altogether  from  my  mind, 
like  a  uateiul  unnecessary  school  task. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  COTTON-LOED. 

ABOUT  this  time  we  gave  a  splendid  ball,  in  return  for  the  many 
civilities  we  had  received;  and  as  the  committee,  of  which  I  was  one 
had  carte-blanche,  we  certainly  spared  neither  trouble  nor  expense  as 
the  managers  say,  m  getting  it  up. 

.  The  ground  floor  of  our  mansion  consisted  of  two  splendid  draw- 
mg-rooms,  m  one  of  which  we  generally  messed :  these  were  taste- 
fully laid  out  for  dancing;  the  floors  were  chalked  bv  a  London 


THE  COTTON-LORD.  39 

artist,  and  the  walls,  hung  with  festoons  of  flowers,  sparkled  with 
brilliant  girandoles,  which  shed  a  perfumed  light  around.  The  lawn 
was  occupied  by  a  suite  of  marquees,  wherein  a  magnificent  supper  was 
spread  for  our  numerous  guests ;  and  while  a  portion  of  our  band  played 
some  of  the  fine  old  airs  from"I)9n  Juan,"  the  "  Zauberflote,"  "  Cosi  fan 
tutti,"  &c.,  a  select  few,  in  civilian  full  dress,  well  trained  to  the  violin 
and  bass,  and  led  by  our  bandmaster,  played  exquisitely  for  the 
dancers.  That  night,  that  happy  night,  I  had  the  unspeakable 
pleasure  of  walking  a  minuet  with  my  beloved  Mary ;  for  this  last 
remnant  of  courtly  elegance  had  not  as  yet  entirely  disappeared. 

I  think  I  now  see  myself,  in  this  age  of  short  crops  and  other  vul- 
garities, with  my  hair  curled  up  in  a  lofty  toupee,  pomatumed  and 
powdered  with  the  most  delicate  art ;  my  long  queue  clasped  to  the 
collar  of  my  coat,  and  hanging  down  lower  than  my  very  long  waist ; 
my  coat  buttoned  back,  my  white-flowered  Marseilles  waistcoat,  white 
casimere  small-clothes,  flesh-coloured  silk  stockings,  and  shoes  with 
silver  buckles  ;  my  opera  hat  under  my  arm,  and  a  white  silk  waist- 
belt  supporting  a  handsome  dirk  by  my  side  ;  did  I  not  fancy  myself 
the  "  glass  of  fashion  and  the  mould  of  form  ! "  Meu  fugaces ! 
Half  a  century  has  nearly  elapsed  since  that  happy  period ;  and 
even  at  the  risk  of  being  classed  amongst  the  la-udator  temporis  acti 
tribe.  I  must  express  my  regret  that  the  glories  of  ancient  costume 
should  be  so  totally  eclipsed  by  Blucher  boots,  Wellington  overalls, 
and  ruffianly  hats  called  wide-awakes ! 

It  was,  however,  a  period  of  transition  in  the  regime  of  the  ball- 
room ;  the  stately  dresses  and  dances  of  the  olden  time,  the  menuet 
de  la,  cour,  the  embroidered  coat,  the  bag  wig  and  sword,  and  laced 
ruffles  and  frills,  were  reluctantly  giving  way  before  the  prim  and 
finical  costume,  the  frisky  waltz,  and  flirting  quadrille  of  the  succeed- 
ing period ;  "  Sir  Roger  de  Coverly  "  and  the  "  Boulanger  "  being  a 
sort  of  commonwealth  interregnum. 

As  I  had  acquired  the  continental  dances  at  Norman  Cross,  and 
Mary  and  her  sister  had  been  accustomed  to  them  at  Bath,  we  g9t  up 
a  very  successful  quadrille ;  and  even  flew  through  the  room  in  la 
sautense,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  cotton-spinners,  who  had  never 
seen  anything  9f  the  kind  before.  Thus,  I  may  say,  that,  through 
our  means,  the  introduction  of  the  waltz  was  coeval  in  Lancashire 
with  that  of  the  power-loom.  What  a  revolution  in  arts  and  manners 
has  been  caused  by  both ! 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  whole  of  this  grand  entertainment 
passed  off  with  decided  eclat,  and  we  were  universally  voted  to  be  an 
immense  acquisition  to  the  manufacturing  district  in  every  respect. 
It  was  succeeded  by  races,  at  which  I  had  the  g9od  fortune  to  ride 
two  winning  horses,  and  to  be  hailed  each  time  as  I  came  in 
triumphantly  by  the  immense  assemblage  of  beauty  and  fashion  that 
crowded  our  temporary  stand;  displaying,  as  I  conspicuously  did 
upon  my  left  arm,  a  circlet  of  violets  and  rose-buds,  gathered  for  me 
that  morning  by  the  fair  hands  of  the  beautiful  Mary. 

In  the  evening  we  had,  of  course,  a  race-ball ;  and  this  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  series  of  subscription  assemblies,  which  were  attended 


40  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

by  every  one  of  any  consequence  in  the  whole  district.  They  were, 
however,  productive  of  something  that  was  not  quite  pleasant  to  me : 
for  some  *  good-natured  friend"  wrote  to  old  Nether  by,  strictly  con- 
fidential, of  course,  that  his  favourite  niece,  with  her  large  fortune 
and  great  expectations,  was  actually  throwing  herself  away  on  an 
Irishman  whom  nobody  knew,  and  who,  in  all  probability,  was  nothing 
but  a  mere  fortune-hunter,  that  had  nothing  to  settle  on  his  wife  but 
his  portion  of  the  barrack-yard.  All  this  came  to  my  ears  long  after, 
when  it  was  too  late  t9  remedy  the  evil. 

Old  Netherby  came  into  town  in  an  immense  fluster,  and  insisted 
on  his  wards  going  off  with  him  instantly  to  the  country,  with  which 
arbitrary  command  they  were,  it  seems,  bound  to  comply.  I  caught 
them  just  as  they  were  stepping  into  the  carriage  ;  but  when  I  ran 
up  to  salute  them  as  usual,  the  old  cotton-twister  called  out  in  a  gruff 
voice,  "  Keep  your  distance,  sir ! "  Shocked  and  astonished  as  I  felt, 
I  was  prevented  from  chastising  him  on  the  spot  by  an  imploring  look 
from  Mary,  whose  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  held  out  her  hand,  and 
indulged  me  with  a  gentle  pressure ;  while  Mrs.  Netherby  kindly 
bade  me  farewell,  and  Theodosia  favoured  me  with  a  warmer  adieu 
as  she  playfully  hummed  the  well-known  refrain  from  "  Jocoude/' 

"  Et  1'on  revient  toujours 
A  ses  premieres  amours ! " 

which  fortunately  was  all  Arabic  to  the  ignorant  old  factory-boy. 

Thus  unjustly  and  cavalierly  was  I  treated  by  this  money-grubbing 
old  hunks ;  but  I  had  a  glorious  revenge  not  long  after. 

During  all  these  gay  doings  in  town,  the  country  continued  in  a 
dreadful  state  of  disturbance,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts;  and  no 
troops  were  ever  worked  harder  on  actual  service  than  we  were  at 
this  period.  But  our  proceedings  against  the  unhappy  and  mis- 
guided Luddites  were  always  marked  with  clemency ;  and  it  was 
with  pity,  almost  amounting  to  horror,  that  we  ever  came  into  actual 
collision  with  them,  from  which,  of  course,  they  always  suffered 
severely.  Yet  we  had  a  stern  duty  to  perform  to  the  government 
and  the  C9mmunity  at  large ;  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  we  did  so 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  authorities,  and  of  all  rational  and 
reflecting  persons  who  were  witnesses  of  our  conduct. 

One  night,  when  I  had  gone  to  bed,  hoping  to  dream  of  my  absent 
Mary,  I  was  suddenly  roused  from  my  first  sleep  by  Tom  King,  bearing 
an  order  for  me  to  start  immediately  with  a  detachment  of  twenty 
rank  and  file,  to  protect  Mr.  Netherby's  mill. 

" Burn  old  Netherby !"  I  exclaime'd  in  my  wrath.  "I  hope  they'll 
set  fire  to  his  mill,  and  stick  him  on  the  top  of  it." 

Strange  to  say,  this  was  precisely  the  feat  they  attempted  to  per 
torm. 

I  set  off,  however,  with  my  detachment  in  light  spring  waggons, 
which  were  always  kept  ready  for  such  emergencies ;  and,  though 
the  distance  was  thirty  miles,  we  galloped  it  in  three  hours.  It  was 
fortunate  that  we  did  so,  for  the  attack  was  already  commenced,  and 
the  Luddites  were  breaking  in  the  hall-door  of  the  dwelling-house  with 


THE  COTTON-LOED.  41 

sledge  hammers.  The  entrance  to  the  grounds  being  obstructed  by 
an  abattis  of  young  trees,  uprooted  for  the  purpose,  we  dismounted, 
and,  forming  in  sections,  went  up  the  avenue  at  double  quick.  I 
had  given  my  men  orders  not  to  fire,  and  to  do  as  little  mischief  as 
possible.  Consequently,  the  Luddites,  whom  we  instantly  scattered, 
escaped  with  a  few  bayonet  wounds.  Having  some  old  guns  and 
pistols  amongst  them,  they  had  the  madness,  however,  to  fire?  and 
wound  two  of  my  party;  but  I  effectually  dispersed  them  with  a 
volley,  which  brought  down  two  or  three  half-naked  wretches,  hap- 
pily, without  killing  them. 

I  leave  the  reader  to  judge  of  my  delight,  when  I  opened  the  door 
of  the  parlour,  whence  issued  several  female  screams,  in  every  tone 
and  cadence,  caught  the  trembling  and  almost  fainting  Mary  in  my 
arms,  and  was  actually  kissed  by  her  mother  and  sister. 

After  all,  I  was  still  a  mer$  youth;  and  might,  without  any  impu- 
tation on  their  discretion,  be  treated  by  these  dear  ladies,  in  such  an 
emergency,  as  a  son  and  a  brother.  I  restored  their  confidence,  by 
assuring  them  that  every  danger  had  vanished ;  and  was  overwhelmed 
with  grateful  thanks  by  all,  for  my  timely  assistance.  1  then  inquired 
for  Mr.  Netherby,  who  was  nowhere  to  be  found ;  but,  while  we  were 
engaged  in  searching  for  him,  some  one  cried  out,  "  The  mill !  the 
mill  is  on  fire ! " 

Looking  towards  this  source  of  wealth,  in  which  the  soul  of  old 
Netherby  was  wrapped  up,  and  which  stood  over  a  brook  three  or 
four  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  we  saw  the  flames  bursting  out 
from  some  of  its  numerous  windows.  Leaving  a  guard  to  protect 
the  dwelling-house,  I  formed  the  rest  in  line,  gave  the  word 
"  double  ! "  and  we  were  speedily  alongside  the  mill,  which  was  now 
burning  at  a  furious  rate,  while  old  Netherby,  at  one  of  the  second- 
floor  windows,  was  shouting  for  assistance  with  all  his  lungs. 

The  Luddites,  not  satisfied  with  destroying  his  property,  had 
actually  locked  him  up  in  his  own  mill,  to  perish  by  the  most  hor- 
rible of  all  deaths.  The  sufferings,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  of 
such  people,  must  have  been  great,  indeed,  to  drive  them  to  such 
extremities. 

The  moment  the  old  man  recognized  me  by  the  light  of  the  flames, 
he  cried  out,  in  a  voice  of  agony, — 

"  Oh  !  captain,  captain,  save  my  life  !  save  my  life  ! " 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  I  coolly  replied ;  "  I  know  how  to  keep  my 
distance." 

"Nay,  nay,  captain  dear,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  heartily  beg  tliec 
pardon.  Dontee,  doutee,  let  me  perish  in  this  awsome  manner,  and 
I'll  do  anything  for  thee  in  t'  varsal  world." 

But  I  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  entreaties,  and  had  the  cruelty  to 
look  on  unmoved,  till  he  was  thoroughly  frightened,  when  he  began 
to  curse  and  blaspheme  at  an  awful  rate.  I  then  directed  the  men 
to  place  a  long  ladder  up  against  the  window,  and  the  half-delirious 
wretch  descended;  but  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  his  coat-tails 
were  actually  singed  with  the  devouring  element. 

The  mill,  however,  was  burnt  to  the  ground ;  but,  as  the  cunning 


42  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

old  curmudgeon  was  fully  insured,  lie  lost  little  or  nothing  by  the 
night's  transaction.  He  never  forgave  me  forgot  saving  him  five 
minutes  sooner  than  I  did ;  and  when  he  and  his  nieces  moved  into 
Rochdale,  for  protection,  till  the  storm  blew  over,  he  had  influence 
enough  to  get  me  sent  on  detachment  to  Oldham,  where  I  was . 
recommended  to  keep  close,  and  study— patience,  and  the  eighteen 
manoeuvres. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  FACTORY  HOP. 

AT  that  period,  Oldham  was,  I  think,  the  most  detestable  hole  I  had 
ever  put  my  foot  into ;  what  it  may  be  since  it  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  a  borough,  and  has  got  a  man  of  sense  and  eloquence  to 
represent  it  in  Parliament,  I  can't  _  say ;  but  an  inference  may  be 
drawn  from  that  circumstance  to  its  advantage.  It  was  a  mean, 
ugly,  ill-built,  straggling,  dirty,  dingy,  gloomy-looking  old  place ;  the 
very  refuse  and  dust-hole,  so  to  speak,  of  the  entire  manufacturing 
district.  It  was  always  enveloped  in  rain,  or  drizzle,  or  mist,  and  its 
inhabitants  were  cross,  ill-tempered,  sour,  and  suspicious ;  if  a  dog 
only  barked  in  the  street— and  they  were  always  barking— this 
vocal  expression  of  thought,  or  instinct,  was  sure  to  terminate  in  a 
half-frantic  howl,  or  a  melancholy  whine ;  and  even  the  very  cats,  as 
they  made  love  in  the  gutters  of  the  steep,  S9mbre,  puritanical  house- 
tops, vented  their  amorous  wishes  in  a  combination  of  diabolical  yells 
and  screams  that  often  drove  me  distracted. 

I  was  quartered  in  an  old  deserted  mansion  a  little  way  in  the  fields 
off  the  main  street ;  and  the  magistrate,  as  he  put  me  in  possession, 
hinted  that  it  was  large  enough  for  all  my  detachment,  if  I  chose  to 
have  them  with  me,  to  defend  me  from  the  Luddites.  I  cared 
nothing  at  all  about  the  Luddites,  I  said ;  they  and  I  were  very  good 
friends  till  we  came  to  blows,  and  then  we  always  paid  off  old  scores 
till  the  next  day  of  reckoning.  I  therefore  requested  the  magistrate 
to  put  the  men  into  billets,  which  would  be  more  agreeable  to  them, 
and  keep  them  more  au  courant  as  to  what  was  passing  amongst  the 
enemy.  The  magistrate  complied  with  my  wishes,  and  I  was  thus 
left  in  peaceable  possession  of  the  old  casa,  with  my  orderly,  and 
Tom  King,  who  was  a  very  good  cook  in  a  small  way,  and  expert  and 
handy  in  all  other  respects. 

It  was  now  the  depth  of  winter  (1808),  and  the  snow  lay  thick 
upon  the  earth  ;  its  pure  white  mantle,  which  wrapped  in  its  ample 
fold  the  country  round,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  bringing  out  in 
more  grim  and  startling  relief  the  hunch  of  dark,  shapeless  buildings 
that  constituted  the  town  of  Oldham ;  while  the  tall  chimneys  of  its 
numerous  factories  sent  forth  in  rapid  succession  huge  volumes  of 
thick  black  smoke  that  looked  like  vast  blotches  of  ^London  mud 
dashed  against  the  cold,  leaden  background  of  the  sky. 


THE  FACTORY  HOP.  43 

The  prospect  was  indeed  dreary  beyond  description ;  but  I  exerted 
myself  to  make  all  snug  in  my  own  especial  quarter,  which  was  a 
room  on  the  first  floor,  fortunately  wind  and  water-tight.  Here  I 
laid  down  my  carpet,  wheeled  my  camp-bed  within  a  few  paces  of  the 
fire-place,  which  always  blazed  and  crackled  cheerfully;  piled  my 
table  with  books,  drawings,  and  musical  instruments;  then,  with  my 
pointer  and  water-spaniel  reposing  on  the  rug,  and  my  fishing-rod, 
double-barrelled  Manton,  shot-belt,  and  game-bag,  arranged  artisti- 
cally over  the  mantlepiece,  I  boldly  bade  defiance  to  the  foul  fiend. 
My  servant  and  orderly  made  themselves  equally  comfortable  in  the 
kitchen,  whither  my  pay-sergeant  and  two  or  three  other  old  hands 
resorted  of  an  evening  to  smoke  a  pipe  and  have  a  gossip,  under 
pretence  of  asking  for  orders,  which  they  well  knew  I  never  troubled 
them  with,  as  everything  in  this  delectable  old  regiment  went  like  a 
patent  chronometer. 

I  must  not,  however,  forget  my  "  stranger's  room ;"  a  large,  lofty, 

floomy  apartment,  immediately  over  mine,  with  a  huge  yawning 
re-place  and  elevated  mantel-piece,  altogether  displaying  a  grim  and 
ghastly  aspect.  It  was,  however,  the  only  inhabitable  room  in  the 
whole  building,  except  my  own  and  the  kitchen ;  but  when  I  had  it 
cleaned  out,  and  hired  a  comfortable,  capacious  bed,  with  some  other 
articles  of  furniture  for  it,  it  didn't  make  a  bad  bivouac  for  any 
chance  visitors  from  head-quarters  who  might  come  over  for  a  dav's 
sport  on  the  extensive  moors,  or  mosses,  as  they  are  called,  that  lay 
around  us. 

Over  this  stranger's  room  was  a  suite  of  uninhabitable  garrets ;  and 
as  the  sky-lights  were  frequently  blown  off  by  the  wind,  the  cats  held 
high  carnival  therein,  very  often  to  the  total  banishment  of  sleep, 
even  after  a  long  day's  fag  on  the  moors. 

With  all  my  anxiety  to  see  my  beloved  Mary  again,  I  never  went 
over  to  head-quarters ;  for  though  I  was  not  forbidden  to  do  so,  Sir 
George  knew  perfectly  well  that,  where  a  point  of  duty  was  con- 
cerned, I  stuck  like  a  burr  to  my  post,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  my 
own  dearest  wishes.  My  brother-officers,  however,  frequently  came 
over  to  see  me ;  and  even  Colonel  Foley  took  it  into  his  head  one 
night  to  send  a  case  of  claret  to  my  quarters,  and  bring  over  a  whist 
party  with  him,  to  enjoy,  as  he  said,  a  quiet  rubber  of  five  guinea 
points  sub  rosd.  1  gave  them  a  good  out-post  supper  of  spatchcocks, 
devilled  drumsticks,  fried  bacon  and  eggs,  and  roasted  potatoes  ;  and 
the  claret  case  having  been  emptied,  we  finished  the  sederunt  with 
Irish  whisky,  of  which  I  had  recently  received  a  dozen  bottles  from 
my  brother,  who  had  paid  a  short  business  visit  to  Liverpool.  My 
guests,  who  were  all  top-sawyers  of  the  regiment,  were  highly  gratified 
with  their  entertainment ;  and  I  thought  Eoley  would  have  gone  into 
fits  when  I  gave  him  a  description  of  the  roasting  of  old  Netherby. 

Sti'l,  however,  "  with  all  appliances  and  means  to  boot,"  the  long, 
long  evenings  being  somewhat  irksome,  I  sighed  for  a  return  to  that; 
Elysium  from  which  I  had  been  unjustly  banished  by  the  jealousy  of 
an  ogre ;  and  though  I  felt  immense  pleasure  in  scribbling  "  sonnets 
to  my  mistress'  eyebrow/'  all  of  which  were  duly  inscribed  to  "the 


44  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAX. 

belle  of  all  Lancashire  witches !"  I  would  occasionally  throw  down 
the  pen  in  dull  despair  that  I  was  not  rather  playing  duets,  or  dancing 
the  boulanger  with  the  fair  enslaver  herself. 

It  thus  occurred  to  me  one  evening,  about  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber, when,  unable  any  longer  to  bear  the  burden  of  my  own  thoughts, 
I  determined  to  sally  out  and  visit  my  billets  ;  just  to  ask,  pro  forma, 
if  there  were  any  complaints.,  though  nothing  ever  went  amiss  with 
the  old  "  apple-greens."  Tom  King  had  received  permission  to  spend 
the  evening  at  a  Christmas  merry-making ;  for  the  factory  boys  and 
girls  began  their  Christmas,  as  they  did  their  day's  work,  betimes ; 
so,  leaving  the  cats  and  the  orderly  to  keep  house,  forth  I  went, 
accompanied  by  my  dogs,  and  wrapping  my  cloak  about  me,  to  keep 
off  the  biting  wind  of  the  bleak  hill-side  on  which  Oldham  is  built. 

Having  gone  my  rounds,  and  found  all  snug  and  ready  for  emer- 
gencies, 1  sauntered  towards  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  was  about 
to  return  to  my  quarters ;  when,  on  turning  a  corner,  the  music  of  a 
violin,  accompanied  by  loud  laughter,  and  the  sound  of  >  merry  voices, 
struck  my  ear,  issuing  from  a  public-house  a  little  off  the  road,  the 
windows  of  which  were  all  in  a  blaze  of  luminous  tallow. 

I  strolled  up  to  the  scene  of  merriment,  which  was  on  the  ground- 
floor,  and  as  doors  and  windows  were  all  wride  open,  I  had  no  difficulty 
in  gaining  a  complete  view  of  this  factory-hop.  The  room  was 
crowded  to  excess  with  young  men  and  women,  dressed  out  in  their 
best  toggery,  footing  it  right  and  left  with  all  the  noise  and  velocity 
of  a  steam-engine ;  while  some  of  the  seniors  of  both  sexes  were 
pledging  each  other  in  quarterns  of  gin  and  pots  of  ale  ;  and  the  con- 
centrated smoke  of  three  dozen  pipes  hovered,  like  a  semi-diaphanous 
canopy,  over  the  heads  of  the  dancers. 

All  this  part  of  the  entertainment  I  could  understand  perfectly;  but 
there  was  one  circumstance  that  puzzled  me  exceedingly.  In  the 
midst  of  the  dancers  stood,  with  his  back  to  me,  an  officer  in  the 
uniform  of  my  regiment,  apple-green  facings,  silver  lace,  &c.  Nay, 
as  I  live,  he  had  wings  on_  his  shoulders  instead  of  epaulettes,  and 
bore  other  unmistakable  signs  of  belonging  to  my  own  company. 
Who  could  he  possibly  be  ?  He  was  not  like,  in  figure  at  least,  any  of 
rny  brother  subs ;  and  I  could  not  at  all  fancy  Lord  Rodney  taking  a 
frisk  in  this  unsophisticated  fashion.  The  mysterious  stranger,  how- 
ever, as  if  determined  to  baffle  my  curiosity,  never  once  turned  round, 
but  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  his  partner,  a  very  pretty  girl,  who  returned 
him  glance  for  glance,  and  with  interest. 

At  length,  in  the  evolution  of  "  cross  hands  and  back  again,"  I  got 
a  full  view  of  my  gentleman;  and,  "may  I  never  die  a  sinner!"  as 
they  sav  m  Ireland,  if  it  was  not  the  identical  Tom  King,  dressed  in 
full  ball  costume;  with  my  second-best  coatee,  white  waistcoat, 
casimere  small-clothes,  silk  stockings  and  shoes,  and  silver  buckles  ; 
his  head  one  mass  of  pomatum  and  powder,  and  his  left  breast 
decorated  with  sundry  pinch-beck  crosses  and  copper  medals,  duly 
burnished  lor  the  great  occasion ! 

I  was,  at  first,  terribly  enraged  at  this  desecration  of  my  cherished 
uniform ;  but  I  could  not  help  being  amused  when  I  saw  the  fellow's 


THE  CAT-ASTROPITE.  45 

airs  and  graces,  his  dignified  demeanour,  and  patronising  smiles; 
while  factory-boys  looked  on  with  jealous  eye,  and  factory-girls  with 
bursting  envy  at  the  superior  luck  oi:  her  who  had  drawn  this  capital 
prize  in  the  lottery  of  the  festival.  At  length,  when  Mr.  King  had  got 
to  the  top  of  the  dance,  and  was  about  to  go  down  the  middle  with  his 
fair  partner,  I  walked  in,  seized  him  by  the  ear,  wheeled  him  round, 
and  said, — 

"  Get  out,  you  rascal !  I'll  finish  the  dance  for  you." 
The  amazement  that  seized  on  all  present  cannot  be  described ;  but 
when  they  saw  their  late  "  admired  of  all  admirers  "  slink  out  of  the 
room,  they  began  to  suspect  the  real  state  of  the  case.  Every  one 
crowded  round  me,  putting  a  thousand  questions ;  but  I  laid  my 
cloak  aside,  made  my  DOW  to  the  destitue  fair  one,  the  Ariadne  of  the 
night,  and  said,  if  she  did  not  prefer  the  man  to  the  master,  I  would 
be  most  happy  to  lead  her  down  the  dance. 

I  now  took  the  hand  of  my  partner,  who,  "nothing  loth,"  seconded 
my  efforts,  and  we  went  down  the  dance,  to  the  admiration  of  all 
present.  Many  slapped  me  on  the  back,  exclaiming,  I  was  "  a  rum 
un  to  look  at,  but  a  good  unto  go  !  "  while  others  handed  me  pots  of 
ale  and  glasses  of  British  gin,  a  beverage  just  one  degree  less  atro- 
cious than  Spanish  aguardiente.  Jn  short,  I  was  the  hero  of  the 
festival,  a  sort  of  honorary  Luddite  at  a  Grand  Orient  of  the  craft ; 
and  I  would  have  willingly  given  my  next  month's  balance  in  the 
paymaster's  hand,  if  Eoley  could  have  seen  me  in  the  midst  of  my 
glory. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  CAT-ASTHOPHE. 

I  SAID  nothing  to  Mr.  King,  in  the  way  of  rebuke,  for  some  days 
after,  the  poor  devil  looked  so  crest-fallen  and  repentant;  but  as 
muster-day  (the  24th)  was  now  drawing  nigh,  I  thought  it  would  be 
a  good  opportunity  to  employ  him  in  a  little  scheme  of  revenge 
which  I  meditated  on  the  paymaster,  for  his  share  in  the  adventure  of 
Dorothy  Dawkins.  Poor  Davis,  with  all  his  cleverness  and  cunning, 
was  decidedly  the  greatest  coward  I  ever  met  with  in  the  shape  of  a 
man,  and  he  had  an  especial  horror  of  the  Luddites  and  their  doings, 
scarcely  ever  venturing  a  mile  from  head-quarters  without  a  compe- 
tent escort  to  guarantee  his  precious  existence.  On  this  failing  I 
built  my  enterprise. 

Davis  would  gladly  have  brought  the  detachment  over  to  head- 
quarters to  be  mustered ;  indeed,  he  had  the^  folly  to  propose  this 
measure  to  the  commanding  officer,  and  met  with  a  very  just  rebuke. 
He  had  nothing  for  it,  therefore,  but  to  face  the  danger ;  and  he 
wrote  me  word  that,  as  the  roads  were  fairly  snowed-up  and  im- 


passable for  a  carriage,  he  would  ride  over  early,  that  he  might  get 
k  in  good  time  for  dinner,  having  some  friends  at  mess.    This 


back 


46  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAtf. 

arrangement,  however,  did  not  suit  my  tactics  ;  so  I  sent  Tom  King 
to  the  different  billets,  to  order  the  men  to  keep  close,  and_  not  to 
stir  out  on  any  account,  till  they  heard  my  bugle  in  the  evening  for 
muster.  I  then  directed  him  to  leave  the  sky-lights  open,  and  to 
decoy  all  the  cats  he  could  into  the  attic  exactly  over  the  "strangers' 
room/'  where  he  was  then  to  shut  them  up.  He  was,  in  the  next 
place,  to  buy  me  a  quantity  of  squibs,  crackers,  and  blue-lights,  and 
to  provide  a  few  ba<?s  of  damp  shavings,  such  as  would  give  more 
smoke  than  flame.  Thus  prepared  for  action,  I  awaited  the  coming 
of  the  evening. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  Davis  arrived  in  great  bustle,  exceedingly  anxious 
to  get  over  this  indispensable  piece  of  duty  ;  but  he  looked  terribly 
blank  when  I  told  him  the  men  were  all  absent. 

"I  have  a  sergeant  _  and  six  out  towards  Manchester,"  I  said, 
"  where  a  fine  cotton-mill  was  burnt  down  last  night ;  a  corporal  and 
four  in  the  direction  of  Middleton,  chasing  some  prisoners  that  have 
broken  out  of  our  jail ;  another  corporal's  party  has  just  been  applied 
for  by  Higginbottom  down  there  at  the  saw-mills,  whicn  are 
threatened  with  immediate  conflagration ;  and  I  hold  the  rest  in  hand 
to  repel  an  attack  of  Luddites  which  the  magistrates  anticipate  in 
the  course  of  the  night." 

"  Oh,  good  heavens  !  "  cried  Davis,  "  what  am  I  to  do  ?  Stay- 
let  me  see— I  have  it :  I'll  muster  all  the  men  you  have  at  present, 
and  return  all  the  rest,  absent  on  duty." 

"  You  shall  do  no  such  thing,"  I  replied ;  "  at  least,  I'll  not  sign 
your  muster-roll,  for  I  expect  the  men  in  every  hour." 

"  My  dear  Blake,"  he  said  in  a  wheedling  tone,  "  you  will  not, 
surely,  make  a  difficulty  with  me  in  such  a  trifle  as  this." 

/'Duty  is  duty,"  I  replied,  "and  must  be  attended  to,  in  spite  of 
friendship.  If  it  were  a  private  affair,  now,  such  as  placing  you 
properly  before  the  muzzle  of  an  adversary's  pistol  in  the  champ  clos, 
the  case  would  be  different." 

"  Good  gracious ! "  lie  cried,  apparently  but  little  pleased  with 
my  hypothesis,  "what  is  to  be  done?  I 'have  all  the  Royds,  En- 
twistles,  Walmsleys,  and  Clutterbucks  to  dine  with  me  to-day  at  the 
mess." 

"  You  will  still  be  in  sufficient  time,"  I  said ;  "  for  I  told  the  men 
to  make  haste  back  to  muster." 

"I  say,  my  dear  fellow,"  cried  the  cunning  attorney,  taking  me 
lovingly  by  the  arm,  "you  know  there's  an  old  balance  that's  always 
a  bone  of  contention  between  us  " 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  what  of  it  ?  " 

"I'll  draw  a  pen  through  it,"  said  Davis,  "if  you  will  only  oblige 
me  this  once.' 

"  Oh  !  "  I  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  offended  dignity,  "  if  you  think 
to  bribe  me  from  tne  stern  path  of  rectitude,  you  don't  know  your 
man,  Mr.  Davis,  and  turning  on  my  heel,  I  left  him  to  his  cogita- 

These  were,  doubtless,  bitter  enough ;  for  hour  followed  hour  in 
cluil  succession,  and  yet  none  of  my  absent  parties  came  in.  At  last, 


THE  CAT-ASTKOPHE.  47 

Davis  ran  up  to  me,  as  I  walked  backwards  and  forwards  before  the 
door  with  a  cigar  in  my  mouth,  and  cried, — 

"  Percy,  my  boy,  have  you  nothing  to  eat  in  this  old  Castle  Hack- 
rent  of  yours  ? " 

"  Dinner  will  be  on  the  table  in  ten  minutes,"  I  replied,  looking  at 
my  watch  ;  "  and  while  we  are  enjoying  ourselves,  I  have  no  doubt 
the  parties  will  arrive." 

We  accordingly  sat  down  to  table ;  but,  in  spite  of  creature  com- 
forts and  generous  old  port,  Davis  was  chap-fallen  and  down-hearted ; 
for  I  kept  plying  him  with  imaginary  stories  of  Luddite  outrage  and 
fearful  conflagrations,  in  which  I  burnt  more  people  than  were  ever 
accounted  for  in  the  bills  of  mortality.  I  described  to  him,  also,  the 
Lancashire  system  of  gouging  and  heel-tapping. 

"  This  Oldham,"  I  said.  "  is  the  wickedest  place  in  the  whole 
manufacturing  district.  If  a  fellow  here  once  gets  you  down,  Davis, 
he'll  twist  his  forefinger  into  that  dandy  side-lock  of  yours,  and  scoop 
out  your  eye  with  his  thumb,  as  clean  as  a  whistle." 

"  Good  gracious  !  what  savages ! "  cried  Davis,  with  a  shudder. 

"  That  is  when  they  mean  to  be  merciful,"  I  continued ;  "  but, 
when  really  bent  on  mischief,  they  have  recourse  to  heel-tapping." 

"What's  that  ?"  demanded  Davis. 

"  You  have  remarked  the  thick  wooden-soled  shoes  they  wear  ?  " 
I  said. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Davis,  "  and  am  astonished  how  they  can  walk  in 
such  things." 

"If  a  fellow  gets  you  down  here,"  I  said,  "with  one  of  those 
wooden  shoes  he'll  soon  reduce  your  head  to  the  consistency  of  a 
squashed  egg-shell." 

These  tales  totally  prostrated  the  small  modicum  of  courage  that 
fluttered  in  the  breast  of  the  paymaster.  At  last,  when  it  began  to 
grow  dusk,  and  his  patience  and  spirits  were  alike  exhausted,  enter 
Tom  King,  to  inform  me  that  Sergeant  Edwards  had  arrived  with  his 
party,  and  sixteen  wounded  prisoners.  A  little  time  after,  a  similar 
announcement  was  made  of  the  arrival  of  Corporal  James,  without 
any  prisoners,  having  shot  four  Luddites  dead. 

"Then  tell  the  bugler  to  sound  for  parade,"  I  said ;  "the  other 
party  may  arrive  while  the  men  are  falling  in." 

The  streets  of  Oldham  soon  resounded  with  the  "tpo-to-to-too ;" 
and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  my  detachment  marched  into  the  court- 
yard, and  drew  up  in  front  of  my  quarters. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  "  said  Davis,  who  was  fortunately  near-sighted, 
"your  men  look  very  fresh  and  clean  after  such  hard  service." 

"Oh,  yes,"  I  answered,  "I  keep  my  detachment  always  in  prime 
order ;  we  pride  ourselves  on  that  point  at  Oldham." 

"Now,"  said  Davis,  "let  us  proceed  at  once,  for  I  have  not  a 
moment  to  lose." 

We  accordingly  descended  to  the  court-yard;  and,  fortunately, 
Davis  was  so  intent  on  despatch,  that  he  made  no  more  observations 
on  the  appearance  of  the  men,  whose  names  he  called  over  as  fast  as 
he  could  gabble.  But,  with  every  effort,  night  came  on  before  the 


4$  THE  YOUNG  EIFLE3IAN. 

conclusion,  and  the  last  half-dozen  he  had  to  call  over  by  the  light  of 

a  "Good  heavens ! "  cried  the  mystified  paymaster,  as  he  raised  his 
eyes  from  the  muster-roll,  "  'tis  quite  dark.    What  on  earth  am  I  to 

n*     rj  y) 

"You  had  better  get  a  chaise  from  the  inn,"  I  replied.  "K-un  over, 
Kin",  and  order  a  chaise  for  Mr.  Davis.  They  have  one,  I  know,  to 
my  cost,  for  it  broke  down  with  me  the  other  day,  and  nearly  stopped 

'"Thank  you,  my  dear  fellow,"  said  the  grateful  paymaster.  " 'Twas 
a  lucky  thought ;  'it  quite  escaped  me,  I'm  so  bewildered." 

In  a  few  minutes,  Tom  King  returned,  with  intelligence  that  their 
onlv  chaise  was  sno wed-up  three  miles  on  the  road  to  Rochdale. 

''The  post-boy  has  just  returned,  sir,"  said  King,  telling  a  very 
circumstantial  lie,  "  and  Ms  nose  is  so  frost-bitten,  'tis  thought  he'll 
lose  it,  poor  fellow." 

"Dear  me !  dear  me ! "  cried  Davis,  wringing  his  hands,     I  must 

"But  if  you  should  go  astray,  my  dear  friend,  in  the  dark ?"  I  sug- 
gested. 

"True,  true,"  said  he,  ruminating. 

"  Then,  again,"  I  observed,  "  those  villainous  Luddites  know  you 
to  be  the  paymaster ;  and  if  they  should  fancy  you  have  a  money-bag, 
or  a  bundle  of  notes  about  you—" 

"  Oh  dear  !  oh  dear  !  "  sighed  poor  Davis. 

"A  chance  shot  from  behind  a  hedge,"  I  said,  "may  kill  Lucifer 
himself,  according  to  the  proverb." 

"  But,  my  dear  fellow,"  gasped  out  the  poor  wretch,  "  can't  you 
send  a  party  of  six  men  with  me  ?  ^  One  can  lead  my  horse,  you 
know,  and  the  rest  keep  off  the  Luddites." 

"What!"  I  exclaimed,  "after  they  have  been  all  night  and  all 
day  crossing  the  country  in  every  direction !" 

"But  some,"  said  the  cunning  fellow,  "havn't  been  out  at  all,  you 
know." 

''These,"  I  replied,  "I  hold  at  the  magistrate's  disposal  in  the 
anticipated  attack.  It  would  be  as  much  as  my  commission  is 
worth,  to  part  with  a  man  of  them." 

Poor  Davis  threw  himself  down  upon  my  bed,  utterly  exhausted 
in  mind  and  body ;  till,  at  length,  after  turning  over  every  expe- 
dient again  and  again,  he  finally  concluded  on  stopping  for  the  night 
as  a  choice  of  evils ;  entreating  me,  however,  to  order  a  party  into 
the  house  for  his  especial  protection,  which  I  promised  to  do. 
After  supper,  when  he  had  imbibed  a  sufficient  quantity  of  Dutch 
courage,  I  showed  him  to  his  bed-room,  the  grim  aspect  of  which 
made  him  shudder ;  and  it  was  not  till  I  had  repeatedly  assured 
him  of  protection  against  all  dangers,  that  he  ventured  to  creep 
under  the  bedclothes. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  gently  opened  Davis's  room 
door,  which,  of  course,  had  no  lock  to  it ;  and  igniting  a  bundle  of 
damp  shavings,  I  pushed  it  inside;  this  was  succeeded  by  another, 


THE  CAT-ASTROPHE.  49 

and  another,  till  the  room  was  filled  with  a  dense  oppressive  smoke, 
which  soon  affected  the  lungs  of  the  sleeper,  who  began  to  cough 
violently,  and  to  exclaim  : — 

"Bless  my  soul!  I  am  choking!  What  can  be  the  matter  with 
me?  How  oppressive  it  is!  "What  a  smoke!  I  smell  something 
burning.  Oh  Lord  !  the  house  is  on  fire !  murder  !  murder !" 

At  that  instant  a  tremendous  explosion  took  place  of  squibs  and 
crackers,  reverberating  like  so  many  twenty-four  pounders  in  the 
empty  rooms  overhead.  This  was  succeeded  by  the  nissing,  spitting, 
and  yelling  of  a  dozen  cats,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  explosion  had 
taken  place ;  while  two  or  three  empty  arm-chests  came  thundering 
down  stairs,  as  if  the  whole  house  was  falling  to  pieces.  In  a  state 
of  horror  poor  Davis  jumped  out  of  bed,  bawling  at  the  top  of  his 
lungs  for  assistance,  and  praying  the  gentlemen  Luddites  in  his  con- 
fusion, like  Scrub  in  the  play,  to  take  his  life  and  spare  all  he  had. 
Bang !  bang !  went  a  dozen  crackers  at  his  bed  side,  while  a  blue 
light,  sailing  across  the  room,  threw  an  unearthly  glare  on  a  variety 
of  objects  which,  in  the  bewildered  fancy  of  poor  Davis,  were  either 
fiends  or  Luddites,  and  he  screamed  in  actual  frenzy  "Murder! 
murder !  save  me  !  save  me  ! " 

At  this  moment  I  rushed  into  the  room  with  a  candle  in  one 
hand  and  a  pistol  in  the  other,  and  calling  out  to  Davis  to  run 
for  his  life,  I  let  the  candle  drop  and  fired  off  my  pistol  close  to  his 
ear ;  while  a  fresh  explosion  of  crackers  overhead,  the  renewed 
yelling  of  the  cats,  and  the  furious  barking  of  the  dogs,  which 
were  now  giving  tongue  in  full  chorus,  actually  made  an  infernal 
din  that  would  have  frightened  myself,  if  I  had  not  known  the  nature 
of  it. 

"Oh!  for  Heaven's  sake,"  cried  Davis,  "where  is  the  door? 
Show  me  the  door,  for  the  sake  of  mercy !" 

"Here  it  is,"  I  replied;  "take  my  hand;  there  is  the  staircase; 
run  for  your  life !  the  villains  have  come  in  at  the  top  of  the  house ; 
but  we're  peppering  them." 

Another  tremendous  explosion  of  crackers  overhead  confirmed  my 
words;  while  the  cats,  driven  to  a  state  of  frenzy,  burst  open  the 
door  of  the  room  in  which  they  were  confined,  but  finding  the  sky- 
lights all  closed,  they  charged  down  stairs  in  a  body,  at  the  heels  of 
poor  Davis,  like  a  gang  of  fiends  fresh  from  the  regions  of  eternal 
fire. 

How  he  got  down  without  tumbling  head  over  heels  I  can't 
imagine ;  but  down  he  got,  bolted  out  of  the  front  door,  which  was 
left  open  for  the  exit  of  the  cats,  and  though  he  had  literally  nothing 
on  but  his  shirt,  he  ran  off  in  the  snow,  regardless  of  consequences, 
shouting  "  Murder !  murder !"  like  a  madman,  through  the  streets  of 
Oldham.  He  was  at  last  overtaken  half  a  mile  off  by  Tom  King  and 
the  orderly,  whom  I  sent  in  search  of  him,  with  a  couple  of  blankets. 
They  conveyed  him,  shivering  with  cold,  and  groaning  with  horror, 
to  the  inn,  where  he  was  put  to  bed,  wrapped  up  in  blankets,  with  a 
bottle  of  hot  water  to  his  feet ;  and  before  I  myself  was  up  in  the 
morning,  he  had  departed  for  Rochdale. 


50  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

I  fear  however,  I  carried  my  vengeance  too  far  against  poor  Davis, 
for  he  had  an  attack  of  quinsey,  in  consequence  that  nearly  cost  him 
his  life  •  and  he  soon  after  went  on  leave  ot  absence,  to  avoid  the 
anticipated  bantering  of  his  brother  officers. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

VOLUNTEERING. 

SUCH,  in  brief,  were  the  incidents  of  my  early  career :  a  period 
during  which  1  certainly  enjoyed  life  in  its  most  attractive  form ; 
receiving  on  all  hands  a  'kind,  considerate  indulgence,  which  was,  in 
some  degree  perhaps,  due  to  my  extreme  youth  and  boyish  habits. 
But  a  change i  now  came  over  the  spirit  of  my  dream,  and  I  was 
speedily  hurried  into  the  vicissitudes  of  foreign  service ;  which, 
though  differing  in  character  from  those  I  had  already  experienced, 
were  ercn  still  more  rife  with  amusing  incident  and  picturesque 
var;  y\ 

; .  jjome  of  my  readers,  perhaps,  will  recollect  the  extensive  volun- 
i/eering  from  the  militia  to  the  line,  which  took  place  in  the  spring  of 
1809 ;  and  which  enabled  government  not  only  to  put  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesicy  at  the  head  of  a  gallant  army  in  Portugal,  but  also  to  send 
one  of  the  finest  armaments  that  ever  left  the  shores  of  Great  Britain 
to  perish  miserably  in  the  swamps  of  AValchereu.  This  volunteering 
1  had  been  long  anxiously  anticipating,  as  the  only  certain  means  of 
advancement  in  my  profession:  for  I  could  not  imagine  any  pursuit 
so  preposterous  as  that  of  playing  at  soldiers  in  the  militia,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  utmost  stretch  of  so  many  men's  ambition ;  and 
though  I  dearly  loved  my  charming  mistress,  yet  so  far  was  I  from 
coveting  her  wealth,  or  speculating  on  enriching  myself  through  her 
means,  that  I  longed  with  intense  ardour  for  an  opportunity  of  dis- 
tinguishing myself  in  the  field,  that  I  might,  on  the  contrary,  load 
her  with  riches  and  honour. 

This  opportunity  now  presenting  itself,  I  eagerly  turned  it  to 
account,  by  canvassing  for  volunteers  amongst  my  detachment ;  and 
such  was  either  their  personal  regard  for  me,  or  their  real  desire  for 
foreign  service,  that  every  man  of  them  declared  his  intention  of 
going  with  me  into  the  line.  This  was  the  nattering  aspect  of  my 
affairs  when  the  Oldham  detachment  was  called  in ;  and,  with  infinite 
joy,  we  marched  out  of  that  detestable  hole,  on  a  fine  spring  morn- 
ing, for  head-quarters. 

Midway  between  Oldham  and  Rochdale,  we  halted  at  a  public- 
house,  where  I  ordered  every  man  a  pint  of  ale ;  and  a  travelling 
pedlar  happening  to  pass,  I  purchased  all  the  ribbons  he  had  in  his 
box,  which  I  distributed  amongst  my  volunteers,  whose  caps  were 
speedily  decorated  with  flaunting  streamers.  We  then  resumed  our 
march ;  the  bugle  occasionally  throwing  out  martial  blasts  before  us, 


VOLUNTEERING.  51 

or  our  fifer  playing  "The  Girl  I  left  behind  me,"  that  imniortal 
melody,  so  redolent  of  tender  recollections  and  martial  inspiration. 

Luckily,  before  we  reached  head-quarters,  we  met  Captain  Baker 
and  another  brother  officer  taking  a  ride.  The  former,  a  steady,  good 
old  fellow,  whispered  to  me,  "For  heaven's  sake,  Percy,  my  boy, 
halt  your  men,  and  take  thpse  ribbons  out  of  their  caps,  or  you'll 
drive  Sir  George  Cornwall  distracted." 

I  accordingly  halted  my  detachment,  and  walking  aside  with  Baker, 
I  asked  him  what  he  meant. 

"My  dear  boy,"  he  replied,  "you  fancy,  perhaps,  that  these  men 
are  going*  with  you  to  the  line." 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied,  "  they  have  all  promised." 

"  You  won't  have  one  of  them,"  said  Baker. 

"  Why  not  ?"  I  demanded  in  amazement. 

"  Can'  you  imagine  for  a  moment,"  he  asked,  "  that  Sir  George, 
who  has  taken  so  much  pains  to  make  this  regiment  what  it  is,  will 
suffer  the  loss  of  his  very  best  men  ?  or,  that  Lord  lloduey  can  brook 
the  idea  of  having  his  hobby  of  a  crack  company  so  completely 
knocked  on  the  head,  as  to  allow  the  elite  of  his  Light  Bobs  to  slip 
through  his  fingers  in  this  way  r" 

"  They  may  not,  perhaps,  like  it,"  I  said ;  "  but  how  can  they  pre- 
vent it,  if  the  men  wish  to  go  ?  " 

"Oh!  trust  me,"  he  replied,  "that  will  not  be  difficult.  There 
are  many  ways  of  damping  this  martial  ardour,  that  y9u  are  not 
aware  of;  and  a  commanding  officer  has  it  always  in  his  power  to 
send  to  the  line  just  the  subjects  he  wishes  to  get  rid  of,  and  no 
others." 

"  You  open  my  eyes  to  a  chapter  in  volunteering,"  I  said,  "  that 
gives  me  infinite  pain :  for  I  have  become  so  well  acquainted  with 


said  Baker,  to  soothe  my  chafed  spirit  •  "  but  take  my  advice,  Percy, 
and  let  Sir  George  manage  the  matter  his  own  way,  for,  at  all  events, 
you  are  sure  of  attaining  the  object  of  your  ambition." 

Thus,  the  splendid  picture  I  had  been  so  long  feasting  my  imagina- 
tion with,  of  future  battles,  at  the  head  of  my  cherished  Light  Bobs, 
was  knocked  on  the  head ;  and  I  resumed  the  march  of  my  detach- 
ment, shorn  of  their  "  blushing  honours,"  in  a  desponding  mood,  to 
head-quarters. 

But  fortune,  as  if  to  make  amends  for  this  unexpected  check, 
afforded  me,  soon  after,  at  least  a  temporary  glimpse  of  happiness ; 
for,  as  we  were  descending  into  Rochdale,  a  travelling  carriage,  with 
imperials,  and  maid  and  footman  in  the  rumble,  came  tearing  up  the 
road  at  full  speed.  It  passed  me  like  lightning ;  but  I  caught  a. 
glimpse  of  my  dear  Mary,  who  waved  her  handkerchief  to  me  out  of 
the  window,  and,  either  through  accident  or  design,  let  it  drop.  _  I 
caught  the  dear  missive  before  it  reached  the  ground,  and  pressing 
it  to  my  lips,  buried  it  in  my  breast,  close  to  my  heart. 

But  an  agonizing  thought  flashed,  for  an  instant,  across  my  brain, 
E  2 


52  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Where  could  she  be  going  to  at  such  top-speed,  and  with  every  appear- 
ance  of  commencing  a  long  journey  ?  Could  she  be  leaving  Rochdale 
for  ever  ?  Pshaw !  the  idea  was  too  ridiculous,  but  it  was  also  exqui- 
sitely painful.  It  could  only  be  for  a  short  trip  to  Manchester,  or  to 
some  mend's  house  in  the  neighbourhood.  But  I  would  soon  learn 
the  reality;  and,  somewhat  reassured  by  my  own  hopeful  suggestions, 
I  marched  my  detachment  to  the  barracks,  reported  my  arrival  per- 
sonally to  the  commanding  officer,  and  by  the  time  I  reached  my  own 
quarters,  the  first  bugle  was  sounding  for  dinner. 

My  brother  officers  were  all  glad  to  see  me  again,  and  Eoley  cried 
out, — 

"  Come  and  sit  by  me,  Mr.  Blake ;  I  want  to  catechise  you  some- 
what stringently  on  the  nature  of  your  recent  services." 

I  accordingly  took  post  by  my  worthy  friend,  who  kept  plying  me 
with  wine  during  dinner,  as  if  he  thought  I  wanted,  or  might  in  the 
course  of  the  evening  require,  some  stimulus  of  more  than  ordinary 
efficacy. 

When  the  mess  waiters  had  retired,  I  gave  him  a  round,  unvarnished 
tale  of  my  late  adventures.  He  was  delighted  with  the  factory  hop, 
and  the  metamorphosis  of  Tom  King ;  but  I  thought  he  would  have 
gone  into  convulsions  when  I  described  the  frightful  adventure  of 
the  cats  and  crackers.  All  these  doings  I  had  to  repeat  for  the 
general  amusement ;  and  great,  indeed,  were  the  explosions  of 
laughter  at  the  expense  of  poor  Davis.  The  customary  placid  smile 
of  Sir  George  Cornwall  was  heightened  to  a  most  unaristocratical 
broad-grin ;  and  Lord  Rodney,  who  invariably  turned  down  his  glass 
when  he  had  taken  his  diurnal  pint  of  wine,  absolutely  committed 
the  debauch  of  a  whole  bottle,  to  enjoy  the  fun. 

Unluckily,  the  young  fellow  whom  I  had  met  on  the  road  with. 
Baker  in  the  morning,  anxious  to  contribute  his  share  of  amusement 
auxfrais  de  la  fete,  heedlessly  asked  Sir  George,  if  he  had  seen  the 
splendid  recruiting  party  which  marched  into  Rochdale  that  after- 
noon. 

"No,"  replied  Sir  George.  "Have  they  commenced  beating  up 
in  Rochdale?" 

"Yes,  Sir  George,  "  replied  young  Roberts,  "but  not  among  the 
weavers  though." 

"  Where  else  can  they  find  recruits  in  Lancashire  ? "  demanded 
Sir  George. 

"  Amongst  the  Apple-greens,  to  be  sure,"  replied  Roberts. 

"  What,  what,  what  ?"  cried  Sir  George,  hastily.  "  What  do  you 
say,  sir?" 

Here  this  silly  young  man,  in  spite  of  Baker's  signs,  frowns,  and 
winks,  gave  a  ludicrous  account  of  my  volunteer  exhibition,  which 
caused  an  immediate  explosion. 

" Good  gracious,  Sir  George,"  cried  Lord  Rodney,  "I  must  appeal 
to  you  to  put  a  stop  to  such  proceedings.  I  cannot  suffer  my  com- 
pany to  be  broken  up  in  this  manner  with  impunity." 

I  never  saw  Sir  George  frown  before,  but  he  did  on  this  occasion  ; 
and,  fixing  his  eyes  on  me,  he  said, — 


VOLUNTEERING.  53 

"I  hope,  Mr.  Blake,  you  have  not  been  tampering  with  the 
men." 

"Sir  George/'  I  replied,  somewhat  chafed  at  the  question,  "I 
never  tamper.  I  always  go  straight  to  my  point,  as  becomes  a 
gentleman-  and  if  any  one  has  a  doubt  on  the  subject,  he  knows 
how  and  when  he  may  be  satisfied." 

"  Mr.  Blake,  I  must  apologize,"  returned  Sir  George,  with  that 
delicate  sense  of  honour  he  really  entertained,  "for  having  inad- 
vertently used  a  term  that  was  remote  from  my  intention :  but  I 
must  request  you  to  state  explicitly,  whether  you  have  spoken 
with  the  men  of  your  detachment  on  the  subject  of  volunteering." 

"  Unquestionably  I  have,"  I  replied ;  "  and  I  thought  myself 
fully  justified  in  so  doing,  until  I  was  undeceived  by  my  friend 
Baker." 

"That  is  the  simple  fact,  Sir  George,"  added  Baker;  "the  moment 
I  hinted  the  irregularity  of  the  proceeding,  it  was  abandoned  with 
the  most  praiseworthy  alacrity." 

"Oh!  'tis  all  a  mistake,"  said  Foley,  "a  muscipular  abortion  of 
Mr.  Roberts's  wit.  My  friend  Blake  is  altogether  incapable  of  doing 
anything  disingenuous  or  clandestine." 

"  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  it  is  so,"  returned  Sir  George.  "But  in 
fact,  Mr.  Blake  has  no  occasion  in  the  world  to  take  any  trouble  in 
the  matter.  I  undertake  to  send  men  enough  to  the  line  to  insure 
him  his  commission ;  and  I  have  this  day  received  from  the  Horse 
Guards  the  numbers  of  six  capital  regiments  from  which  he  may 
make  a  selection." 

^  This  was,  indeed,  highly  gratifying.  I  expressed  my  thanks  for 
his  kindness ;  and  the  numbers  of  the  regiments  being  mentioned, 
my  friends  were  all  eager  to  assist  me  in  making  a  good  choice. 
After  many  pourparlers,  I  finally  fixed  on  the  Fifty-second ;  because, 
in  the  first  place,  it  was  a  Light-Infantry  regiment,  and  secondly,  it 
was  under  orders  for  the  Peninsula. 

"  This  point  being  settled,"  resumed  Sir  George,  "  I  propose  to 
give  Mr.  Blake  leave  of  absence  from  all  parades  and  duties  what- 
soever till  he  is  gazetted ;  that  he  may  have  full  opportunity  to 
revel  in  the  field  of  Venus  before  he  embarks  in  the  field  of 
Mars." 


abandon  the  ivy-crowned   god,  for   the  meretricious  daughter  of 
Neptune  ?    To  disclaim  your  '  Evoe  BaccJie  /'  for  the 

"« Bella  Venere, 
Che  sola  sei 
Placer  degli  uomini, 
EdegliDei!'" 

He  looked,  however,  so  grave  on  the  matter,  that  my  mind  misgave 
me,  and  I  awaited  an  explanation  in  breathless  impatience. 

"  You  are  about  to  enter  on  a  career,"  said  Foley,  "that  will  exact 
your  undivided  energy,  both  mental  and  physical." 


54  THE  YOUNG  1UPLEMAN. 

"  I  trust,"  I  said,  cc  that  I  feel  a  just  conviction  of  its  importance.'' 

"  Of  that,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  fully  assured,  and  therefore  the  sacri- 
fice of  other  ties  will  come  all  the  more  easy  to  you." 

"What  on  earth  are  you  driving  at,  my  dear  friend ?"  I  demanded. 

"  The  affections  of  a  young  heart,"  continued  Eoley,  with  more 
feeling  than  I  had  ever  thought  he  possessed,  "  cannot,  perhaps,  be 
all  at  once  subdued ;  but  they  may,  at  least,  be  kept  in  abeyance,  till 
time  and  the  paramount  calls  of  duty  can  in  some  degree  soften  the 
blow." 

'  The  blow  ! "  I  exclaimed  open-mouthed. 

'You  have  not,  then,"  he  said,  with  a  look  of  pity,  "heard  the 
news  ? " 

'  News !  "  I  cried,  "  what  news  ?  " 

'The  Netherbys,"  he  said,  "are  gone." 

'  Gone !  "  I  cried  with  a  shout,  starting  from  my  chair. 

'Hush!  hush!"  said  Poley,  pressing  me  down  again.  "Don't 
betray  yourself— be  more  a  man !  When  old  Netherby  heard  you 
were  coming  back,  he  sent  them  off  to  Bath,  with  orders,  indeed,  to 
fly  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  avoid  you." 

I  had  suffered  greatly  during  the  day ;  my  ambition  had  been 
checked,  my  pride  hurt,  my  hopes  damped;  and  now  the  fondly- 
cherished  bliss  of  my  heart  was  crushed  and  trampled  on.  Words 
were  rushing  to  my  lips,  struggling  in  vain  for  utterance  ;  thoughts 
were  racking  my  brain,  feelings  rending  my  heart— but  the  storm  of 
contending  passions  found  no  vent,  a  stream  of  blood  gushed  from 
my  nostrils,  and  I  sank  into  a  swoon  upon  the  floor. 

When  I  came  to  my  senses,  I  found  myself  in  bed,  my  left  arm 
bandaged,  where  the  doctor  had  breathed  a  vein,_  my  head  light,  my 
thoughts  confused,  and  Poley,  with  three  or  four  kind-hearted  fellows, 
sitting  by  my  side. 

When  at  length  I  began  to  recollect  all  that  had  occurred,  I  felt  in 
my  left  breast ;  but,  finding  all  vacant  there,  I  began  to  fumble  about 
the  bed-clothes,  as  if  in  search  of  something.  Eoley,  who  saw  what 
I  wanted,  unlocked  my  table-drawer,  took  out  a  small  parcel,  nicely 
folded  in  silver  paper,  and  put  it  into  my  hand,  whispering  at  the 
same  time, — 

"_This  dropped  out  when  they  were  undressing  you.  I  saw  the 
initials,  and,  guessing  the  secret,  put  it  safely  by  for  you." 

I  warmly  pressed  his  hand,  while  the  tears  started  to  my  eyes ;  and 
I  placed  the  precious  relic,  the  last  token  of  my  lost  Mary,  on  my 
heart,  where  it  lay  for  three  years,  till  I  lost  it— and  my  life  nearly 
with  it — at  the  storming  of  Ciudad  llodrigo. 

In  a  few  days  I  was  about  once  more,  and  having  no  military  duties 
to  perform,  I  should  have  enjoyed  my  liberty,  but  she  who  would 
have  made  that  and  every  other  good  tenfold  sweet  to  my  heart,  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  _  It  was  in  vain  that  I  visited  in  succession,  and 
repeatedly,  every  family,  every  spot,  where  I  had  once  enjoyed  her 
dear  company,  now  hallowed  in  my  thoughts  as  the  shrine  in  the 
desert  to  the  pilgrim,  though  deprived  of  its  presiding  deity. 
Society  at  length  became  hateful  to  me ;  I  plunged  into  the  country, 


VOLUNTEERING*  55 

lonely  and  sad,  and  rambled  over  moss  and  mountain,  venting  my 
sighs  to  the  unconscious  wind,  or  indulging  in  day-dreams  of  future 
glory  and  happiness  with  the  loadstar  to  which  my  thoughts  invariably 
reverted. 

But,  alas!  she  was  gone  for  ever,  and  once  more  were  my  affections 
doomed  to  be  blighted.  The  reader  may,  perhaps,  be  disposed  to 
impugn  my  fidelity,  for  thus  transferring  these  affections  so  lightly 
from  one  to  another ;  but,  at  least,  he  will  do  me  the  justice  to  say 
that  I  really  had  no  choice  in  the  matter,  and  that  I  was  by  no  means 
a  willing  deserter.  Neither  could  it  be  correctly  called  a  transfer  of 
affection  from  Harriet  to  Mary,  for  Heaven  is  my  witness  that  I  loved 
them  both  sincerely,  even  after  1  had  lost  them.  This,  indeed,  is  so 
truly  the  case,  that  if  ever  I  am  tempted  to  invent  a  new  religion,  it 
shall  so  far  resemble  Mahommed's,  that  in  my  Paradise  we  shall  meet 
again  the  pretty  girls  we  have  loved  in  this  nether  sphere,  and 
espouse  them  all ;  whether  individually,  or  collectively,  in  distinct 
and  separate  portions  of  bliss,  or  embodied  in  one  form  and  spirit 
with  varied  attractions,  I  leave  for  future  consideration.  The  latter 
perhaps,  would  be  most  conducive  to  the  peace  and  unanimity  of  tV 
domestic  hearth. 

But,  hurrah !  Mars  armipotent  beckons  to  the  field,  and  Venn  * 
no  longer  Victrix,  must  strike  her  silken  flag  of  dalliance.  I  am 
gazetted !  "  Lieutenant  Blake,  from  the  Hereford  regiment  of  mili- 
tia, to  be  Ensign  in  the  52ud,  or  Oxfordshire  regiment  of  Light 
Infantry."  Bravo !  brayissimo !  Ah !  let  Cobden  and  Elihu  Burrit 
broach  their  peace  doctrines,  and  twine  their  sandy  rope  of  universal 
brotherhood  round  the  ever-shifting  mass  of  humanity,  antagonistic 
in  principle  and  discordant  in  material,  but  still  there  is  something 
all-absorbing  in  the  excitement  of  glorious  war — soul-elevating  in  the 
clash  of  arms :  and  whether  it  be  "  the  divinity  that  stirs  within  us," 
or  the  impulse  of  the  fiend  urging  us  on  to  the  work  of  destruction, 
the  effect  is  still  the  same  ;  for,  if  a  man  have  but  a  heart  as  big  as  a 
hazel-nut,  it  is  sure  to  expand  with  a  throb  of  triumph  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

A  tew  days  before  I  left  Rochdale,  Eoley  came  into  my  room,  and 
said,  in  his  usual  playful  manner : — 

"  Percy,  my  boy,  1  have  something  to  say  to  yon,  if  you  promise 
not  to  call  me  out,  for  you  Irishmen  are  always  talking  the  bull  by  the 
wrong  horn." 

"My  dear  colonel,"  I  replied,  "the  promise  is  so  utterly  needless, 
that  I  must  decline  the  restriction." 

"  Well,"  said  my  excellent  friend,  "  here  is  a  bit  of  rag  that  I 
found  lying  idle  in  the  corner  of  an  old  pocket-book ;  it  may  be  of 
some  use  to  you  in  your  present  undertaking,  and  it  is  of  none  in  the 
world  to  me." 

The  bit  of  rag  was  a  Bank  of  England  note  for  fifty  pounds ! 

"And  Rodney,"  he  continued,  "Thomas  Harley,  I  mean— for 
though  George  is  an  excellent  fellow  in  the  main,  he  wants  every 
stiver  to  keep  up  his  dig. ; — Rodney  desired  me  to  say  that  he  has  a 
flimsy  exactly  like  it,  which  you  can  send  your  alter  idem,  Tom  King, 


55  THE  IOUXG  RIFLEMAN. 

for,  any  moment  you  please.  He  would  have  sent  it  by  me;  but  he  is 
deuced  shv,  to  use  his  favourite  term,  of  Irish  pride." 

"  My  excellent  friend !  "  I  replied,  "  I  have  received  a  remittance 
this  morainff  from  my  father,  which  is  more  than  adequate  to  my 
present  requirements ;  for,  after  all,  I  am  not  a  fellow  of  expensive 
habits,  putting  my  three  hobbies  out  of  the  question." 

"  Oh  !  that  confounded  fiddle  !  "  exclaimed  Eoley,  with  a  ghastly 
reminiscence  of  my  Corelli  exercises.  "  Often  have  I  wished  you  in 
the  celestial  regions,  singing  Hosanuahs  with  that  thundering  savage, 
Handel." 

"Therefore,"  I  resumed,  "there  is  not  the  slightest  occasion  for 
this  munificence  on  the  part  of  yourself  and  the  excellent  major, 
which  I  beg  permission  to  decline  with  the  deepest  gratitude  ;  but  if 
you  will  give  me  this  little  shirt-pin,  I'll  wear  it,  as  a  souvenir  of  your 
friendship,  when  I  open  the  ball  in  the  first  action  of  the  Oxfordshire 
Light  Bobs." 

And  thus  I  parted  with  the  dear  old  "  Apple-greens,"  a  gentle- 
manly and  a  brotherly  band,  which,  in  all  my  experience,  I  have  never 
seen  surpassed,  and  but  seldom  equalled. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  FLOATING  BIVOUAC. 

I  JOINED  my  new  regiment  at  Ipswich ;  but,  unfortunately,  it  was  a 
second  battalion  just  embodied,  through  which  I  had  to  work  up 
before  I  could  become  effective  _in  the  first,  which  was  then  in  the 
Peninsula,  one  of  the  crack  regiments  of  the  Light  Division. 

I  was,  however,  in  a  fair  way  of  seeing  service  somewhere  or  other 
very  soon ;  for  fresh  rumours  of  war  were  multiplying  hourly,  and 
immense  preparations  making  throughout  the  kingdom  for  the  coming 
struggle.  We  were  all  strangers  to  each  other  in  my  new  regiment, 
some  having  been  promoted  into  it  from  the  line,  and  others,  like 
myself,  appointed  to  it  from  the  militia.  We  soon,  however,  got 
shaken  into  our  places,  and  began  to  feel  as  if  we  had  long  been 
friends  and  companions.  But  it  was  some  time  before  I  forgot  the 
dear  old  "  Apple-greens ; "  not  only  on  account  of  their  own  real, 
sterling  worth,  but  for  the  association  of  ideas,  dear  to  my  heart, 
inseparably  connected  with  them. 

We  had  four  or  five  thousand  men  in  garrison  at  Ipswich,  including 
a  fine  heavy  cavalry  regiment  of  the  German  legion;  and  drills, 
parades,  and  field  days,  following  each  other  in  rapid  succession,  led 
to  the  very  natural  inference  that  foreign  service  was  not  far  distant. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this  bustle,  however,  amusement  was  not  for- 
gotten. Exclusive  of  plays,  cricketing,  races,  and  race-balls,  we  had 
a  weekly  garrison  concert  in  which  I  was  enrolled,  amongst  other 
amateurs ;  and  on  such  occasions,  when  we  had  played  out  our  pro- 


THE  FLOATING  BIVOUAC.  57 

gramme,  seats  and  music-stands  were  removed,  and  a  pleasant  dance 
always  concluded  the  evening. 

At  length,  the  order  for  service  arrived ;  and  one  universal  feeling 
of  joy  pervaded  all  those  young  hearts  that  were  now  panting  for  the 
field.  We  were  not,  as  yet,  acquainted  with  our  destination,  but 
there  was  a  general  impression  that  it  was  not,  at  all  events,  the 
Peninsula;  a  circumstance  which,  at  the  time,  excited  but  little 
regret ;  for  the  paramount  importance  of  the  Spanish  -war  was  by  no 
means  so  generally  felt  then,  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  in  England. 

We  marched,  at  length,  for  Harwich;  and,  by  the  time  we 
arrived  there,  the  secret  of  our  destination  had  partly  oozed  out.  It 
was,  in  fact,  the  ill-fated  Walcheren  expedition,  the  finest  that  ever 
left  the  shores  of  Great  Britain ;  consisting  of  forty  thousand  land 
troops,  besides  a  noble  fleet  of  thirty-nine  sail  of  the  line  and  thirty- 
six  frigates,  with  innumerable  gun-boats,  bomb-vessels,  and  transports. 

The  object  of  this  armament  was  the  occupation  of  Flushing,  with 
the  destruction  of  the  French  ships,  arsenals,  and  dockyards,  at 
Antwerp ;  and,  by  these  means,  to  create  a  powerful  diversion  in 
favour  of  Austria,  then  vigorously  pressed  by  Buonaparte,  after  his 
triumphs  at  Abensburg,  Land  shut,  and  Eckmuhl,  prior  to  the 
decisive  battle  of  Wagram.  The  period  was  certainly  critical :  and 
the  fortune  of  that  disastrous  campaign  might  have  been  changed, 
had  our  enterprise  succeeded,  as  it  ought  to  have  done.  But  the 
unhappy  dissensions  between  the  earl  of  Chatham,  our  commander- 
in-chief,  and  Admiral  Sir  Richard  Strachan,  who  commanded  the 
fleet,  totally  defeated  the  great  object  for  which  this  immense  arma- 
ment was  got  together  •  and  some  thousands  of  brave  soldiers  were 
thus  doomed  to  perish  miserably  from  malaria,  in  the  swamps  of 
that  little  molehill,  on  which  they  had  scarcely  more  than  standing- 
room^  But  let  me  not  anticipate. 

This  enormous  fleet  and  army  sailed  in  two  divisions  for  the  coast 
of  Holland,  on  the  28th  and  29th  of  July,  1809.  Our  regiment, 
which  formed  part  of  the  second  division,  had  been  embarked  for 
several  days,  and  we  were  thus,  in  some  degree,  reconciled  to  the 
transport,  if  anything  can  be  said  to  reconcile  sentient  beings  to  so 
deplorable  a  state  of  existence. 

Let  the  reader  then  fancy,  if  he  can,  an  old  tub  of  a  collier,  em- 
ployed for  the  last  thirty  years  in  the  Newcastle  trade ;  ill-built, 
ugly,  confined,  inconvenient,  adapted  for  nothing  in  the  world  but 
carrying  coals,  and  altogether  inadequate  for  the  purpose  to  which  it 
was  now  devoted.  The  cabin,  in  which  twelve  or  filteen  gentlemen 
of  liberal  education,  refined  habits,  and  aspiring  hopes,  were  to  stow 
themselves  as  best  they  might,  was  about  ten  feet  by  eight,  very  low, 
confined,  gloomy,  ill-ventilated;  with  an  over-powering  aroma  of 
tar,  rotten  cheese,  onions,  garlic,  rusty  bacon,  salt  fish,  and  a  variety 
of  other  undefinable  smells,  enough  to  drive  any  one  distracted  who 
possessed  olfactory  nerves  of  the  least  possible  sensibility. 

Then  the  various  noises  that  constantly  broke  upon  the  ear ;  the 
grinding  of  the  rudder  at  every  pull  of  the  tiller-rope,  the  creaking 
of  bulkheads,  the  swaying  of  the  mizen  boom,  the  flapping  of  wet 


58  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

sails,  the  eternal  hauling  of  ropes,  the  cries  of  the  sailors,  the  stamp- 
ing on  the  deck,  together  with  the  cursing,  swearing,  scolding, 
shouting,  bellowing,  and  blaspheming  of  the  captain  (save  the 
mark!)  an  ignorant,  ill-tempered,  and  insolent  sea-going  monster. 
All  these  formed  a  never-ending  chorus  with  the  kindred  horrors  of 
wind  and  waves,  which  made  every  one  of  us  eager  to  jump  at  any 
land-perils  or  privations  that  might  offer  themselves,  merely  to  escape 
the  literal  Inferno,  where  we  were  now  "  cribbed,  cabined,  and  con- 
fined ;"  very  little  better,  I  imagine,  than  so  many  negroes  bound  from 
the  Gold  Coast  to  that  especial  land  of  liberty,  the  United  States.  < 

After  striking  on  a  sand-bank  off  Land-guard  Fort,  and  bumping 
there  for  an  hour  or  two,  we  at  length  fairly  got  to  sea,  and  arrived 
the  following  day  in  the  Room-Pot,  as  the  Dutch  call  tnat  portion 
of  the  Scheldt's  capacious  mouth  wherein  Waleheren  and  its 
congeries  of  sub-aqueous  neighbours  are  situated.  Here  we  came  to 
anchor,  and  preparations  were  made  for  landing;  the  men  were 
paraded  on  deck ;  knapsacks,  arms,  and  accoutrements  put  in  order; 
and  three  days'  provisions  cooked  and  stowed  away  in  the  mess-tins, 
the  havresacks  receiving  the  biscuit,  and  the  round  wooden  canteens 
the  allowance  of  rum.  Nor  did  the  officers  disdain  these  humble 
accoutrements,  but  furnished  themselves  in  a  similar  manner  with 
creature  comforts  for  the  approaching  bivouac. 

The  main  body  of  the  French  army  of  occupation  being  concen- 
trated in  the  fortified  city  of  Flushing,  we  landed  without  opposition 
at  the  town  of  Terveer ;  the  small  garrison  of  which  had  been  driven 
out  the  day  before  by  the  71st  and  85th,  forming  a  part  of  the  first 
division  of  our  army.  It  was  the  1st  of  August,  and  a  beautiful 
evening,  when  we  got  on  shore,  all  eager  for  our  first  lesson  in  actual 
warfare ;  and  towards  nightfall  we  were  marched  in  the  direction  of 
Middleburg,  the  capital,  a  couple  of  miles  beyond  which  we  were  to 
take  up  our  alignment. 

Our  progress,  though  slow,  was  fatiguing,  from  our  long  confine- 
ment on  board  ship ;  and  the  weather  being  excessively  warm,  we 
were  soon  covered  with  dust  and  perspiration.  Our  advance,  how- 
ever, was  uninterrupted  by  the  enemy,  till  we  got  nearly  within 
range  of  the  guns  at  Flushing;  and  then,  occasionally,  a  spent 
eighteen  or  twenty-four  pounder  would  bury  itself  in  the  ground, 
near  our  line  of  march ;  or,  after  striking  the  earth,  go  bounding 
over  the  head  of  the  column.  Occasionally,  also,  a  party  of  jolly  tars 
would  come  along,  singing  and  huzzaing  as  they  dragged  after  them 
heavy  guns  for  our  breaching  batteries ;  cracking  jokes  with  our  men 
as  we  opened  out  to  make  way  for  the  "  say-horses,"  as  Pat  called 
them :  and  sometimes,  also,  a  waggon  with  wounded  soldiers  would 
meet  us  from  the  opposite  direction,  on  its  way  to  the  hospital  at 
ivliddleburg ;  a  significant  indication  of  the  glory  that  lay  before  us. 

Ihese  little  incidents  served  to  beguile  the  road,  till,  at  length,  we 
arrived  at  our  position ;  which,  like  the  rest  of  the  island,  was  a  dead 
flat,  intersected  by  wide  ditches  filled  with  water  to  the  brim.  The 
qUt^teLand  rear  £u¥icls  being  established,  under  the  guidance  of  a 
stall  officer,  and  sentinels  posted,  we  bivouacked  in  open  column  as 


THE  FLOATING  BIVOUAC.  59 

we  stood:  arms  were  piled,  knapsacks  trashing,  havresacks,  mess- 
tins,  and  canteens  brought  into  requisition,  and  all  supped  heartily. 
in  the  highest  glee  at  the  novelty  of  our  situation,  for  \ve  were  still 
very  young  soldiers ;  sharing  good-humouredly  our  respective  prog, 
and  cracking  jokes  on  the  round-shot  from  Flushing,  which  now  and 
then  shattered  the  stones  and  branches  of  the  trees  in  our  immediate 
vicinity.  We  at  length  stretched  our  weary  bodies  on  the  sod,  and 
were  speedily  in  the  lap  of  "  nature's  soft  nurse,"  dreaming  of  any- 
thing bnt  "  imminent  peril  in  the  deadly  breach." 

We  had  not,  however,  been  very  long  in  this  happy  state  of 
oblivion,  when  a  shout  suddenly  arose,  mingled  with  oaths,  impre- 
cations, and  bursts  of  wild  laughter,  which  effectually  broke  our 
heavy  slumber,  and  made  us  imagine  we  were  beset  by  ten  thousand 
fiends.  My  first  impression,  on  coming  to  my  senses,  and  finding 
myself,  nearly  covered  with  some  fluid,  the  colour  of  which  I  could 
not  distinguish,  was  that  our  whole  division  had  been  suddenly 
massacred  by  some  diabolical  stratagem  of  the  enemy,  and  that  I  was 
actually  swimming  in  a  sea  of  blood. 

But  the  now  fast-advancing  daylight  speedily  undeceived  me,  and, 
to  my  exceeding  great  comfort,  I  found  that  it  was  nothing  but 
water,  in  which  we  were  all  splashing,  floundering  and  disappearing 
one  after  another,  in  ditches  and  gullies ;  whilst  every  one,  as  he 
emerged  from  the  mysterious  element,  was  hailed  with  shouts  of 
laughter  by  his  reckless  companions. 

It  then  occurred  to  me  that  the  landing  had  been  all  a  dream,  and 
that  we  had  been  wrecked  on  some  horrible  shoal  or  sand-bank,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Scheldt ;  though  I  could  not  satisfactorily  account 
for  the  presence  of  trees  and  bushes,  and  occasional  farm-houses 
peeping  between.  At  length,  with  some  difficulty,  having  g9t  out  of 
this  unaccountable  dilemma,  we  scrambled  on  to  the  main  road, 
which  was  raised  above  the  surrounding  fields  ;  and  then  the  enigma 
was  solved  by  some  of  our  Dutch  guides.  The  island  of  Walcheren, 
it  seems,  being  many  feet  under  the  level  of  the  sea  at  high  water,  is 
surrounded  by  an  artificial  embankment :  this  being  cut  through  in 
several  places  by  the  French,  to  accommodate  us  with  a  bath,  after 
our  dusty  march,  the  ditches,  with  which  the  whole  island  is  inter- 
sected, overflowed  their  banks,  and  occasioned  the  unheard-of 
catastrophe  I  have  just  related. 

The  pioneers  of  the  brigade  were  now  immediately  mustered  •  and 
these  being  assisted  by  numerous  fatigue  parties,  canals  and  drains 
were  speedily  cut  in  all  directions,  to  let  off  our  unwelcome  visitant 
into  some  lower  grounds  in  the  vicinity ;  by  which  means  in  a  few 
hours  it  had  so  far  subsided,  that  we  were  enabled  to  take  up  our 
encampment.  Meanwhile,  under  the  influence  of  a  brilliant  sun 
(for  the  Low  Countries),  our  dripping  garments  were  dried  upon 
our  backs,  and  we  set  to,  with  redoubled  energy,  to  build  huts  for 
ourselves,  of  the  young  trees  in  a  neighbouring  plantation ;  while 
some  foraging  parties  brought  in  sundry  bundles  of  hay  and  straw, 
with  which  we  made  excellent  beds  for  the  night,  though  not  without 
many  a  misgiving  of  another  swimming-bath. 


60  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  NIGHT  IN  THE  TRENCHES. 

THE  city  of  Flushing  was  now  regularly  invested  by  sea  and  land ; 
the  great  energies  of  "  the  late "  Lord  Chatham,  as  we  called  him, 
from  his  dilatory  habits,  being  drowsily  devoted  to  the  work,  as 
if  the  capture  of  so  comparatively  unimportant  a  place  had  been  the 
sole  object  of  this  stupendous  enterprise.  He  was  ably  seconded  by 
Admiral  Sir  Richard  Strachan,  who,  when  it  came  to  the  push,  found 
himself  so  deplorably  ignorant  of  the  channel  of  the  Scheldt,  that  the 
precious  time  of  his  officers  and  men  was  frittered  away  in  taking 
soundings  and  laying  down  buoys,  when  he  ought  to  have  been  dis- 
mantling the  French  ships  at  Antwerp  and  conveying  us  to  the 
proper  sphere  of  action  before  the  enemy  had  time  to  improve  his 
defences,  and  ultimately  to  baffle  the  real  object  of  the  expedition. 

Flushing,  however,  instead  of  being  masked  and  passed  by,  was  to 
be  regularly  besieged,  bombarded,  and  captured,  before  another  step 
could  be  taken  to  relieve  our  friends  the  Austrians,  who  were  falling 
daily  in  thousands  before  the  lightning  speed  and  gigantic  footsteps 
of  the  Man  of  Destiny.  Our  engineers  accordingly  broke  ground, 
and  working  parties  and  outlying  pickets  were  the  order  of  the  day. 
Great,  indeed,  was  then  the  bustle  and  excitement  amongst  us ;  one 
half  of  the  besieging  force  being  employed,  with  very  few  intermis- 
sions of  rest,  on  outlying  picket,  within  pistol-shot  of  the  enemy's 
tirailleurs ;  covering  themselves  as  well  as  they  could  behind  bushes 
and  stumps  of  trees,  or  stretched  in  the  damp  trenches,  laying  in  a 
stock  of  rheumatism  and_ague  for  the  amusement  of  winter  quarters; 
the  other  half  was  occupied,  unarmed  and  in  fatigue  dress,  in  manu- 
facturing fascines  and  gabions,  and  filling  sandbags  for  the  formation 
of  breaching  batteries,  and  in  conveying  the  same  upon  their  shoulders 
from  the  lines  to  the  trenches  ;  getting  knocked  over  in  their  progress 
by  twos  and  threes,  under  what  military  writers  are  pleased  to  call 
the  galling  operation  of  grape  shot  and  rifle-balls. 
t  During  the  siege,  the  French  made  frequent  sorties  in  the  night- 
time to  retard  the  progress  of  the  works  we  were  throwing  up  against 
the  town,  which  often  produced  sanguinary  combats  between  the 
besieged  and  our  outlying  pickets ;  and  on  these  occasions,  when, 
anything  serious  was  likely  to  occur,  the  whole  besieging  force  was 
generally  turned  out  to  meet  contingencies.  I  shall  never  forget  my 
last  night  in  the  trenches  ;  not  only  from  the  novelty  and  excitement 
of  the  scene,  but  from  a  serio-comic  incident  which  happily  intervened 
to  enliven  the  monotony  of  this  otherwise  disagreeable  duty. 

Captain  Tomkins,  of  ours,  who  commanded^the  picket  of  which  I 
was  one  of  the  subalterns,  was  equally  inexperienced  in  actual  war- 
fare with  the  rest  of  us :  though,  in  virtue  of  his  rank,  he  made  great 
pretensions  to  generalship  in  choosing  a  good  position,  whence  we 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  TEENCHES.  61 

could  observe  the  motions  of  the  enemy  and  shelter  ourselves  at  the 
same  time  from  those  confounded  long  shots  which  so  startled  the 
oozing  courage  of  Bob  Acres. 

Our  position  was  in  a  damp  and  muddy  ditch,  overshadovyed  on 
the  side  next  the  enemy  by  a  screen  of  willows,  through  which  we 
peeped  eagerly  into  the  palpable  obscure,  in  expectation  every  moment 
of  getting  a  rifle-ball  through  the  brain,  or  a  bayonet  through  the 
body.  Fortunately,  a  party  of  sailors,  who  had  been  employed  in 
dragging  up  some  24-pounders  for  the  seven-gun  battery,  had 
forgotten  to  carry  off  the  main-sail  of  their  long-boat,  which  they  had 
brought  with  them  for  some  purpose  or  other.  This  we  seized  upon 
as  a  spoil  of  war ;  and  laying  it  under  us  in  the  wet  ditch,  we  wrapped 
it  about  our  legs  to  make  ourselves  cozy,  while  we  ate  our  supper  of 
junk  beef  and  biscuit,  and  passed  the  canteen  from  one  to  another, 
indulging  in  occasional  reminiscences  of  feather-beds  and  savoury 
viands,  with  other  creature  comforts  of  the  casapaterna. 

Meanwhile,  the  scene  around  was  one  that  kept  us  effectually 
on  the  qui  vive,  in  spite  of  those  drowsy  indications  which  nature 
gave  of  exhausted  strength  and  weary  watching.  Every  now  and 
then  a  rifle-ball  whistled  past  our  ears ;  or  a  round-shot  from  the 
ramparts  of  the  beleaguered  city  came  bounding  over  us,  shattering 
the  willow-trees  in  its  remorseless  passage ;  or  a  shell  winging  its 
way,  like  a  revolving  star,  in  a  threatening  parabola,  and  eitner 
bursting  innocuously  over  our  heads,  or  plunging  into  the  earth,  and 
scattering  on  every  side  fragments  of  rocks  and  soil  in  its  fearful 
explosion. 

In  our  front,  at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards,  lay  the  enemy's 
pickets,  ensconced,  like  ourselves,  behind  hedges,  and  keeping  up  a 
desultory  fire  on  our  position;  shots  from  each  side  telling  at 
intervals,  and  eliciting  a  yell  or  a  groan  from  the  luckless  recipients  : 
while  in  a  distant  part  of  the  line  a  long  and  angry  roar  of  musketry 
would  indicate  an  attack  on  a  working  party,  or  the  repulse  of  a 
sortie  from  the  town.  These  agreeable  incidents,  as  my  readers  may 
suppose,  kept  our  nervous  system  in  a  state  of  perpetual  tension,  and 
made  us  all  long  heartily  for  the  dispersion  of  those  deep  nocturnal 
shadows  which  cast  a  mysterious  and  threatening  aspect  over  the 
gloomy  scene. 

Such  was  the  feverish  state  of  excitement  in  which  we  were,  when, 
about  an  hour  before  daybreak,  one  of  our  advanced  sentinels,  having 
discharged  his  musket  and  retired,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  informed 
Captain  Tomkins  that  three  huge,  dark-looking  objects  were  seen 
advancing  from  the  town.  The  matter,  indeed,  appeared  91"  such 
serious  and  pressing  emergency,  that  Tomkins,  without  waiting  to 
sift  the  accuracy  of  his  information,  instantly  sent  a  report  to  the 
division  head-quarters  that  three  heavy  columns  of  infantry  were 
advancing  in  sortie,  and  the  whole  line  was  consequently  turned  out, 
immediate  and  general  action  being  considered  inevitable. 

Fortunately,  however,  for  us  poor  souls,  who  would  have  been  the 
first  victims  of  this  "  untoward  event,"  it  proved  to  be  a  false  alarm  ; 
upon  which  General  Acland,  who  was  brigadier  of  the  day,  rode 


62  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

out  to  the  advanced  posts,  in  a  towering  passion.  He  instantly 
ordered  Captain  Tomkins  to  parade  his  picket  in  front  of  their  posi- 
tion, careless  of  their  exposure  to  the  enemy ;  for  daylight  was  then 
somewhat  advanced,  and  round  shot  from  the  ramparts  of  Flushing 
were  flying  about  us  too  thick  to  be  pleasant ;  attracted,  no  doubt, 
by  the  glittering  of  the  muskets,  which,  in  those  days,  were  not  "  done 
brown,"  as  at  present. 

My  readers  are  aware,  from  what  I  have  already  said,  that  it  is 
sharp  work  for  the  eyes  on  outlying  picket,  in  front  of  an  active 
enemy ;  and  that  the  apparition  even  of  a  single  individual  is  apt  to 
draw  a  dozen  shots  about  his  ears.  It  must,  therefore,  have  been  a 
matter  of  great  moment  that  could  induce  a  general  officer  to  expose 
both  himself  and  a  whole  platoon  to  the  risk  of  a  murderous  fire. 
Tomkins  accordingly  felt  the  critical  nature  of  his  position,  and  even 
had  some  misgivings  about  a  drum-head  court-martial  on  the  spot, 
for  his  false  alarm.  Judge,  then,  his  astonishment,  when  the  general 
addressed  him  with  the  utmost  coolness  and  deliberation  in  the 
following  manner  :— 

"Captain  Tomkins,  did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  the  three 
crows?" 

" Good  gracious,  sir!"  replied  the  bewildered  Tomkins,  "I  never 
did." 

"  Then,  sir,  I'll  tell  it  you,"  said  the  general,  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff 
with  all  the  nonchalance  of  a  hackneyed  mconteur.  "  Once  upon  a 
time,  Captain  Tomkins,  a  sick  man  dreamt  that  he  had  swallowed  a 
black  crow — : 

Here  an  18 -pound  shot  from  the  ramparts  tore  up  the  earth  at  the 
heels  of  the  general's  charger,  and  went  ricocheting  over  the  heads  of 
the  picket ;  but  he  proceeded  undisturbed  as  follows : — 

"  Steady,  men !  no  movement  in  the  ranks.    Though  round  shot 

fsnerally  kills,  it  isn't  always  sure  to  hit.    This  sick  man,  Captain 
omkius,  having  told  his  dream  to  a  friend,  that  friend  told  it  to 
another,  with  this  improvement,  however,  that  his  poor,  dear,  sick 
friend  had  actually  swallowed  a  black  crow ! " 

A  shell,  which  followed  the  eighteen-pounder,  at  this  moment 
lodged  midway  between  me  and  the  general;  and,  partly  burying 
itself  in  the  earth,  exploded  with  a  loud  crash,  scattering  rocks  and 
rubbish  around  in  all  directions. 

"  Good  heavens,  sir ! "  cried  Tomkins.  venturing  to  interrupt  the 
story-teller ;  "  there's  a  man  struck  down  in  the  ranks  ! " 

"  Well,  sir !  "  exclaimed  the  imperturbable  general,  "  did  you  never 
see  a  man  struck  down  in  the  ranks  before  ?  Let  him  be  carried  to 
the  rear,  sir ;  and  listen,  if  you  please,  to  the  sequel  of  my  story. 
The  sick  man's  friend,  who  may  be  compared  to  your  sentry,  Captain 
lomkins,  having  told  the  marvellous  tale  of  the  black  crow  to  a 
greater  fool  than  himself,  who  may  be  likened,  Captain  Tomkins,  to 
you ;  the  latter  immediately  magnified  the  wonder  into  three  black 
crows,  with  which  he  horrified  every  one  that  would  listen  to  him. 

Now,  had  you,  Captain  Tomkins,  had  the  coolness  to  inquire  into 
this  matter  before  you  had  recourse  to  so  serious  a  measure  as  turn- 


THE  PROVOST  MARSHAL.  63 

ing  out  the  whole  line,  you  would  have  discovered  that  the  three 
weighty  columns,  or  black  crows,  which  haunted  your  imagination, 
were  nothing  more  than  two  drunken  men  and  a  pig !  The  men 
were  made  prisoners,  and  the  pig  Avas  shot  by  a  hungry  rifleman. 
You  may  now  turn  in  your  picket,  Captain  Tomkins,  and  I  sincerely 
hope  I  may  never  have  the  pleasure  of  being  on  duty  with  you  again, 
sir," 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  PROVOST  MARSHAL. 

THE  readers  of  heroic  romance,  who  are  so  accustomed,  in  the 
pages  of  Tasso  and  Ariosto,  to  rich  pavilions  and  snowy-tented  fields, 
will  doubtless  be  disgusted  at  my  humble  description  of  our  Wal- 
cheren  encampment :  out,  bad  as  it  was,  I  have  been  in  worse  since 
then.  Indeed,  in  all  my  campaigns,  I  cannot  be  fairly  said  ever  to 
have  slept  under  canvas  till  I  went  to  the  gorgeous  East :  and  there, 
as  my  friend  Jack  Dillon  remarked,  canvas  is  cotton.  But  of  this, 
and  of  Dillon  also,  more  hereafter. 

The  weather  being  fine  and  warm,  very  few  of  our  soldiers  took  the 
trouble  to  build  huts  to  shelter  them,  preferring  rather  to  throw 
themselves  down  on  the  bare  earth,  when  their  day's  work  was  done, 
and  sleep  in  the  open  air :  and  though  Flushing  kept  us  humbugging 
for  one-and-twenty  days  with  open  trenches,  there  never  was  a  more 
healthy  army  during  that  period,  though  they  certainly  paid  for  it 
afterwards. 

The  officers,  on  the  contrary,  being  more  luxuriously  inclined, 
built  huts  for  themselves  according  to  their  respective  fancies,  but 
without  much  attention  to  symmetry,  or  due  order  of  alignment : 
the  materials  which  surrounded  us  on  every  side  were  simply  the 
boughs  and  branches  of  trees,  interwoven  with  luxuriant  foliage, 
flowering  shrubs,  straw,  &c.,  as  convenience  dictated ;  architectural 
design,  or  tasteful  ornament,  being  studied  only  by  a  select  lew,  of 
whom  I  happened  to  be  one. 

In  the  construction  of  my  hut,  chance  had  befriended  me ;  for 
Tomkins  and  I  having  shared  between  us  the  sail  mentioned  in  my 
last  chapter,  I  was  enabled  thereby  to  add  to  my  ordinary  sleeping- 
hut  a  splendid  verandah,  or  rather  saloon,  of  canvas  stretched  Hori- 
zontally on  half-a-dozen  upright  posts,  which  effectually  shaded  us 
from  the  sun.  I  also  manufactured  a  rough  sort  of  table,  and  two 
or  three  seats,  out  of  some  old  boards  that  were  found  for  me  by  my 
servant,  Conolly,  a  raw  Irish  recruit,  but  a  singular  compound  of 
cunning  and  simplicity. 

Mr.  Conolly,  by  the  way,  was  rather  famous  at  finding  things  that 
nobody  ever  seemed  to  have  lost,  for  nobody  ever  came  to  claim 
them  ;  and  though  strict  orders  were  issued,  forbidding  everything  in 
the  shape  of  plunder,  and  making  unpleasant  allusions  to  the  provost 


64  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

marshal,  he  scarcely  ever  returned  from  a  rural  walk  without  bringing 
something  or  other  useful  or  ornamental  in  our  simple  menage.  One 
article,  amongst  others,  was  a  cuckoo-clock,  which  he  set  up  in  a 
small  hut  that  he  had  built  for  himself  adjoining  mine ;  and  there 
his  great  delight  was  to  make  it  strike  all  sorts  of  hours  in  rapid 
succession,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  the  "  Cuckoo  !  cuckoo !  "  and 
wondering  at  the  mystic  spirit  that  gave  it  utterance. 

My  grand  marquee  soon  became  an  object  of  general  attraction ; 
and  almost  every  one  of  ours  brought  his  wine  or  his  grog  there  after 
dinner,  to  have  a  smoke  and  a  chat,  as  at  a  regimental  or  garrison 
club.  Indeed,  it  was  generally  denominated  "Blake's  Club  House ;  " 
and  even  strangers  from  other  regiments  gave  their  friends  the  rendez- 
vous there,  being  always  sure  of  a  hospitable  reception. 

As  the  characters  of  my  new  brother  officers  opened  upon  me,  I 
began  to  like  them  exceedingly  •  for,  though  I  did  not  find  in  them 
quite  so  much  polish  as  in  the  dear  old  "Apple-greens,"  yet,  there 
was  a  degree  of  manly  fervour  and  unaffected  good-fellowship  about 
them,  which  harmonized  delightfully  with  my  own  temperament. 
Many  of  them  were  old  officers,  possessing  brevet  rank  beyond  their 
regimental :  amongst  others  was  Sontag ;_  who,  though  a  full  colonel 
in  the  service,  yet,  from  a  restless  disposition  and  a  love  of  change, 
he  had  only  attained  the  regimental  rank  of  captain.  In  the  army, 
more,  perhaps,  than  anywhere  else,  the  proverb  holds  that  "  A  rolling 
stone  gathers  no  moss." 

Sontag  was  an  eccentric  fellow,  and  a  humourist ;  very  slovenly  in 
his  person,  and  careless  in  his  habits,  but  excessively  touchy  on  points 
of  dignity  or  precedence,  and  particularly  stringent  in  exacting  from 
the  private  soldier  unbounded  obedience  and  respect.  He  used  to 
sing  a  droll  song  for  us,  occasionally :  and  one  evening,  especially,  he 
volunteered  his  favourite  ditty,  when  we  mustered  pretty  strong:— 
every  man  with  his  meerschaum  in  hand,  and  his  tumbler  of  punch 
before  him;  replenished,  when  necessary,  from  a  fine  large  china 
soup-tureen,  which  had  been  found  by  Mr.  Conolly ;  he,  the  said 
Conolly,  standing,  on  the  present  occasion,  a  little  in  the  rear,  to  be 
ready  when  wanted. 

Silence  being  proclaimed  by;  a  loud  noise  of  knocking  on  the  table, 
our  worthy  colonel  began  his  song;  at  the  same  time  gracefully 
waving  the  soup-ladle,  as  Jullien  waves  his  magic  baton  before  the 
dazzled  eyes  of  his  wondering  auditors  : — 

I. 

Fair  Marian  sat  in  her  maiden  bower, 
As  the  bell  of  the  castle  was  tolling  the  hour. 
Hi  calloo,  calisti,  calan ! 

Su-san  was  a  little  old  man, 

Su-san  was  a  little  old  man. 

II. 

There  came  an  old  trooper  riding  by, 
And  at  the  young  maiden  he  cocked  his  eye, 
Hi  calloo,  calisti,  calan !  etc. 


THE  PROVOST  MARSHAL.  65 

III. 

But  the  wind  was  high  and  the  wind  was  strong1 
And  it  blew  like  a  bellows  both  loud  and  long : 
Hi  calloo,  calisti,  calan  !  etc. 

IV. 

Till  it  tore  the  trees  all  up  by  the  roots, 
And  blew  the  trooper  out  of  his  boots. 
Hi  calloo,— 

"  Haw !  haw !  haw "  shouted  Conolly,  unable  any  longer  to 
suppress  the  laughter  with  which  he  was  bursting. 

You  scoundrel!"  cried  the  colonel,  turning  round  in  a  rage; 
"  how  dare  you  laugh  ?" 

"Holy  Mary!"  exclaimed  Conolly,  "wouldn't  you  make  the  very 
pigs  laugh,  colonel,  dear!" 

Up  jumped  Sontag,  and  rushed  at  Conolly,  to  annihilate  him  with 
the  soup-ladle ;  but  the  delinquent  being  too  nimble  for  him,  slipped 
under  his  arm,  and  ran  for  his  life.  The  colonel  flew  after  him, 
determined,  with  his  own  hand,  to  chastise  so  gross  a  breach  of 
discipline ;  and  then  ensued  a  chase-royal,  which  very  soon  attracted 
every  one  to  the  scene  of  action :  Conolly  doubling  on  his  pursuer, 
and  running  a  figure  of  eight  amongst  huts,  or  diving  under  horses' 
bellies,  while  the  colonel  would  occasionally  trip  against  and  over- 
turn a  stand  of  arms,  or  upset  a  cooking-pot,  and  scatter  the  fire  to 
the  four  winds;  peals  of  laughter  and  shouts  of  encouragement 
echoing  far  and  near. 

Sontag  at  length  overtook  the  fugitive,  close  to  one  of  the  ditches, 
and  broke  the  soup-ladle  on  his  bare  head;  but  Conolly  sprang  to  the 
other  side,  and  the  colonel,  unable  to  control  the  impetus  of  his 
pursuit,  tumbled  headlong  in,  while  a  universal  roar  of  merriment 
shook  the  very  heavens.  We  fished  out  poor  Sontag  at  last,  looking 
like  a  river:god,  with  all  his  sedges  about  him ;  but  no^dy  laughed 
more  heartily  than  he  himself  did,  at  the  ludicrous  exhibition  he  had 
made. 

I  was  on  picket  with  the  colonel,  a  few  days  after,  when  he  said  to 
me, — 

"  How  is  it,  Blake,  that  your  man  Friday  hasn't  mounted  picket 
with  you  to-day  ?" 

"  I  got  him  excused,"  I  replied,  "  having  something  for  him  to  do 
in  the  cleaning  way." 

"I'm  glad  of  it,"  said  Sontag,  with  a  chuckle.  "  That  will  just 
do ;  I'll  hang  him  this  very  evening."  Here  he  began  to  walk  back- 
wards and  f9rwards,  rubbing  his  hands— his  usual  custom  when  in  a 
state  of  excitement — and  laughing  heartily  at  the  drollery  of  his  own 
conceptions. 

"  Well,"  I  observed,  "you  are  the  first  merry  hangman  I  have  ever 
met  with." 

"I  owe  it  to  the  fellow,"  said  Sontag,  still  laughing,  "for  the  trick 
he  played  me  the  other  day.  I'll  have  mm  before  the  provost  marshal 
this  very  evening." 


66  THE  YOUN&  RIFLEMAN. 

This  announcement,  I  confess,  somewhat  startled  me ;  for,  after  all, 
Conolly's  peccadilloes  were  but  trivial,  and  it  seemed  a  harsh  measure 
of  revenge  to  subject  him  to  so  summary  and  severe  a  tribunal. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  Percy,  rny  boy,"  said  the  colonel:  _" 'tis  all 
morcogga,  as  they  say  in  Ireland— nothing  but  blank  cartridge  and 
sham  light.  Joe  Blow,  one  of  my  company,  who  is  about  the  ugliest 
fellow  in  the  division,  will  make  a  capital  provost.  I'll  dress  him  up 
in  a  wig  and  cocked  hat,  and  we'll  have  a  regular  trial  of  the  delin- 
quent—that is,  if  you  have  no  objection.5' 

"  Not  the  least  in  the  world,"  1  said ;  "indeed,  I  think  a  little  fright 
may  do  him  good,  and  save  him,  perhaps,  from  the  provost  marshal 

"  Not  a  doubt  of  it,"  returned  Sontag,  who  laughed  like  a  child  at 
his  anticipated  fun.  "We  have  a  quiet,  retired  picket-house  here,  if 
you  will  only  send  for  him." 

"  I  expect  him  out  in  the  evening,"  I  said,  "  with  some  things  from 
camp,  and  I  will  then  submit  him  to  your  discretion." 

Accordingly,  about  night-fall,  Mr.  Conolly  ventured  to  come  out  to 
the  trenches — for  he  was  almost  as  great  a  coward  as  Davis  himself; 
and,  while  he  was  actually  describing  a  nice  little  copper  skillet  he 
had  found  by  the  road-side,  that  would  do  beautifully  to  stew  mush- 
rooms in,  a  corporal  and  a  file  of  the  picket  marched  up  and  sum- 
moned him  to  appear  before  the  provost  marshal. 

A  deadly  paleness  overspread  poor  Conolly's  face :  his  limbs  shook 
as  if  he  had  the  palsy ;  and,  falling  on  his  knees,  he  besought  me, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  to  save  him  from  the  clutches  of  that  awful 
functionary. 

"  Oh,  masther  Percy !  masther  Percy  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  for  your 
mother's  sowl,  don't  let  me  go  before  the  provo." 

"I  cannot  prevent  it,"  I  replied.  "He  has  his  orders  from  the 
commander-in-chief  direct,  and  no  one  can  interfere  with  him." 


lighted  by  a  single  candle,  where  the  provost  marshal  was  seated, 
with  a  cocked  hat  and  a  tow  wig,  manufactured  for  the  occasion ; 
while  on  each  side  of  him  were  ranged  four  or  five  of  the  picket, 
dressed  up  as  executioners,  with  cat-o'-nine-tails  and  pioneers'  axes  in 
their  hands.  The  door  and  windows  were  crowded  with  others,  who 
had  stolen  out  of  the  trenches  to  see  the  fun ;  and,  altogether,  it  had 
a  dismal  look,  calculated  to  frighten  a  culprit  of  stronger  nerves  than 
poor  Conolly,  who  fell  on  his  knees  the  moment  he  entered. 

"  Stand  up,  and  give  an  account  of  yourself,"  said  the  judge  with 
a  stern  voice. 

"  Yes,  your  honour,"  replied  Conolly,  in  a  whimpering  tone,  as  he 
obeyed  the  order. 

"  I  understand  you  have  a  cuckoo-clock  in  your  possession,"  said 
the  judge. 

"Is it  me,  sir?"  said  Conolly.  "Where  on  earth  should  I  get 
such  a  thing  as  a  cuckoo-clock,  your  honour  ? " 


THE  PROVOST  MAUSHAL.  67 

"  That's  what  I  want  to  know,"  said  the  judge,  with  a  frown  and  a 
squint  of  the  most  ominous  description. 

"Faix,  then,"  returned  Conolly.  "it's  myself  that  can't  tell  you. 
Sure  I  never  seen  sich  a  thing  in  all  my  life." 

"  Dp  you  see  these  cats  and  hatchets  ? "  demanded  the  judge  with 
a  terrible  glance. 

"Ye— ye— yes,  my  lord,"  stammered  the  culprit,  as  they  were 
flourished  before  his  eyes. 

"  Then  I  ask  you,  by  virtue  of  the  oath  you  have  taken,"  shouted 
the  judge,  "or  woe  be  to  your  sinful  body,  how  you  came  by  that 
cuckoo-clock." 

"  Then  it's  from  a  pedlar  I  bought  it  one  day,  sir,"  replied  Conolly. 

"  Where  was  that  ?  "  demanded  the  judge. 

"  Forenint  the  dure  of  the  masther's  tint,"  replied  Conolly. 

" That's  false  !  "  cried  the  judge,  with  a  frown.  "Pedlars  are  not 
allowed  to  enter  the  camp." 

"  Sure,  'twas  outside  the  camp  I  bought  it,  your  honour,"  said 
Conolly. 

"  You  just  now  told  me,"  cried  the  judge,  "  that  it  was  at  the  door 
of  your  master's  tent.  Did  you  take  the  tent  outside  with  you,  then  ?" 

"  Ov  C9orse  I  did,"  replied  Conolly,  getting  bewildered  in  his  cross- 
examination. 

"  What  did  you  do  with  the  tent  after  that  ?  "  demanded  the  judge. 

"I  left  it  where  it  was,"  said  the  culprit;  "what  would  you  have 
me  do  with  it?  " 

"  And  what  did  you  do  with  the  clock  ?  "  demanded  the  provost 
marshal. 

"  I  tuk  it  home  with  me,"  said  Conolly. 

"  Then  the  tent  was  in  one  place,"  observed  the  judge,  "  and  the 
clock  in  another  ?  " 

"  Jest  so,  sir,"  replied  the  culprit. 

"  And  where  were  they  both  when  you  got  home  ?  "  asked  the  judge. 

"  They  were  both  together,"  replied  Couolly. 

"  Was  that  inside  or  outside,  or  on  both  sides  of  the  camp  ?  " 
demanded  the  judge,  with  a  thundering  voice. 

"  Then  the  divil  a  one  ov  me  can  tell,"  said  Conolly.  "  Your  honour 
has  so  bothered  me  intirely,  that  I  don't  know  whether  I'm  standin' 
on  my  head  or  my  heels,  this  blessed  minute." 

"Oh,  it's  a  clear  case,"  said  the  provost  marshal.  "'Tis  flat 
forgery  and  felo-de-se  by  the  99th  article  of  war,  which  declares  that 
he  who  steals  a  clock,  especially  a  cuckoo  clock,  is  to  receive  five 
hundred  lashes." 

"  Oh,  murther !  "  cried  Conolly,  lifting  up  his  clasped  hands.  "  I 
wish  I  was  up  to  my  neck  in  the  bog  of  Allen." 

"  The  same  article,"  continued  the  judge,  "  further  declares  that  he 
who  would  steal  a  clock,  wouldn't  hesitate  to  steal  a  cock." 

"  Is  it  me,  your  honour?  "  cried  the  too  conscious  Conolly.  "Divil 
resaive  the  cock  did  I  ever  steal  in  all  my  born  days,  your  honour." 

"  What  is  that  peeping  out  from  the  breast  of  your  great  coat  ?  " 
demanded  the  judge. 

*  2 


£g  THE  YOUNG  R1PLEMAX. 

Every  eve  was  directed  to  the  spot  indicated  by  the  sharp-witted 
Joe  Blow,  where  the  head  of  a  fine  young  cock  was  just  visible 
Deerin*  out  between  two  of  the  wide-set  buttons  of  Conolly's  great 
coat  °But  as  if  this  was  not  enough,  the  moment  chanticleer  saw 
the  light  of  the  candle,  he  set  up  a  lusty  crow  that  made  the  hall  of 
iustice  ring  again.  .  • 

"  There's  evidence  against  you,  you  thief !  exclaimed  the  judge, 
shaking  his  tow  wig  and  cocked  hat.  "  You  and  the  cock  shall  go  to 
pot  together,  so  down  on  your  marrow-bones,  and  say  your  Padheren- 
Aw  5* 

"  Oh  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  my  sinful  sowl !  "  cried  poor  Conolly, 
in  his  tribulation.  "  Oh,  colonel  dear,  won't  you  pray  for  me,  and 
you  peeping  in  there  at  the  window.  t  Sure  av  1  did  laugh  at  the 
song,  every  one  else  did  the  same ;  an  if  you  tumbled  into  the  ditch, 
'twasn't  all  along  ov  me,  but  the  fault  of  your  own  bandy  legs." 

"  Silence  in  the  court,"  cried  the  judge,  "  while  I  pass  the  sentence/ 

"  On  the  neck  ov  your  mother's  sowl,"  cried  the  culprit,  "  give  me 
a  long  day,  your  honour?  " 

"  Do  you  sec  that  beam  over  your  head?"  sternly  demanded  the 
judge. 

Conolly  cast  a  rueful  glance  up  at  the  roof-trees. 

"  In  five  minutes  more,"  said  the  judge,  "  you'll  dangle  at  that 
beam,  where  you  may  dance  upon  nothing,  and  show  your  steps  to  the 
mob,  before  you  go  out  of  this  dirty  world." 

Totally  overcome  by  this  direful  sentence,  poor  Conolly  fell  groaning 
upon  the  floor ;  but  at  this  critical  juncture  the  farce  was  suddenly 
cut  short  by  a  dozen  shots  outside  the  picket-house,  while  a  sentry 
shouted,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  Sortie  !  sortie !  Picket,  turn  out !" 

"  What  on  earth  is  a  salt-eel  ?  "  cried  Conolly. 

But,  before  he  could  have  an  answer,  judges,  executioners,  and 
spectators,  were  tumbling  over  each  other  in  headlong  haste  to  get 
into  the  trenches,  where,  in  three  minutes  more,  we  were  wrapped  in  a 
bkze  of  musketry  that  drove  Conolly  and  his  cuckoo-clock  totally  out 
of  our  heads. 

It  was,  in  fact,  a  sortie  of  some  consequence,  the  object  being  to 
destroy  ope  of  our  breaching  batteries,  and  spike  the  guns,  but  it 
totally  failed ;  for  though,  in  consequence  of  the  darkness,  there  was 
more  noise  than  mischief  in  the  affair,  the  enemy  were  repulsed  as 
day  began  to  dawn,  and  driven  back,  leaving  about  twenty  killed  and 
wounded  behind  them  on  the  field. 

When  all  was  quiet,  I  returned  to  the  picket-house,  where  I  found 
poor  Conolly  in  a  paroxysm  of  fever,  from  the  d9uble  fright  he  had 
undergone.  I  sent  a  fatigue  party  with  him  immediately  to  the 
hospital,  whither  he  went,  raving  of  the  salt-eel  and  the  provost 
marshal ;  and  it  was  not  till  his  head  was  shaved  and  blistered,  and 
the  doctor  had  put  him  through  a  course  of  black  draughts  and  croton- 
tiglum,  that  he  was  at  length  restored  to  his  senses.  The  joke  was 
a  severe  one,  but  it  served  as  a  salutary  lesson,  for  Mr.  Conolly  never 
after  got  into  the  clutches  of  the  provost  marshal. 


THE   DUTCH  VROW. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  DUTCH  VROW. 

ONE  of  the  standing1  jokes  of  that  very  (f  slow  "  period  of  which  I  am 
now  treating,  was,  that  Lord  Chatham  could  never  after  hear  the  sub- 
ject of  his  expedition  broached,  without  a  flushing  in  the  face ;  and 
the  following  epigram,  written  on  the  occasion,  gives  too  true  a 
picture  of  the  ridiculous  state  of  affairs,  to  claim  even  the  merit  of 
poetical  invention 

"  Lord  Chatham,  with  his  sabre  drawn, 
Stood  waiting  for  Sir  Richard  Strachanj 
Sir  Richard,  longing  to  be  at  'em, 
Stood  waiting  for  the  Earl  of  Chatham." 

Bat  though  slow,  and  by  no  means  sure,  seemed  the  maxim  of  our 
commanders,  nothing  could  surpass  the  zeal,  energy,  and  enterprising 
spirit  of  the  troops  composing  this  noble  _  expedition.  The  same 
animus  inspired  both  men  and  officers  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  dishearten- 
ing circumstances  under  which  they  laboured,  the  universal  feeling 
•\yas,  like  that  of  the  gallant  Scotchman,  how  they  could  best  kill 
*'  twa  at  a  blow  !  " 

So  many  years  had  elapsed  since  the  troops  of  England  had  seen 
anything  like  active  service,  and  the  expedition  comprised  so  many 
raw  soldiers,  who  had  never  seen  a  shot  fired  in  anger,  that  much 
could  not  fairly  be  expected  from  their  efforts  in  this  their  first  cam- 
paign. And  yet  the  facility  with  which  they  comprehended  and  per- 
formed its  various  and  unwonted  duties,  was  truly  wonderful :  trenches 
being  dug,  fascines  and  gabions  manufactured,  and  batteries  erected, 
with  the  utmost  excellence  and  rapidity,  by  men  who,  ten  days 
before,  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  either  one  or  the  other. 
t  By  these  means  the  siege  works  soon  made  a  rapid  progress ;  the 
line  of  circumvallatioii  was  completed,  several  formidable  batteries 
erected,  and  our  battering  train  nearly  got  into  position.  Our  in- 
cessant activity  kept  us  all  in  excellent  health  and  spirits ;  and  the 
vicinity  of  Middleburg,  though  we  were  not  allowed  to  partake  of  its 
amusements,  afforded  a  constant  supply  of  little  luxuries,  to  enable 
us  to  relish  and  eke  out  our  rations.  Being  the  only  one  in  the 
regiment  who  spoke  French  with  any  fluency,  I  was  generally  re- 
quested by  my  brother  officers  to  be  their  purveyor  when  camp  sup- 
plies began  to  fail ;  a  piece  of  service  which,  of  course,  I  always 
rendered  with  pleasure. 

The  last  time  I  paid  a  visit  of  this  kind  to  Middleburg,  before  the 
surrender  of  Flushing,  was  on  a  fine  afternoon  about  the  middle  of 
August.  Followed  by  my  two  fatigue-men,  with  hampers  on  their 
backs,  I  passed  the  Stadthaus,  and  strolled  down  the  V  essingue 
Strasse,  and  alongside  one  of  the  canals  that  intersect  the  city,  look- 


70  THE  YOTJNG  RIFLEMAN. 

ing  out  for  a  new  dealer,  the  last  one  not  having  supplied  us  with 
*good  articles.  I  had  not  long  to  search  before  I  came  to  a  shop  of  a 
very  tempting  appearance  indeed ;  being  beautifully  painted  and 
varnished  inside  and  out,  and  displaying  in  its  crystal  windows  almost 
every  commodity  of  which  I  was  in  want. 

There  was,  however,  one  object  of  paramount  attraction  that  fixed 
my  attention  more  than  all  the  others  ;  this  was  a  very  pretty  little 
Dutchwoman,  with  eyes  like  black  beads,  a  smart  French  cap  on  her 
glossy  round  head,  and  a  coquettish  air  that  did  not  seem  at  all  racy 
of  the  swamps  and  quagmires  of  her  native  soil.  I  Iwpe  the  indul- 
gent reader  will  pardon  this  fresh  instance  of  infidelity,  as  he  will 
doubtless  call  it ;  but  there  is  something  so  fascinating,  so  mesmeric, 
as  it  were,  in  the  smile  of  a  pretty  woman,  that  no  man  who  is  once 
placed  within  its  maddening  focus  can  thenceforward  be  looked  upon 
as  an  accountable  being. 

In  this  predicament  I  felt  myself,  as  I  entered  the  shop  where  my 
little  Dutchwoman  was  serving  behind  the  counter,  assisted  by  a  shop- 
boy.  To  my  great  delight,  she  spoke  French  fluently,  and  it  sounded 
from  her  lips  like  music  to  my  ears ;  for  I  never  cared  much  about 
German,  either  High  or  Low,  with  its  soapy  pronunciation,  and  its 
alphabet  of  spiders  and  grasshoppers. 

I  addressed  myself  immediately  to  my  task,  while  she  evinced  equal 
assiduity  in  assisting  me ;  and  between  us,  my  hampers  were  speedily 
filled,  and  my  purse  emptied;  whole  volleys  of  smiles,  and  volumes 
of  honied  words  and  expressions  being  in  the  meantime  interchanged 
between  us. 

When  the  bill  was  made  out  and  duly  paid  and  receipted,  Madame 
(for  she  told  me  she  was  married,  though  I  persisted  in  calling  her 
Mademoiselle),  asked  me  if  I  would  like  some  refreshment,  and  in- 
vited me  into  a  small  parlour  behind  the  shop,  which  was  the  most 
singularly  neat  and  clean  little  compartment  of  domestic  comfort  I 
had  ever  seen.  The  floor  was  scrubbed  as  white  as  snow,  being  mi- 
carpeted  through  the  heat  of  the  weather ;  the  stove  and  fire-irons 
shone  like  silver,  the  mahogany  tables,  chairs,  and  chiffonniers  were 
polished  to  a  painful  degree  of  _  lucidity;  while  an  equally  transparent 
cabinet,  made  of  some  curiously-variegated  foreign  wood,  was 
literally  crammed  with  little  plates,  dishes,  tea-pots,  cups,  saucers, 
and  cream  jugs,  with  a  thousand  other  little  articles  more  curious 
than  useful,  of  the  most  rare  and  delicate  china,  and  the  most  singular 
varieties  of  shape  and  pattern. 

My  fair  hostess  seemed  to  enjoy  my  surprise  at  what  I  saw ;  and, 
having  rung  for  refreshments,  she  sat  down  beside  me  on  the  sofa, 
without  any  affectation  of  prudery  or  bashfulness  ;  but  also  without 
the  slightest  appearance  of  unbecoming  freedom  or  indiscretion. 
We  were,  in  fact,  like  a  brother  and  sister  who  had  accidentally  met 
after  a  long  separation. 

Sweetmeats,  confectionery,  and  coffee  were  speedily  served ;  the 
latter  without  sugar,  in  excessively  small,  transparent  China  cups, 
encased  in  silver  filigree.  Though  it  was  the  purest  Mocha.  1 
begged  for  a  little  sugar,  which  she  immediately  produced,  with  a 


THE  DUTCH  VKOW.  71 

smile  at  what  to  her  at  least  was  an  innovation  •  for  the  Dutch  drink 
coffee  incessantly,  without  any  saccharine  admixture ;  the  ladies 
sitting  with  their  feet  on  little  charcoal  stoves,  and  the  gentlemen 
with  the  eternal  meerschaum  in  their  capacious  mouths. 

When  the  coffee-cups  were  removed,  they  were  succeeded  by  one 
of  those  delicious  liqueur  cases  for  which  the  Low  Countries  are 
famous.  It  was  a  square  box  of  sandal-wood,  inlaid  with  ivory,  highly 
polished,  and  diffusing  around  a  delightful  aroma.  It  was  lined  with 
crimson  velvet,  and  held  four  small  decanters,  curiously  carved  and 
gilt-  one  containing  creme  de  noyeau,  another jparfait  amour,  and  a 
third  huile  de  Venus :  what  was  in  the  fourth  I  cannot  now  recollect ; 
for  the  ineffable  smile  my  fair  hostess  bestowed  upon  me,  as  we 
touched  glasses,  drove  everything  else  out  of  my  head  but  her  own 
perfect  beauty. 

And  it  really  was  beauty  of  the  highest  order :  a  Grecian  contour. 
a  clear  bright  forehead,  a  sparkling  complexion,  pouting  lips,  ana 
finely  modelled  chin,  with  a  matchless  bust  and  a  full  round  form 
that  would  have  exceedingly  puzzled  any  of  our  P.R.B.s  to  twist 
into  their  diabolical  lines  of  beauty.  All  in  fact  was  perfect,  except 
one  particular  feature ;  what  that  was,  I'll  tell  you  presently ;  but 
never,  my  dear  reader,  as  long  as  you  live,  look  into  the  mouth  of  a 
Dutchwoman. 

I  myself  was  a  novice  at  the  time,  and  took  everything  for  granted 
that  only  offered  a  fair  outside.  It  is  true  that  my  hostess  had 
hitherto  kept  her  lips  as  it  were  glued  together,  allowing  her  words 
to  slide  out  through  the  smallest  possible  aperture :  this  I  thought 
was  rather  too  niminy-piminy ;  but  it  was  an  imperceptible  flaw  in 
the  koh-i-noor,  and  vanished  amidst  the  blaze  of  her  loveliness. 

I  felt  I  cannot  tell  how ;  it  must  be  that  I  was  then  and  there,  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life,  struck  with  all-consuming,  all-absorbing 
love.  I  pressed  her  delicate  fingers,  which  gently  returned  the  pres- 
sure; I  drew  that  dear  little  hand  > to  my  lips,  while  her  face  and 
neck  were  suffused  with  blushes.  Like  Rory  O'Mqre,  I  "  looked  in 
her  eyes  that  were  beaming  with  light."  .Nay,  in  imitation  of  that 
rollicking  gentleman — pardon,  dear  reader,  if  I  shock  the  unspeakable 
purity  of  your  delicate  mind ;  but  I  feel  myself,  so  to  speak,  at  an 
imaginary  confessional ;  whether  I  shall  ever  be  brought  to  one  in 
reality,  depends  on  the  success  of  Cardinal  Wiseman — but,  as  I  said, 
in  imitation  of  that  rollicking  countryman  of  mine,  I  was  on  the  point 
of 

Fortunately,  there  was  a  little  glass  window  in  the  partition, 
through  which  we  could  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  shop ;  and 
just  as  I  was  on  the  point  of  desperately  snatching  a  kiss,  an  elderly 
gentleman  entering  the  front  door,  my  lovely  hostess  started  up, 
exclaiming — "  Bon  Dieu  !  c'est  mon  man  !  " 

Ah !  that  fatal  exclamation !  In  all  my  previous  trials  and  dis- 
appointments, my  real,  internal,  heartfelt  happiness  had  never  been 
tampered  with  before ;  but  in  uttering  these  few  insignificant  words, 
my  sweet  hostess  had  inadvertently  opened  her  mouth,  and  displayed 
between  those  ruby  lips  of  hers,  two  frightful  rows  of  stunted,  black, 


72  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAN. 

discoloured— tobacco  pegs ;  I  can  call  them  nothing  else,  in  short. 
In  a  moment,  they  dispelled  my  celestial  delusion,  and  called  up 
hideous  images  to  my  mind,  which  Holbein  or  Fuseli  would  have 
delighted  in  transferring  from  the  palette  to  the  canvas,  could  their 
genius  have  attained  the  full  amount  of  my  horror. 

I  had  heard  of  women  who  were  said  to  be  beautiful  in  spite  of 
their  teeth,  but  I  rejected  the  theory  as  untenable.  I  thought  of 
strange,  repulsive  images,  and  I  could  think  of  nothing  else ;  of 
painted  sepulchres— of  green  mossy  banks,  that  so  often  spring  from 
a  putrid  source — of  skeletons  clothed  with  transparent  flesh.  I 
thought  of  the  apples  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  of  those  waxen  repre- 
sentations of  plague,  which  I  had  then  read  of,  and  have  since  seen 
in  such  perfection  at  the  Boboli  Palace  (if  I  mistake  not)  at  Florence. 
In  the  midst  of  these  horrible  images,  I  was  presented  to  "mon  man" 

"  Monsieur,"  said  my  fair  hostess,  "  has  been  kind  enough  to  lay 
out  ever  so  many  guilders  in  refreshments  for  the  camp."' 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  him,"  said  mon  mari;  "but  don't  you 
think,  my  dear,  he  looks  ill  or  frightened  at  something  or  other  ?  " 

"  Poor  young  gentleman ! "  she  replied,  "  I  fear  he  is  going  to 
have  an  attack  of  our  terrible  endemic."  , 

"Well,"  said  the  elderly  gentleman,  "he  does  look  as  if  he  was 
going  to  have  the  cold  fit." 

"  I  have  it  already,"  I  replied,  "  and  with  a  vengeance  too." 

"  I  was  not  wrong  then,"  said  the  elderly  gentleman,  as  he  handed 
me  a  paper  of  bark :  "  chew  this,  my  dear  sir,"  he  continued,  "  on 
your  way  back  to  camp,  and  you'll  get  over  it." 

I  took  my  leave  at  length,  and  marching  off  with  my  fatigue  men, 
arrived  in  due  time  at  our  encampment. 

And  now  arose  a  difficulty  which  I  had  never  anticipated.  In  the 
midst  of  my  delirium,  I  had  lost  the  memorandum  of  my  various 
commissions,  and  it  was  in  vain  I  strove  to  recollect  its  items.  I 
could  think  of  nothing  but  Dead  Sea  apples  and  painted  sepulchres. 
What  was  to  be  done  ?  I  might,  it  is  true,  have  asked  all  my  friends 
to  come  and  select  their  own ;  but  some  were  on  picket,  some  were 
foraging,  and  some  were  visiting  friends  in  other  parts  of  the  align- 
ment ;  so,  in  my  anxiety  to  get  rid  of  my  cargo,  I  sent  it  off  hap- 
hazard, and  made,  of  course,  a  variety  of  blunders.  To  one  who 
wanted  a  pound  of  coffee,  I  sent  an  equal  quantity  of  snuff;  to 
another  who  was  dying  for  a  Stilton  cheese,  I  sent  a  roll  of  tobacco, 
and  so  on :  all  these  mistakes  were  soon  rectified,  amidst  laughable 
explanations,  but  one  was  nearly  productive  of  mischief. 

Arthur  of  ours  had  given  me  money  to  buy  him  a  telescope ;  but 
this,  in  the  confusion  of  my  mind,  I  sent  to  another,  supplying  him 
instead  with  a  bottle  of  brandy.  Now,  poor  Arthur  was  terribly 

addicted,"  as  the  saying  is;  and,  taking  my  innocent  mistake  for  a 
deliberate  insult,  he  sent  me  a  message.  Some  of  my  friends  would 
have  had  me  pooh-pooh  the  affair ;  but  at  that  time  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  newspaper  correspondence,  to  patch  up  a  hole  in  a 
man's  honour ;  so  I  went  out  with  him,  but  with  a  firm  determina- 
tion not  to  return  his  fire. 


THE  BOMBARDMENT.  73 

Fortunately  for  all  parties,  Arthur's  hand  was  very  unready  from 
liis  overnight's  potations :  instead  of  me,  therefore,  ne  hit  his  own 
second,  as  he  was  gracefully  retiring  from  the  line  of  fire ;  and  hit 
him,  too,  in  that  part  of  the  human  frame  which  is  said  to  have  for- 
merly so  much  redounded  to  the  honour  and  profit  of  the  learned 
Taliocotius.  As  soon  as  lie  had  performed  this  notable  exploit, 
Arthur  turned  on  his  heel  and  marched  off,  declaring  that  his  honour 
was  satisfied ;  while  I  took  deliberate  aim  at  a  crow  that  came  sail- 
ing along  over  his  head,  and  brought  it  down,  in  spite  of  my  laughter. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  BOMBARDMENT. 

BUT  now,  at  length,  the  tug  of  war  came  on,  at  least  for  the  poor 
inhabitants  of  Flushing,  which  we  bombarded  for  three  or  four  days, 
by  sea  and  land,  with  four  or  five  hundred  pieces  of  ordnance,  nwre 
or  less;  exclusive  of  Shrapnell-shells  and  Congreve-rockets,  which 
had  just  then  come  into  fashion,  and  made  a  pretty  flare-up  in  the 
night,  to  the  admiration  of  all  unconcerned  spectators. 

The  Shrapnell-shell,  or,  as  it  is  technically  called,  spherical-case 
shot,  has  this  advantage  over  the  ordinary  canister,  that,  whereas  the 
latter  explodes  immediately  on  leaving  the  gun,  and  spreads  its 
bullets  so  wide  that  few  of  them  will  take  precise  effect  at  three 
hundred  yards,  the  Shrapnell  may  be  thrown  two  miles,  and  then 
explode  within  a  calculated  distance  of  the  object  to  be  attained; 
scattering,  with  murderous  effect,  not  only  its  own  splinters,  but  the 
two  or  three  hundred  musket  balls  with  which  it  is  charged.  These 
terrible  missiles  were  principally  directed,  at  Flushing,  against  any 
uncovered  bodies  of  the  enemy's  troops  who  might  have  been  within 
range ;  and  who  were  sorely  galled  and  sadly  puzzled  by  such  excel- 
lent rifle  practice,  as  they  deemed  it  to  be,  from  an  outlying  picket  a 
couple  of  miles  distant  from  them. 

The  Congreve-rockets  were  equally  new  and  astounding  to  the 
garrison  of  Flushing,  but  infinitely  more  destructive.  The  tremen- 
dous rush  with  which  they  soared  aloft,  and  the  trail  of  flame  that 
marked  their  course  during  the  night,  must  have  had  a  terrifying 
effect  on  the  trembling  inhabitants  of  that  doomed  city ;  but  when 
they  saw  their  pointed  tubes  irrevocably  fixed  wherever  they  struck, 
pouring  forth  innumerable  jets  of  fire  that  ignited  everything  inflam- 
mable within  their  terrible  compass,  they  must  indeed  have  looked 
upon  them  as  a  rare  production  of  that  infernal  gentleman  who, 
according  to  Milton,  astonished  the  angels  themselves  with  the  inven- 
tion of  gunpowder.  Such,  in  fact,  was  the  horror  they  occasioned, 
that  General  Monnet,  the  French  commandant,  made  a  formal  remon- 
strance to  Lord  Chatham  against  their  being  used  in  the  bombard- 
ment ;  which,  however,  his  lordship  paid  very  little  attention  to. 

While  these  and  the  ordinary  snells,  and  guns  of  every  calibre, 


74  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

kept  up  an  incessant  fire  upon  Flushing  from  the  land  side,  our 
numerous  ships  of  war  assailed  it  on  the  sea-face,  which  extended 
the  whole  length  of  the  city;  pouring  in  a  perpetual  succession  of 
broadsides,  with  showers  of  snells  from  the  bomb-ketches,  whose 
repeated  explosions  among  the  streets  and  houses  increased  the  infer- 
nal din,  and  materially  added  to  the  wide-spread  destruction.  The 
result  was,  that  this  most  unfortunate  city  was  knocked  all  to  atoms, 
to  the  consternation  and  dismay  of  its  helpless  inhabitants,  with 
whom  we  all  the  while  expressed  repeated  wishes  to  be  on  the  most 
friendly  terms ;  though  doubtless,  as  they  crept  from  the  fiery  torrent, 
into  holes,  and  cellars,  and  bomb-proofs,  they  uttered  curses,  both 
loud  and  deep,  at  such  overtures  of  friendship. 

Meanwhile,  we,  who  were  committing  all  this  havoc,  suffered 
literally  nothing  from  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  which  was  speedily 
silenced ;  but,  with  the  unreflecting  curiosity  of  youth,  I  fear  we 
rather  enjoyed  the  novelty  and  martial  splendour  of  the  bombard- 
ment, 'especially  as  we  were  too  far  off  to  witness  its  frightful  results 
to  the  inhabitants,  or  to  hear  the  groans  and  shrieks  of  the  mutilated 
and  wretched  sufferers. 

Certain  it  is,  that,  during  the  night,  we  all  crowded  upon  the  roofs 
of  the  neighbouring  farm-houses,  to  witness  the  star-like  progress 
and  the  final  bursting  of  the  shells,  the  rushing  flame  of  the  Con- 
greve-rockets,  and  the  numerous  fires  that  were  constantly  breaking 
out  in  every  part  of  the  town,  shooting  up  their  spiral  volumes  of 
smoke  and  flame_ to  heaven;  while,  at  intervals,  the  dreadful  explo- 
sion of  a  magazine  would  send  a  thrill  of  mingled  pity,  awe,  and 
admiration  through  our  hearts.  One  casualty  we  particularly 
lamented,  which  was  occasioned  by  an  unlucky  shell,  that  carried 
off  the  belfry  of  the  principal  church,  and  effectually  silenced  its 
beautiful  chimes,  which  had  often  soothed  our  angry  spirits  in  the 
trenches  with  a  celestial  melody  very  different,  indeed,  from  those 
triple  bob-majors  that  make  such  a  savage  disturbance  in  this 
unmusical  island  of  ours. 

The  town  at  length  becoming  too  hot  for  the  garrison,  they  hung 
out  the  white  flag,  and  beat  the  chamade  on  the  ramparts.  After  a 
parley,  they  agreed  to  surrender  with  the  honours  of  war ;  and  the 
principal  gateway  was  put  in  possession  of  Pack's  gallant  corps,  the 
71st,  till  the  definitive  treaty  should  be  signed  by  the  respective 
commanders-in-chief. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  three  or  four  brother  officers  and 
myself,  urged  by  an  unconquerable  curiosity  to  see  the  town  in  its 
actual  condition,  walked  out  of  the  trenches,  and  made  the  best  of 
our  way  through  ruined  farm-houses,  and  over  the  dead  bodies  of 
once  jolly  tars,  fatigue-men,  and  out-lying  pickets,  in  all  stages  of 
decomposition,  till  we  arrived  at  the  Middleburg  gate.  There,  with 
some  difficulty,  we  obtained  permission  to  enter,  from  Captain  Law, 
the  officer  in  command ;  who  cautioned  us,  however,  to  avoid  care- 
fully anything  that  might  lead  to  a  misunderstanding  with  the  French 
troops,  still  in  possession  of  the  arsenal  and  other  strong  positions 
in  the  town;  and  especially  to  shun  the  Dutch,  who  were  fearfully 


THE  BOMBARDMENT.  75 

exasperated  against  the  English,  for  what  they  deemed  a  cruel  and 
wanton  destruction  of  their  families  and  property. 

Thus  warned,  we  proceeded  with  due  circumspection  through 
streets  and  lanes,  blocked  up  with  fragments  of  ruined  houses, 
broken  furniture,  and  shattered  property  of  every  description:  sad 
tokens  of  the  destructive  nature  of  our  cannonade.  Very  few  human 
beings  were  visible ;  for  the  frightened  inhabitants  had  not  yet  ven- 
tured out  of  their  hiding  holes,  and  the  French  troops  were  kept 
close  in  their  quarters,  until  the  final  arrangement  took  place. 

Occasionally  we  met  a  small  picket,  or  working  party,  carrying 
ammunition  or  dead  bodies  from  one  place  to  another ;  and  whether 
it  was  that  they  had  not  shaved  for  a  week;  or  were  terribly  gruelled 
at  the  idea  of  surrendering  to  the  "  sacres  Grodams,"  as  they  very 
politely  called  us,  they  all  looked  as  savage  as  if  they  could  have 
eaten  us  without  salt. 

It  being  near  the  end  of  August,  the  weather  was  excessively  hot ; 
and  the  stench  and  dust  arising  from  the  smouldering  ruins,  added  to 
the  fiery  nature  of  the  atmosphere,  caused  a  most  intolerable  thirst 
amongst  us;  which,  with  all  our  prying,  we  could  not  perceive  any 
feasible  mode  of  allaying. 

"  Surely,"  said  one  of  our  party,  "  all  the  wine  shops  cannot  be 
blown  up  or  knocked  down  by  that  confounded  bombardment ;  if  we 
could  only  light  upon  some  good  fellow  now,  that  would  show  us  the 
way  to  one." 

"I  am  absolutely  suffocating,"  I  exclaimed,  as  my  tongue  knocked 
like  a  piece  of  dry  leather  against  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  "  and  would 
willingly  give  a  guinea  at  this  moment  for  a  bottle  of  sour  wine." 

"Yonder's  a  Dutchman,"  cried  Captain  O'Driscoll,  "standing  on  a 
bridge,  and  spitting  into  the  water  for  want  of  better  employment. 
Let  us  ask  him  the  way  to  the  nearest  tavern." 

Here,  however,  a  difficulty  occurred ;  for  on  comparing  notes,  not 
one  of  us,  we  found,  could  speak  a  word  of  Dutch. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Jack  Crossley,  an  old  subaltern,  who  fancied 
himself  a  particularly  clever  fellow ;  "  come  on,  my  boys ;  I'll  soon 
make  the  Dutchman  understand  what  we  want." 

"How  so?"  demanded  we  und  voce. 

"By  speaking  broken  English  to  the  fellow,"  replied  Crossley, 
with  an  air  of  undoubting  confidence. 

We  all  laughed  at  the  absurdity  of  the  idea.  Captain  O'Driscoll, 
being  the  senior  officer  amongst  us,  said  the  Dutchman  would  take  it 
as  an  insult,  and  we  should  get  into  a  scrape  in  consequence. 

"No  such  thing,  my  dear  fellow,"  said  Crossley.  " I  have  always 
found  broken  English  a  sort  of  universal  language  both  with  Dutchmen 
and  Frenchmen  •  and  I'll  bet  you  a  rump  and  dozen,  he  will  understand 
me  perfectly  well,  though  I  cannot  speak  a  word  of  Dutch  to  him." 

"Done!"  said  O'Driscoll,  "I'll  take  your  bet,  just  to  show  you 
what  a  budhgai  *  you're  going  to  make  of  yourself." 

Anxious  to  witness  the  decision  of  a  bet  which  now  began  to 

*  An  Irish  expression  of  ridicule ;  expressive,  but  untranslatable. 


76  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAX. 

interest  us  for  more  reasons  than  one,  we  proceeded  in  a  body 
towards  the  Dutchman,  who,  seeing  us  approach,  folded  his  arms  as 
he  leaned  against  the  parapet  of  the  bridge,  and  reconnoitred  us  with 
an  air  of  mingled  insouciance  and  defiance. 

He  was  a  fine-looking  man,  in  a  sort  of  undress  uniform,  with  a 
huge  pair  of  moustachios,  and  a  humourous  twinkle  of  the  eye,  that 
seemed  to  encourage  Crossley  in  his  attempt,  for  he  went  boldly  up, 
and  addressed  him  in  the  following  jargon,  which  very  much  deranged 
the  gravity  of  our  party. 

"  You  'standy  where  get  eaty,  drinky,  brandy,  cum  watery  wine-o  ?  " 

If  this  specimen  of  Crossley's  universal  language  excited  our  mer- 
riment, the  answer  to  it  threw  us  into  convulsions  of  laughter, 

"  Och !  to  be  sure  then  I  do,  your  honour,"  promptly  replied  the 
supposed  Dutchman.  "  You've  only  to  go  down  the  kay  there,  to 
the  'Orange  Boven,'  where  you'll  find  the  best  of  aiting  and  dhrinkmg, 
and  good  dhry  lodgings  to  boot,  whether  you're  a  man  or  a  horse/' 

"  There  1 "  said  Crossley,  with  a  look  of  triumph  that  very  much 
increased  our  laughter ;  "I  told  you  that  every  Dutchman  under- 
stood broken  English." 

The  man,  on  inquiry,  proved  to  belong  to  the  Irish  Brigade  in 
the  service  of  Napoleon,  some  companies  of  which  had  been  de- 
tached from  Antwerp,  to  do  duty  at  Flushing  during  the  siege.  My 
readers,  perhaps,  know  that  this  gallant  and  distinguished  corps 
was  exclusively  composed  of  Irishmen,  whose  religious  scruples 
and  disabilities  had  sent  them  into  voluntary  exile  from  their  native 
land,  to  avoid  the  pressure  of  laws  which  now  happily  no  longer 
exist— laws  that  had  long  doomed  some  of  the  best  blood  of  Ire- 
land to  be  shed  in  the  service  of  France,  Spain,  and  Austria ;  and 
had  given  to  whole  generations  of  Blakes  and  O'Donnells  the  wealth 
and  honours  of  every  country  but  their  own.  As  the  reader  also 
knows  that  an  ancestor  of  mine  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
this  distinguished  body,  I  felt  a  more  than  ordinary  sympathy  for 
my  poor  countryman ;  and,  pressing  a  Spanish  dollar  into  his  hand, 
I  passed  on^with  my  comrades  to  the  "  Orange  Boven." 

^his  patriotic  sign,  which  had  lain  hidden  during  the  domination 
of  the  French,  amongst  the  archives  of  the  cautious  innkeeper,  was 
hung  up  by  him  the  moment  the  to\vn  surrendered ;  while  its  pre- 
decessor, "  Napoleon  le  Grand,"  was  ignominiously  bundled  into  the 
coal-hole.  The  joy  of  mynheer  will  therefore  be  readily  surmised, 
on  seeing,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  some  English  officers  under 
his  hospitable  roof;  and  he  accordingly  treated  us  to  everything 
excellent  in  the  way  of  refreshment,  duly  charging  for  the  same  six 
times  as  much  as  he  would  have  dared  to  demand  from  the  French 
during  their  day  of  power. 

In  a  week  after  this,  the  besieging  force  was  drawn  up  on  a  range 
of  sandhills  extending  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  walls  of 
Flushing ;  the  original  foundation  on  which  this  artificial  island  may 
be  said  to  have  been  constructed.  In  their  presence  the  garrison 
marched  out  with  the  honours  of  war;  and  I.  felt,  in  common  with 
my  brothers-in-arms,  a  justifiable  triumph  in  seeing  six  thousand 


THE  WALCHEREN  AGUE.  77 

Frenchmen  lay  down  their  arms  at  our  feet,  and  embark,  sorrowfully 
enough,  Heaven  knows,  in  transports,  to  be  conveyed  to  England. 
Some,  doubtless,  were  destined  for  Norman  Cross  ;  and,  as  the  idea 
struck  me,  I  felt  a  pang  of  remorse  and  sorrow,  at  having  so  speedily 
forgotten  my  still-admired  Harriet  Sibley. 

But,  alas  !  our  triumph  ended  here.  For,  between  the  utter  igno- 
rance, the  tardy  proceedings,  and  the  scandalous  dissensions  of  our 
naval  and  military  commanders,  Antwerp  was  forgotten,  the  power 
and  honour  of  England  were  alike  overlooked,  and  the  troops  who 
would  have  nobly  served  their  country  on  the  battle-field,  were  doomed 
to  perish  ingloriouslv  by  lingering  disease;  while  their  country 
looked  on,  as  if  spell- bpund,  at  this  fruitless  sacrifice  of  several  thou- 
sands of  lives,  and  this  shameful  expenditure  of  many  millions  of 
pounds  sterling ! 

Some  of  our  regiments  were  marched  into  quarters  at  Terveer  and 
Aruemuyden,  and  others  at  Middleburg,  until  it  should  be  decided 
what  was  eventually  to  be  done  with  them ;  for  they  were  evidently 
poor  Lord  Chatham's  great  embarrassment.  Willingly  would  he 
have  seen  them  all  comfortably  laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  Room-Pot, 
could  the  thing  be  done  without  any  trouble ;  but,  as  this  was  not 
feasible,  he  took  the  next  best  course,  and  went  off  to  England, 
leaving  them  to  get  out.  of  the  mess  the  best  way  they  could. 

He  was  received  by  his  brother  imbeciles,  the  ministers  of  the  day, 
as  Noodle  might  be  supposed  to  receive  Doodle,  at  the  court  of  King 
Arthur,  under  similar  circumstances  :  they  embraced,  danced  a  riga- 
doon,  and  washed  their  hands  of  so  disagreeable  an  affair  altogether- 
declaring  to  John  Bull,  when  he  began  to  grumble,  that  it  was  all 
right,  and  he  knew  nothing  at  all  about  the  matter. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

THE  WALCHEREN   AGUE. 

MEANWHILE  our  hospitals  at  Middleburg,  Flushing,  and  Terveer 
were  filling  daily,  hourly,  with  burning  and  shivering  wretches ; 
wasting,  pining,  and  dying  under  the  influence  of  a  deadly  disease 
and  the  inadequacy  and  ignorance  of  our  medical  staff. 

It  was  pitiable  to  see  the  strongest  and  finest  men  in  this  devoted 
army,  for  they  were  the  first  to  fall  victims  to  the  insidious  malady, 
emaciated,  pale,  and  visibly  withering  away, — their  teeth  chattering, 
their  limbs  shaking,  as  if  their  noble  spirits  were  quailing  at  the 
approach  of  the  grim  tyrant  whom  they  liad  so  often  braved  in  the 
field ;  while,  with  faint  and  quavering  voices,  they  called  for  more 
blankets,  in  the  vain  hope  of  imparting  a  little  warmth  to  their  ice- 
stricken  frames ;  or,  in  the  paroxysm  of  the  hot  fit,  screaming  for 
drink,  to  allay  the  quenchless  thirst  that  was  racking  their  vitals  and 
shrivelling  up  their  parched  and  burning  throats. 

I  kept  up  for  a  long  time,  owing,  principally  to  my  great  animal 


yg  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

spirits  and  active  habits  ;  but  at  last  I  felt  the  insidious  approaches 
of  the  foe,  and  prepared  for  a  formidable  attack.  My  regiment  being 
quartered  in  Middleburg,  I  was  billeted  on  an  old  Scotch  gentleman, 
who  had  been  so  long  in  the  country  that  he  had  very  nearly  forgotten 
to  speak  English ;  and  during  my  illness  I  was  often  amused  at  the 
dialogues  that  ensued  between  him  and  Conolly— the  Irish  phrase- 
ology5 of  the  one  harmonizing  beautifully  with  the  Anglo-Dutch  of  the 

This  canny  old  Scot,  however,  made  me  very  comfortable.  I  had 
a  fine  light,  airy  room  on  the  ground  floor,  nicely  furnished,  and 
scrupulously  clean,  the  floor  being  as  highly  polished  as  the  tables 
and  chairs,  while  on  each  side  of  the  window,  externally,  was  fixed  a 
looking-glass,  by  which  I  C9uld  see  every  individual  coming  up  and 
down  the  street,  without  stirring  from  my  chair  inside. 

But  my  greatest  luxury  was  a  handsome  French  bedstead,  with 
elegant  curtains  depending  from  a  lofty  gilt  canopy,  affixed  to  the 
wall.  The  bed  itself  was  a  huge  mountain  of  feathers,  in  which  I 
sank  so  deep  that  I  disappeared  altogether  from  the  wondering  eyes 
of  Conolly,  as  he  laid  over  me  a  sort  of  second  bed  of  beautifully 
quilted  silk,  under  which  I  lay,  as  he  said,  like  a  crow  in  a  clover- 
field. 

This  was  such  a  change  from  the  bed  of  earth  on  which  I  had  been 
stretched  for  so  many  weary  hours  during  the  siege,  that  the  whole 
night  I  could  not  sleep  a  wink  from  absolute  enjoyment. 

But  I  soon  got  tired  of  my  delicious  bed,  and  heartily  wished 
myself  back  once  more  on  the  cold  earth  of  my  old  encampment, 
where  my  blood  flowed  in  a  genial  current,  and  health,  strength,  and 
activity  enabled  me  to  spurn  with  contempt  all  cares  that  flesh  is 
heir  to.  The  very  morning  after  I  had  entered  my  cozy  billet,  when 
I  sat  down  to  breakfast,  I  began  to  loathe  my  tea ;  and  as  I  pushed 
the  cup  and  saucer  from  me  with  unaccountable  dislike,  I  observed 
that  my  finger  nails  had  all  turned  as  blue  as  indigo.  Conolly,  who 
had  also  observed  the  dismal  symptoms,  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  con- 
dolence,— 

"  Masther,  honey,  vou're  in  for  it." 

"In  for  it!"  I  repeated. 

"That  same,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "You're  going  to  have  a  fit  of 
the  shakes.  That's  just  the  way  the  men  are  seized  in  the  hospital, 
and  they're  dying  by  dozens  there  every  day." 

In  a  tew  moments  after,  I  felt  an  unwonted  chill  creeping  all  over 
my  frame.  Where  it  commenced  I  could  not  say,  but  from  the  crown 
of  my  head  to  the  ball  of  my  foot  I  was  speedily  reduced  to  a  mass 
of  ice— of  living,  breathing,  sentient  ice.  The  warm  current  of  mv 
blood  was  suddenly  arrested  by  the  finger  of  a  polar  frost;  and, 
within  three  feet  of  a  blazing  wood  fire  on  the  hearth,  I  felt  not  its 
influence ;  nay,  when  I  desperately  thrust  my  hand  into  the  blaze,  it 
pained  and  burned,  but  it  warmed  me  not. 

So  1  made  the  best  of  the  matter,  and  tumbled  into  bed,  while 
Gonolly  piled  blankets  upon  blankets  over  me,  and  heaped  huge  logs 
upon  the  fire ;  but  still  I  remained  cold  and  frost-bitten  in  the  midst 


THE  WALCHEKEN  AGUE.  79 

of  all.  Our  surgeon  paid  me  a  flying  visit,  and  said  I  must  have 
patience,  for  I  should  soon  be  able  to  write  a  thesis  on  the  philosophy 
of  contrast.  With  these  enigmatical  words  he  hurried  off  to  his 
hospital,  where  six  hundred  men  of  our  battalion,  which  had  recently 
inarched  into  Middleburg  eight  hundred  strong,  were  now  lying  in 
as  helpless  a  condition  as  I  was  myself. 

"  Patience,  and  shuffle  the  cards,  then,  Conolly  "  I  said,  "that's  all 
we  have  for  it ;.'  and  my  voice  shook  and  jiobered  between  my  teeth, 


mat  taoie  over  nere,  ciose  oy  me  iiresiue,  j.  couuiiueu,  anu  put 
the  doctor's  stuff  within  my  reach ;  I'll  take  it  when  I  can  find  courage 
enough  to  face  a  dose  of  salts." 

While  Conolly  was  wheeling  the  table,  a  sort  of  writing  table, 
with  two  deep  drawers  in  it,  close  between  the  head  of  my  bed  ana 
the  fireplace,  something  rolled  inside  of  the  drawers,  and  on  opening 
it,  he  exclaimed  with  a  sort  of  grunt : — 

"Well,  by  the  powers,  I  never  seen  anything  like  that  afore." 

"  What  do  you  see  ?"  I  demanded. 

"A  dozen  eggs,"  he  replied;  "fine,  fresh  ones,  too,"  as  he  held 
one  between  him  and  the  light.  "  Well,  that  accounts  for  the  old 
Dutchman's  saying  you  wor  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse  ;  he  has  left 
them  for  your  breakfast,  sir." 

"Nonsense,"  I  said,  in  a  peevish  tone,  the  invariable  attendant  of 
the  cold  fit.  "Besides,  he's  not  a  Dutchman,  Conolly;  he's  a 
Scotchman." 

"  Dutchman  or  Scotchman,"  responded  Conolly,  "  'tis  six  ov  one 
and  half  a  dozen  ov  another :  they're  birds  of  the  same  feather,  and 
sure  the  only  differ  there  is  betune  'um  is  one  is  spelt  with  a  C  and 
the  other  with  a  D."  m 

I  could  not  help  smiling  at  this  orthographical  discovery,  in  spite  of 
the  icy  torments  under  wnich  I  was  suffering. 

"  I  have  a  great  mind,"  said  Conolly,  "  to  throw  'em  all  in  the  old 
fellow's  face." 

"  On  no  account,"  I  said,  "for  it  shows,  at  least,  a  kind  feeling,  if 
it  be  not  a  mistake  altogether— but  oh,  good  heavens  !"  I  exclaimed, 
as  a  new  phase  of  my  disorder  supervened. 

"  What  is  it,  masther  Percy  ? "  cried  Conolly,  in  a  fright,  as  he 
pushed  in  the  drawer  with  the  eggs.  "  What's  the  matter  wid  ye, 
masther,  dear?" 

"  This  change  is  so  delightful,"  I  exclaimed,  as  a  gentle  glow  at 
length  began  to  pervade  my  shivering  frame,  and  the  frozen 
horrors  of  the  first  fit  were  gradually  disappearing  before  the  "  flatter- 
ing unction"  that  ushers  in  the  second. 

I  think  it  is  Colonel  Crocket  who  so  graphically  describes  the 
delightful  transition  he  experienced,  when,  on  being  almost  frozen  to 
death  one  night  amongst  the  lakes  and  backwoods,  he  lay  down  the 
next  morning  in  a  spring  of  running  water,  to  be  dissolved  from  his 
icy  fetters.  Something  equally,  if  not  more  delicious,  I  felt,  as  kind 
nature  seemed  to  pour  a  fluid  of  reviving  warmth  through  my  veins, 


80  THE  YOUN&  RIFLEMAN. 

which  not  only  restored  my  original  temperament,  but  soon  began  to 
excite  my  imagination  to  a  splendid  luxuriance  or  castle-building,  m 
which  I  drew  such  pictures  of  sublunary  bliss,  as  Mahomet  himself 
never  surpassed  in  his  dreamy  visits  to  the  seventh  heaven. 

Had  it  stopped  here,  it  would  have  been  really  transcendent ;  but 
the  fluid,  which  before  was  warm  and  vivifying,  became  gradually  hot 
and  hotter,  till  it  actually  began  to  scald  me  internally,  while  the  outer 
surface  of  my  body  was  burnt  to  as  dry  and  arid  a  consistency  as  a 

Meanwhile,  the  tprrid  condition  of  the  flesh  began  to  operate  on 
the  mind.  My  brain  was  whirling  in  a  countless  series  of  concentric 
ravings :  I  was  swimming  in  hot  water,  struggling  for  my  life  in 
boiling  oil,  gasping  for  breath  in  a  sea  of  molten  lead ;  while  fiends  of 
every  shape  and  hue  were  skirling  along  its  glistening  surface, 
flourishing  their  whips  of  scorpions  over  my  devoted  head,  and 
stunning  my  ears  with  fiendish  yells  that  may  find  some  faint  resem- 
blance in  the  railway-whistle. 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  kicked  off  blankets  and  bed-clothes ;  it  was  in 
vain  that  I  begged  Conolly  to  roll  me  naked  in  the  snow,  or  to 
plunge  me  into  an  ice-bath.  Nothing  could  avail  me  in  my  hopeless 
condition :  the  powers  of  medicine  were  set  at  nought ;  Galen  and 
Paracelsus  were  alike  baffled,  and  no  balm  could  be  found  for  my 
infernal  sufferings  in  the  three  hundred  volumes  of  the  one  or  the 
elixir  vites  of  the  other. 

Nature  at  length  came  to  my  relief  when  I  was  on  the  point  of 
suffocation :  my  skin,  hitherto  like  shrivelled  parchment,  became  soft 
and  moist ;  a  gentle  perspiration  oozed  through  the  pores  ;  the  fluid 
fire,  which  had  so  long  been  coursing  through  my  veins,  gradually 
subsided  to  a  tepid  heat,  and  I  went  off  insensibly  into  a  long  and 
tranquil  sleep. 

Such  was  my  first  attack  of  the  Walcheren  ague ;  and  I  never, 
before  or  since,  felt  anything  like  that  cruel  disease.  But  though  it 
was,  happily,  not  what  Mrs.  Quickly  calls  a  "  Quotidian-Tertian"  it 
was  nearly  as  bad,  from  the  still-impending  gloom  of  anticipatiye 
horrors, — for  every  third  morning,  as  fixed  as  fate,  the  .blue  nails 
cast  a  frightful  shadow  of  the  coming  event. 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  fine  fellows,  who  ought  at  that 
moment  to  have  been  combing  down  the  Gallic  cock  in  the  Penin- 
sula, were  literally  floored  by  this  awful  disease ;  for  bedsteads  could 
not  be  found  in  sufficient  numbers,  and  they  lay  upon  the  ground,  in 
the  hospitals,  in  every  stage  of  lingering  death. 

Our  medical  men  were  actually  bewildered ;  for,  though  they  were 
all  skilful  enough  at  bayonet  or  gun-shot  wounds,  they  knew  not  how 
to  cope  with  so  insidious  an  enemy.  They  were,  moreover,  worked 
off  their  legs  ;  till,  the  commander-in-chief  applying  for  an  increased 
medical  staff,  we  were  inundated  with  a  host  of  hospital  mates, — 
young  men  fresh  from  their  studies,  raw,  inexperienced,  and  pre- 
suming, who  killed  a  great  many  more  by  their  wild  experiments 
than  they  cured  by  their  book-learned  skill. 

I  was  delivered  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  one  of  these  alumni 


THE  WALCHEKEN   AGUE.  81 

of  Apothecaries'  Hall,  who  put  me  through  more  manoeuvres  than 
Sir  David  Dundas  ever  dreamt  of,  in  the  vain  hope  of  discovering  the 
fountain-head  of  the  disease.  Solutions  of  arsenic,  and  other  rank 

Wisons,  I  recollect,  were  amongst  the  arcana  of  his  juvenile  an. 
hether  these  infinitesimal  doses  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Homoeo- 
pathic system,  I  cannot  say ;  but  one  of  his  remedies  certainly  led  to 
an  ingenious  discovery, _similar  to  one  that  has  long  been  immensely 
attractive  to  the  curious  and  sight-seeing  public  of  this  vast 
metropolis. 

My  young  medica^  friend,  with  a  view  to  kill  the  cold  fit  instanter, 
prescribed  repeated  fomentation  of  the  extremities,  on  its  approach. 
Conolly,  therefore,  went  out  and  bought  a  huge  roll  of  flannel ;  he 
then  plied  logs  of  wood  upon  the  fire,  and  hung  kettles  of  water  over 
them,  in  active  preparation  to  meet  tne  enemy. 

Accordingly,  when  the  nails  began  to  assume  the  cerulean  tinge, 
Mr.  Conolly  tore  off  sundry  strips  of  the  flannel,  plunged  them  into 
hot  water,  and  wrapped  them,  scalding  hot,  about  m.v  legs,  feet, 
hands,  and  arms ;  with  many  eulogiums,  at  the  same  time,  on  the 
cuteness  of  them  London  chaps,  who  seemed  to  know  everything, 
from  the  construction  of  a  Thames  punt  to  the  inflation  of  an  air- 
balloon.  ^ 

With  intense  assiduity  and  care,  poor  Couolly  went  on  fermenting 
me,  as  he  called  it ;  tearing  off  a  piece  of  fresh  flannel  for  every 
change,  and,  like  a  true  Irishman,  poking  the  one  just  used  into  the 
nearest  hole  at  hand,  which  happened  to  be  the  deep  drawer  of  the 
table  before-mentioned,  in  which  my  good  old  Scotchman  had  placed 
his  dozen  eggs. 

By  this  process,  we  were  speedily  enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  of 
steam,  something  like  the  sulphur-baths  at  the  Logo  d'Agnano,  while 
perspiration  rolled  down  Conolly's  face  ;  and  the  table-drawer,  which 
was  close  to  the  huge  fire,  actually  smoked  with  the  vupour  en- 
gendered therein  from  the  damp  flannels. 

But,  alas !  this  wondrous  remedy  was  fruitless  altogether,  as 
regarded  me  personally,  for  the  icy-hearted  disease  bade  defiance  to 
the  powers  of  steam ;  but  it  led  to  a  result  altogether  new  and 
stupendous,  which  far  surpassed  even  the  boundless  genius  of  the 
young  conjuror  who  had  medical  charge  of  me. 

One  morning,  after  a  week's  perseverance  in  the  hot-water  cure, 
my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  curious  sort  of  fluttering  ana 
scratching  at  the  head  of  my  bed,  which  puzzled  me  as  much  as  the 
spiritual  tappings  puzzle  the  gobe-mouches  of  the  present  day. 

Ringing  the  bell  for  Conolly,  I  desired  him  to  look  about  for  a  rat 
or  a  mouse,  that  appeared  to  be  gnawing  some  of  the  bed-furniture. 
He  accordingly  listened  for  awhile,  and,  thinking  he  had  ascertained 
the  point  of  attack,  he  opened  the  table-drawer  slowly,  that  he  might 
the  more  certainly  pounce  upon  the  enemy ;  when,  suddenly,  with 
an  exclamation  of  fright,  he  started  back,  pointing  in  terror  at  the 
table-drawer. 

Hooked  towards  the  spot  indicated;  and,  to  my  utter  astonish- 
ment, saw  a  dozen  little  yellow-bellied  chickens  hopping  up,  one 

G 


82  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

after  another,  on  the  edge  of  the  drawer,  and  thence  down  upon  the 
floor,  with  a  consecutive  S9rt  of  motion  that  certainly  bore  some 
resemblance  to  the  convolutions  of  a  "fiery  serpent,"  as  Conolly  had 
called  it,  in  his  first  alarm. 

The  fright  of  my  poor  valet,  instead  of  being  dissipated  by  the  mot 
de  Venigme,  which  was  now  quite  apparent  to  me,  became  still  more 
ludicrous  than  before.  Fancying  himself  beset  by  a  whole  desert  of 
"fiery  serpents,"  he  fled  from  one  corner  of  the  room  to  another,  in 
an  agony  of  fright,  and  bellowing  for  assistance ;  while  the  "  un- 
fledged bipeds  "  hopped  after  him,  with  a  natural  instinct,  in  search 
of  food,  fluttering  their  tiny  wings,  and  jumping  over  each  other's 
backs,  as  if  they  were  playing  at  leap-frog  for  our  amusement. 

The  scene,  altogether,  was  so  strange,  and  so  irresistibly  comic, 
that  I  actually  roared  with  laughter  to  such  a  degree  that  the  noise 
Conolly  and  I  made  between  us  brought  in  my  host  and  all  his 


now  return  the  compliment  with  as  many  chickens.' 

The  old  Scotchman  was  shrewd  enough  to  comprehend  the  real 
state  of  the  case  after  a  little  explanation,  and  marched  off  in  triumph 
with  his  young  stock  of  poultry;  but  Conolly,  to  the  very  last, 
looked  upon  it  as  the  trick  of  some  Dutch  fiend,  to  cheat  him  out  of 
his  blessed  religion ;  and  I  never  could  make  him  understand  the 
mysteries  of  steam-incubation. 

"You  may  say  what  you  like,  sir,"  said  Conolly;  "but  them 
chickens  belong  to  the  '  Good  People,'  and  I'd  no  more  ate  one  of 
'em  than  I'd  ate  my  own  grandfather." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  LINE-OP-BATTLE  SHIP. 

AT  length,  when  one-fourth  were  utterly  destroyed,  and  another 
fourth  rendered  unfit  for  service,  of  the  finest  expedition  that  ever 
left  the  shores  of  Great  Britain,  the  wise  men  who  planned  it,  and 
who  ought  to  have  been  duly  whipped  at  the  cart's  tail  for  the  same, 
thought  proper  to  bring  back  the  sad  remains :  thus  verifying  the 
nursery  rhyme : 

"  The  king  of  France,  with  twenty  thousand  men, 
March'd  up  the  hill,  and  then— march'd  down  again." 

Orders  were  accordingly  issued  to  embark  the  troops  for  England, 
and  to  blow  in  the  docks  and  basins  of  Flushing;  this  being  the 
mighty  result  of  an  enterprise  which  cost  England  several  thousand 
men  and  many  millions  of  money. 

The  troops  were  embarked  in  November,  on  board  the  ships  of 
war  and  transports  then  lying  off  Flushing  and  Terveer,  the  remnant 


THE  LINE-OF-BATTLE  SHIP.  83 

of  my  regiment  being  easily  disposed  of  in  the  Vengeur,  74;  and 
towards  the  end  of  that  month  we  bade  adieu,  with  unanimous  and 
infinite  satisfaction,  to  a  scene  of  so  much  misery  and  mortification. 

"  Oh,  by  the  powers ! "  said  Conolly,  as  he  brought  my  luggage 
down  to  the  cabin  allotted  to  me,  on  the  main-deck,  "  we  have  got 
into  a  fine  vessel  now,  anyhow ;  as  much  like  the  dirty  ould  transport 
we  kern  over  in,  as  a  pewter  spoon  is  like  a  silver  goblet.  Only  see 
what  a  fine  large  window  you've  got  in  your  cabin,  Master  Percy ; 
with  a  beautiful  big  gun  in  it,  all  as  clean  and  as  bright  as  a  new 
pin;  and  the  Lord  be  marcilul  to  me!  if  there  isn't  a  lock  and 
trigger  upon  it,  all  the  same  as  if  it  was  a  natural-born  musket. 
Then,  the  decks  are  as  smooth  and  as  white  as  a  sheet  of  paper ;  with 
a  kitchen,  and  a  fire-place,  and  mess-coppers,  all  big  enough  for 
Fune-a-ma-cool.  Sure,  it's  wishing  I  am  that  our  passage  may  last 
for  a  month  of  Sundays,  there's  such  elegant  aiting  and  drinking 
goin  on,  day  and  night ;  and  the  men  are  so  silent  and  well-behaved 
when  they're  pulling  the  ropes,  you'd  think  it  was  the  lord  mayor's 
drawing-room,  or  a  levee  at  l)ublin  Castle ;  with  the  boatswain  there, 
like  the  lord  lieutenant,  giving  his  orders,  with  a  whistle  in  his 
mouth " 

Here  I  cut  Mr.  Conolly  short  in  his  rambling  description  of  the 
agrements  of  a  seventy-four ;  and  told  him  he  must  be  on  his  p's  and 
q's,  now  that  he  was  in  a  king's  ship ;  a  piece  of  advice  which  he 
promised  to  follow  to  the  letter.  I  did  not  see  him  again  for  four- 
and-twenty-hours,  and  supposed  he  was  sea-sick,  as  we  were  now 
lying  our  course  with  a  spanking  breeze  ;  but  when  he  did  make  his 
appearance,  he  looked  terribly  chapfalleu. 

What's  the  matter,  now,"  I  said,  "  Conolly  ?  You  look  as  if 
you  couldn't  help  it." 

"  And  no  wondher  for  me,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "  Tear-an-agcs ! 
did  any  one  ever  see  such  a  savage  place  as  this  we've  got  into, 
now  ?  " 

"  You  were  all  in  its  praise,"  I  observed,  "  thfe  last  time  I  saw 
yon." 

"  I  was  young  and  foolish  then,  your  honour,"  said  Conolly ;  "  but 
I'm  wiser  and  sadder,  now,  as  you  say  yourself." 

"What  has  happened  to  you,  Conolly?"  I  demanded,  pretty  well 
conjecturing  the  state  of  the  case. 

"  Plenty,  and  more  of  it,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "  Eirst  and  fore- 
most, I  was  standing  paicefully  and  quietly  yesterday,  on  a  place  they 
call  the  quarter-deck,  when  a  mighty  cross-looking  chap,  with  a 
cocked-hat  on  his  head  and  a  long  telescope  under  his  arm,  suddenly 
called  out : 

"  '  Midshipman  of  the  watch ! ' 

' c  Ay,  ay,  sir,'  said  another,  jumping  down  from  the  Lord  knows 
where,  with  a  little  bit  of  a  caubeen  on  his  head,  covered  with  tar- 
paulin, that  they  call  a  sou'wester. 

'  Here's  a  marine  adrift,'  said  the  one  with  the  telescope. 

' f  It's  only  a  young  lobster,  sir,'  said  the  other,  catching  a  hoult 
of  me  by  the  ear ;  '  he's  only  parboiled  as  yet,  sir,*  says  he.  And 


84.  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

with  that  he  lugged  me  forward  to  the  fokesal,  as  they  call  it ;  and 
there  he  let  me  go,  saying,  'That's  your  place,  young  man:  never 
let  me  see  von  abaft  the  main  hatchway  again.' 

"  I  told  you,  Conolly,"  1  said,  "  that  you  must  be  very  particular 
in  a  king's  ship.  What  happened  next  ?'/ 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  thinking  to  make  myself  useful, 
when  the  word  was  given  to  haul  taut  the  lee  braces,  I  tackled  to 
a  rope,  along  with  the  rest,  and  began  pulling  away  and  singing  out 
as  they  used  to  do  in  the  transport,  '  Yo,  heave  0,  Yo  ho ' 

"  '  Silence,  you  lubber ! '  cried  the  bosen,  giving  me  a  crack  of 
a  rope  on  the  back ;  '  silence,  and  learn  to  hold  your  jaw  in  a  king's 

"Well,  sir,  myself  didn't  like  to  be  knocked  about  and  pulled 
about  in  this  way,  so  I  gave  up  pulling  and  hauling,  and  sat  down  ^n 
a  big  cannon  to  'hide  my  vexation ;  when  the  bosen's  mate,  just  like 
his  master,  came  across  my  back  with  another  rope's  end,  crying  out, 

" '  Don't  you  ever  dare  to  sit  on  a  gun,  you  lubber,  in  this  here 
ship  again/ 

'• '  I  ax  pardon,  sir/  says  I;  '  where  am  I  to  sit,  then  r 

'•' '  In  lubber's  hole,  to  be  sure/  says  he,  with  a  grin. 

"  Then  I  asked  a  daisent  young  man,  where  lubber's  hole  was,  and 
he  pointed  to  the  top  ov  the  mast.  So,  thinking  that  was  the  place 
fixed  for  the  soldiers  to  be  out  of  the  way  like,  I  climbed  up  the  rope 
ladders,  fearing  every  moment  I'd  tail  into  the  sea.  But  just  as  I 
put  my  head  through  a  hole  in  the  big  iluie  at  the  top  of  the  mast, 
two  sailors  caught  a  hoult  of  me  by  the  ears ;  and  says  one,  says  he: — 

"  '  Avast,  you  lubber !  where  be  you  a  going  to  f ' 

"  '  I'm  going  to  lubber's  hole,  sir/  says  I. 

"  '  Then  you  must  pay  your  footing/  says  the  other,  '  so  fork  out !' 

"But  1  said,  I  wouldn't  pay  no  footing,  for  I  had  only  a  dollar 
about  me,  and  that  belonged  to  you,  sir.  So  they  caught  hoult  of 
me,  and  tied  me  up  to  the  rope-ladder,  legs  and  arms,  like  a  spread- 
aigle ;  and  there  the  villians  left  me  for  two  mortial  hoars,  till  at  last 
I  was  obliged  to  pay  them  the  dollar  to  let  me  go.  Well,  sir,  when 
I  came  down,  three  or  four  fellows  gother  about  me,  and  says  one, 
says  he : — 

' '  Where  did  you  come  from  ? '  says  he. 

' '  I  corne  down  from  the  ropes,  sir/  says  I. 

' '  What  do  you  call  the  ropes  ? '  says  he. 

' '  All  them  ropes  that's  flying  about  over  our  heads/  says  I. 

' '  There's  only  three  ropes  in  the  ship,  you  lubber/  says  another ; 
c  and  this  is  one  of  'em ; '  giving  me  at  the  same  time  a  lick  across 
the  back  with  a  rope's  end. 

" '  And  this  is  another  of  them/  said  a  second  fellow,  giving  me 
another  crack  when  1  turned  round  to  ask  the  first  what  he  meant 
by  it. 

"  Well,  sir,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  as  the  saying  is,  there  I  was 
betune  'em  all ;  and  every  time  I  turned  round  to  face  one  enemy, 
another  behind  would  give  me  a  crack  of  a  rope's  end,  till  at  last  my 
back  was  all  full  of  ridges  and  furrows,  like  a  praty  field. 


THE  WELLINGTON  OVER-ALL.  85 

"  But  that  was  cakes  and  ale  to  what  happened  at  night ;  for  when 
I  was  fast  asleep  in  ray  hammock,  the  yillians  cut  the  strings,  and 
down  I  came,  whack  upon  the  deck ;  faith,  I  thought  every  bone  in 
my  body  was  bruck  to  smithereens. 

"  Well,  sir,  at  last  I  got  up,  and  lay  down  upon  the  deck,  for  f  jar 
of  another  hoist,  covering  myself  up  in  my  blanket,  snug  and  cozy; 
when  one  of  the  invisible  devils,  for  they  were  no  more  to  be  seen 
than  the  good  people*  themselves,  let  dhnve  a  bucket  of  water  souse 
upon  ine,  that  wet  me  to  the  very  skin. 

"What's  that?'  I  said,  as  soon  as  I  got  the  water  out  of  my 
month. 

r '  That's  a  salt-eel  for  your  supper,'  said  the  villiair,  as  he  ran  off 
with  his  brother  scamps,  all  ready  to  split  their  sides  with  laughing. 

"  Well,  sir,"  continued  Conolly,  "  veiy  little  sleep  did  I  get  that 
blessed  night,  what  wid  the  cutting  down,  and  the  salt-eel,  and  the 
cockroaches  that  were  crawling  over  my  face  and  into  my  ears,  with 
their  sticky  legs  and  fingers,  till  daylight ;  when,  just  as  I  was  getting 
into  a  nice  little  doze,  I  heard  a  rumbling  sort  of  a  noise  like  distant 
thunder,  and  a  dashing  of  water  about,  as  if  we  were  goin?  to  Davy's 
locker  in  earnest.  Up  I  jumped,  and,  opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  some 
of  the  say-going  divils  hauling  a  large  square  stone'  backwards  and 
forwards  on  the  deck,  while  others  were  dashing  buckets  of  water 
about  like  mad,  and  others  again,  with  huge  swabs,  sopping  it  up 
after  'em. 

"  '  Come  here,  you  lubber,'  says  one,  c  and  take  a  spell  at  this  holy- 
stone.' 

'' '  He's  a  papist,'  says  another,  '  and  only  believes  in  holy  water.' 
With  that  he  jet  dhrive  a  bucket,  and  set  me  afloat  again. 

| '  To  the  divil  I  pitch  ye,'  I  said,  '  for  English  heretics,  that  don't 
believe  in  holy-stones  or  holy  water  either,  till  ould  Nick  gets  a  hoult 
o'  ye.' 

"  Well,  sir,  off  I  ran,  till  the  carpenter's  mate,  a  countryman  ov  my 
own,  took  compassion  on  me,  and  gave  me  a  place  in  his  berth,  and  a 
breakfast,  too,  though  I  spoilt  the  tay  by  boiling  salt  water  for  it." 

Such  were  the  trials  of  Mr.  Conolly  in  a  line-of-battle  ship ;  which, 
though  vastly  superior ^to  others  in  cleanliness  and  accommodation,  is 
a  mode  of  conveyance  by  no  means  a  favourite  with  our  troops,  who 
generally  prefer  the  free-and-easy  system  of  the  filthy  old  transport. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  WELLINGTON  OVER-ALL. 

OUR  passage,  fortunately,  was  a  short  one,  and  in  due  time  we  were 
landed  at  Chatham,  where  there  was  an  extensive  depot.  It  was 
with  great  delight  that  \ve  once  more  trod  upon  English  ground ; 
but  I  had  the  mortification  of  going  into  the  sick-list  again,  from  a 

*  Fairies. 


86  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

relapse  of  the  Walclieren  ague,  a  misery  which  was  entailed  upon 
many  thousands  long  after  the  termination  of  that  pestilential  enter- 
In 'six  or  eight  weeks,  however,  after  my  return  from  the  land  of 
frogs,  and  vrows,  and  agues,  I  felt  myself,  though  still  rather  weak, 
well  enough  to  go  to  mess ;  and  I  really  did  enjoy  society  once  more, 
after  so  long  a  seclusion  in  my  barrack-room,  with  all  its  attendant 
horrors  of  bark  and  arsenic,  blue  nails,  shakings,  and  hot  fits. 

It  being  a  garrison-mess,  many  of  the  members  were  utter 
strangers  to  me ;  for  we  had  detachments  and  recruiting  companies 
from  several  of  the  regiments  then  in  the  Peninsula,  where  also  was 
my  first  battalion,  in  which  I  had  recently  become  effective.  But 
military  men  are  a  gregarious  race,  by  habit,  at  least,  if  not  from 
nature,  and  we  were  soon  intimate  enough  with  one  another. 

My  new  companions  were,  generally  speaking,  an  excellent  set  of 
fellows :  light-hearted,  free  from  care,  and  averse  to  thought ;  for, 
though  a  few  of  them  had  seen  a  little  service,  the  majority  were 
fresh  from  school.,  or  just  released  from  their  mother's  apron  strings. 
Our  pranks  and  follies,  were,  therefore,  not  of  a  very  sage  or  pru- 
dential character;  but  they  won  us  no  ill-will  amongst  the  in- 
habitants of  Chatham,  or  its  neighbour,  Rochester,  who  looked  upon 
them  rather  as  the  ebullitions  of  unthinking  youth,  than  the  indica- 
tions of  depraved  or  malignant  dispositions. 

There  was,  however,  one  amongst  us  by  no  means  a  general 
'favourite  ;  who,  so  far  from  mingling  in  our  little  sprees,  seemed  to 
move  in  a  higher  sphere,  and  kept  himself  rather  ostentatiously  aloof 
from  our  occasionally  boisterous  merriment.  This  was  Captain 
1\  W.  B.  A.  C.  D.  Hopkins,  or,  as  we  called  him  for  brevity,  Alphabet 
Hopkins ;  a  sobriquet  which  by  no  means  harmonized  with  his  own 
notions  of  self-importance,  or  the  respect  that  was  due  to  his  supe- 
rior merit  and  rapidly  progressive  promotion. 

He  was  a  very  handsome  young  fellow,  so  far  at  least  as  regularity 
of  features  may  be  so  termed,  though  devoid  of  expression ;  and  of 
great  symmetry  and  personal  grace,  mingled,  however,  with  intolerable 
conceit  and  supercilious  manners,  which  effectually  marred  the  im- 
pression he  seemed  at  all  times  anxious  to  make.  He  was  accom- 
plished, in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  word  ;  that  is,  he  had  a 
showy  smattering  of  French  and  Italian,  danced  and  fenced  well, 
sang,  played  the  guitar,  and  drew  vapid  landscapes  in  water-colours. 

But,  above  all,  he  was  an  admirable  shot  with  the  pistol ;  and, 
indeed,  rather  prided  himself  on  the  character  of  a  duellist,  which  he 
had  successfully  sustained  in  two  or  three  rencounters.  He  had  been 
but  recently  promoted  to  a  company  in  the  28th,  from  the  India  staff 
of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley ;  and  the  ordinary  tenour  of  his  conversation 
was  a  perpetual  ringing  of  the  changes  on  the  Governor-general,  the 
Delhi  durbar,  the  Commander-in-chief,  the  India  staff,  and  the 
Bengal  artillery. 

I  was  speedily  disgusted  with  the  affectation  and  presumption  of 
this  ineffable  person  •  but  fancying  that  my  dislike  might  have  arisen 
from  prejudice,  I  did  all  in  rny  power  to  conquer  it,  and  even  made 


THE  WELLINGTON  OVER-ALL.  87 

some  overtures  towards  an  intimacy  with  him.  These  were  received, 
as  usual,  with  a  supercilious  smile,  a  haughty  condescension,  and  a 
patronizing  air ;  which  so  effectually  checked  my  advances,  that  I 
very  soon  left  him  to  the  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  his  own  super- 
eminent  position.  Evidently  piqued  at  this,  he  condescended  in  turn 
to  court  my  acquaintance ;  out  I  received  his  overtures  with  a  cold 
disdain  ^wliich  I  did  no^  attempt  to  qualify,  and  which  ultimately 
stung  him  into  the  bitterest  animosity. 

One  evening,  after  dinner,  the  orders,  as  usual,  were  brought  in  by 
our  respective  orderly  sergeants ;  and  as  I  cast  my  eyes  over  the 
book  that  was  presented  to  me,  a  young  fellow  near  me  called 
out:— 

"  Confound  it  all !  I  am  for  a  garrison  court-martial  to-morrow. 
Blake,  my  dear  fellow,  will  you  take  it  for  me,  as  I  am  engaged  to  go 
on  a  pleasant  excursion  up  the  Medway  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  I  replied.  "  Will  it  be  a  long  affair?  Who's 
to  be  tried?" 

"  I'm  sorry  to  say,"  observed  Captain  Wallis,  of  the  28th,  "  that 
my  pay-sergeant  is  one  of  the  culprits." 

"  What,  OTlaherty  ?  "  demanded  another  of  the  same  regiment. 

"Yes,"  answered  Captain  Wallis:  "as  fine  a  fellow  as  ever 
stepped ;  but  he  has  unfortunately  got  himself  into  a  scrape,  and  is 
minus  in  his  accounts." 

The  name  at  first  did  not  strike  me :  but  on  hearing  it  repeated, 
with  a  variety  of  comments,  generally  of  a  favourable  character,  I  felt 
convinced  that  it  could  be  no  other  than  my  poor  uncle,  whose 
adventure  with  the  mad  bull  I  trust  the  reader  has  not  yet  forgotten. 
I  had  lost  sight  of  him  for  some  years ;  but  his  regiment,  I  now  fully 
recollected,  was  the  twenty-eighth. 

The  pang  this  conviction  gave  me,  actually  shook  my  frame,  and 
made  me  sick  at  heart :  for,  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances, 
the  idea  of  having  an  uncle  in  the  ranks,  in  the  very  same  garrison 
with  me,  was  by  no  means  flattering.  But  to  see  that  uncle  tried  as 
a  public  delinquent ;  nay,  to  be  actually  one  of  his  judges,  compelled 
by  duty,  perhaps,  to  sentence  him  to  a  degrading  punishment; 
forced  to  stand  by  while  he  received  it,  to  hear  his  groans,  to  see  my 
mother's  brother  writhing  in  agony,  his  noble  heart  breaking  under 
the  atrocious  infliction,  while  he  vented  reproaches,  perhaps  curses, 
against  the  unnatural  nephew  who  had  doomed  him  to  so  indelible  a 
disgrace— all  these  thoughts  rushed  with  the  speed  of  lightning 
through  my  brain,  and  I  was  compelled  to  swallow  a  tumbler  of  water 
to  prevent  me  from  fainting. 

In  the  midst  of  my  confusion,  my  eye  fell  upon  Alphabet  Hopkins; 
who  seemed  to  be  looking  at  me  with  a  sardonic  grin,  as  if  he  was 
absolutely  conscious  of  what  was  passing  in  my  mind.  Fortunately, 
I  had  sufficient  command  over  myself  to  check  the  rising  passion  that 
urged  me  to  hurl  a  decanter  at  his  head;  for  it  subsequently 
appeared  that  he  was  only  enjoying  the  anticipated  pleasure  of 
revenge  on  the  luckless  O'Flaherty,  who  had  lost,  or  made  away 
with3  his  favourite  case  of  duelling  pistols. 


88  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

In  a  state  of  mind  that  beggars  description,  I  now  got  up,  and 
making  the  best  excuse  I  could  to  my  Mend,  for  not  taking  his  tour 
of  duty  as  I  had  promised,  I  staggered  out  of ^ the  mess-room; 
nothing,  indeed,  but  the  fresh  breeze  that  was  blowing  pretty  strong 
outside  prevented  me  from  falling  to  the  ground. 

I  took  a  few  turns  in  the  barrack-yard,  till  my  _  thoughts  had 
become  mere  settled;  and,  having  decided  on  the  line  of  conduct 
which  honour  and  the  claims  of  kindred  calfed  upon  me  to  adopt,  I 
proceeded  with  a  firm  and  collected  mind  towards  the  guard-room, 
where  my  uncle  was  in  durance,  and  easily  obtained  admission  to  his 
presence. 

I  found  him  sitting  on  the  guard-bed,  in  an  inner  room,  at  some 
distance  from  the  other  prisoners,  and  leaning  in  a  melancholy  mood 
on  a  small  table,  whereon  a  candle  was  dimly  burning.  His  tall 
athletic  figure  bent  in  unwonted  humility,  his  manly  and  somewhat 
stern  features  clothed  in  sorrow  and  unavailing  contrition,  he  pre- 
sented a  figure  that  a  lover  of  high  art  would  be  delighted  to  study 
for  a  Samson  Agonistes  or  a  Judas  Maccabeus.  The  strong  man 
was  overthrown  by  the  allurements  of  the  syren,  the  noble  fighter 
was  betrayed  by  the  deceitful  smiles  of  fortune. 

I  sat  down  by  the  side  of  my  hapless  relative,  and  took  his  hand 
in  mine  before  he  was  aware  of  my  presence ;  but  when  he  saw  that 
his  unexpected  visitor  was  an  officer,  he  started  up  with  habitual 
respect,  and  carrying  his  hand  to  his  forage-cap,  he  stood  staring  at 
me  with  an  expression  of  mingled  surprise  and  curiosity. 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  I  said,  as  well  as  my  emotion  permitted,  "  sit 
down.  I  wish  to  talk  with  you." 

"  Uncle !  "  he  exclaimed,  'in  utter  amazement. 

"Do  you  not  recollect  Percy  Blake  ?  "  I  said,  taking  his  hand 
again,  and  looking  up  into  his  face,  with  my  eyes  brimful  of  tears. 

"  Percy  Blake,"  he  cried,  clasping  his  hands  together.  "  And  are 
you,  then,  Ensign  Blake,  of  whom  I  have  heard  so  much,  and  of 
whom  I  have  such  reason  to  be  proud  ?  Ah !  'tis  true,"  he  con- 
tinued, as  he  gazed  eagerly  in  my  face.  "  There  is  the  exact  image, 
sure  enough,  of  my  poor  sister  Jane."  Then,  falling  upon  the  guard- 
bed,  he  buried  his  face  in  his  broad  hands,  and  wept  and  sobbed  as 
if  his  heart  would  burst. 

There  is  something  in  the  uncontrolled  passion  of  a  powerful  man, 
that  affects  us  more  than  the  feeble  wailings  of  less  muscular  per- 
sons; and,  though  not  much  given  myself  to  the  melting  mood, 
excent  at  the  well-wrought  imaginary  sorrows  of  the  novelist,  I 
could  not  refrain,  on  such  an  occasion,  from  sharing  the  grief  of 
my  gigantic  relative,  and  for  some  time  we  min°Ted  our  tears 
together. 

.Fortunately,  his  fellow-prisoners,  who  were  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  gave  audible  indications  of  being  far  advanced  in  the  land  of 
dreams,  and  our  sad  communion  wa&  undisturbed. 

At  length,  when  our  mutual  passion  had  subsided,  and  mv  poor 
uncle  had  indulged  m  numerous  self-reproaches  at  having  reduced 
himself  to  such  a  condition  that  he  could  not  even  look  his  own 


CAPTAIN  O'FLAHERTY.  89 

nephew  in  the  face,  I  obtained  from  him  an  explanation  of  the  cruel 
dilemma  in  which  he  was  placed.  Erom  the  account  he  gave  me,  and 
subsequent  disclosures  during  his  trial,  the  following  appears  to  be  a 
correct  narrative  of  the  tragi-comic  adventure  whicn  had  led  to  his 
incarceration 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CAPTAIN    O'l-LAHERTY. 

To  his  own  amazement,  and  that  of  all  others  who  knew  him,  my  poor 
uncle  had  been  for  a  long  time  getting  on  with  a  steadiness  and 
sobriety  that  were  winning  him  golden  opinions  from  the  constituted 
authorities,  when  his  evil  destiny  threw  into  his  pocket  the  sum  of 
£21.  5*.  Qd.  old  prize  money,  and  from  that  period  his  ruin  may  be 
safely  dated. 

It  was  not  for  the  money,  per  se,  that  he  cared  a  rush,  nor  was  he 
dazzled  by  the  large  amount,  having  frequently  had  much  more  in  his 
possession ;  but  then  it  was  company's  money,  which  my  uncle  always 
justly  considered  as  a  sacred  deposit.  Now,  however,  he  had  twenty 
guineas  of  his  own,  honourably  and  dearly  earned,  on  which  there 
was  no  earth l.v  claim,  and  which,  in  fact,  was  a  perfect  superfluity, 
his  pay  being  fully  adequate  to  all  his  wants  and  wishes.  Having, 
also,  no  poor  relation  with  whom  to  share  this  treasure,  his  first 
thought  was,  to  give  a  grand  entertainment  to  the  whole  garrison ; 
but  this  he  found  was  inadmissible.  He  then  hit  upon  some  other 
equally  prudent  schemes  ;  but  finally  resolved,  as  a  dernier  resort,  to 
make  a  trip  to  London,  which  city  he  had  only  once  had  a  misty 
glimpse  of,  as  he  marched  through  it  on  a  wet  day  with  a  body  of 
recruits  to  Chatham. 

Accordingly,  having  obtained  a  week's  furlough,  O'Elaherty  pur- 
chased a  suit  of  mufti,  including  a  handsome  irock-coat,  frogged, 
braided,  and  tasselled  according  to  the  military  fashion  of  the  day. 
He  then  booked  himself  an  inside  passenger  in  the  stage,  and  started 
for  London,  having  first  taken  the  precaution  k>  pin  up  the  mouth  of 
that  pocket  in  which  he  had  deposited  a  green  silk  purse  containing 
the  remainder  of  his  prize  money,  together  with  five  or  six  pounds 
belonging  to  the  company  of  which  he  was  pay-sergeant.  He  had 
also  under  his  charge,  I  must  not  forget  to  state,  a  handsome 
mahogany  case,  containing  the  favourite  duelling  pistols  of  Alphabet 
Hopkins,  which  he  was  commissioned  to  get  cleaned  and  put  in  order 
by  the  maker  in  London. 

My  uncle,  on  arriving  in  the  metropolis,  having  walked  up  one 
street  and  down  another  till  he  was  well-nigh  tired,  dropped  into  a 
coffee-house,  ordered  a  chop  and  a  pint  of  madeira,  to  which  was  sub- 
sequently added  a  pint  of  port  (for  he  was  determined  on  being  very 
moderate) ;  and  he  concluded  with  a  bottle  of  champagne,  just  to 
try  the  merits  of  that  boasted  tipple,  to  which  he  had  hitherto  been  a 


90  THE  YOUNG  E1FLEMAN. 

stranger.  When  he  had  discussed  these  creature  comforts  and  paid 
his  bill,  my  uncle  got  up,  in  his  own  conceit,  as  sober  as  a  judge ;  and 
putting  the  case  of  duelling  pistols  under  his  arm,  he  sallied  forth  to 
execute  his  commission. 

The  fresh  air,  however,  produced  its  usual  effects ;  my  uncle  began 
to  feel  queer,  and  even  suspected  once  or  twice  that  he  was  not 
so  steady  as  he  ought  to  be.  He  therefore  looked  about  for  a 
place  to  sit  down  till  the  swimming  in  his  head  should  pass  away; 
and  a  billiard-room  being  the  first  asylum  that  offered  itself,  he 
walked  in. 

Strange  to  say,  there  was  no  one  in  the  room  but  the  marker,  who 
handed  my  uncle  a  cue,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  knock  the 
balls  about  till  some  one  arrived.  My  uncle  had  played  this  fascinating 
game  in  his  youth :  indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  idle  and  expensive 
habits  which  had  driven  him  to  enlist  as  a  private  soldier ;  but  several 
years  had  elapsed  since  then,  and  he  was  now  somewhat  astonished  to 
find  with  what  facility  he  made  hazards  and  cannons  after  so  long  an 
interval. 

"  Egad,  sir,  you're  a  clipper,"  said  a  young  fellow  who  entered 
just  as  O'Manerty  had  holed  all  the  balls  and  made  a  cannon. 

"Oh,  that's  a  trifle,"  said  my  uncle,  strangely  elated  by  his  success 
and  the  wine  he  had  drunk.  "  There  was  a  time/'  he  added,  with 
becoming  modesty,  "  when  I  could  make  game  off  the  balls  three 
times  out  of  five  :  but  I  am  out  of  practice  now." 

"  Per  Bacco  ! "  replied  the  stranger,  with  a  pretty  little  Italian 
oath,  "  I  should  say  the  contrary.  I  should  be  sorry  to  take  a  red 
hazard  from  you  for  five  guineas  a  game,  and  twenty  the  rub." 

"  Suppose  you  try  a  pool,  gentlemen,"  said  the  marker,  as  two  or 


a  few 


three  more  strangers  now  dropped  in  one  after  another. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  my  uncle,  "  I  don't  mind  if  I  lose 
shillings  with  you." 

"  Shillings  ! "  exclaimed  one  with  a  stare. 

"  Shillings  !  "  cried  another  with  a  laugh. 

"  The  gentleman,"  said  the  marker  quietly,  "is,  perhaps,  not  aware 
that  this  is  a  subscription  table,  and  that  half-guinea  pool  is  the  lowest 
limit  allowed  by  the  rules." 

"  Oh,  that  alters  the  case,"  said  my  uncle,  heartily  ashamed  of  his 
paltry  stake,  and  anxious  to  retrieve  his  character  in  the  eyes  of  his 
new  friends,  who  were  all  stylish-looking  fellows,  dressed  in  the  very 
acme  of  fashion,  with  gold  watches,  chains,  rings,  snuff-boxes,  and 
eye-glasses  sparkling  about  them,  quite  enough  to  stock  a  jeweller's 
shop  in  Cheapside. 

'  What  say  you,  gentlemen,"  said  the  marker,  "  do  you  think  it 
would  be  safe  to  lower  the  stake  a  little  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  Lord  John  would  say  to  it,"  replied  one. 
%  "I  know,"  said  another,  "that  Sir  Humphrey  would  cut  me  dead, 
if  he  ever  heard  of  it." 

"  I  could  never  show  my  face  at  Long's  again,"  cried  a  third. 

'There's  no  occasion  in  life  to  put  yourselves  to  any  trouble, 
gentlemen,"  said  my  uncle,  somewhat  "  flabbergasted,"  as  lie  said 


CAPTAIN  O'FLAHERTY.  91 

himself,  at  these  great  names.  "  Sure,  I'm  agreeable  to  anything  in 
raison." 

A  pool  was  accordingly  determined  on,  and  two  or  three  of  the 
strangers  threw  down  half-a-dozen  guineas  each,  to  be  exchanged  for 
markers  to  pay  for  their  lives  as  they  fell ;  while  my  uncle,  being  now 
put  on  his  mettle,  and  full  of  confidence  in  his  own  good  play,  took 
ten  guineas  from  his  green  silk  purse  for  a  similar  purpose. 

Several  pools  were  now  played  in  rapid  succession,  in  which  fortune 
favoured  the  brave  O '.Flaherty  to  such  a  degree  that,  besides  numerous 
hazards,  he  actually  won  the  three  first  pools  that  were  played. 
Then,  whether  his  companions  were  getting  more  into  play,  or  whether 
he  was  bothered  by  such  a  succession  of  lords,  dukes,  and  earls, 
German  barons,  and  counts  of  the  holy  Roman  empire  as  beat 
incessantly  upon  his  ear,  certain  it  is  that  my  poor  uncle  lost,  not- 
only  his  winnings,  but  also  every  one  of  the  markers  for  which  he 
had  paid  his  ten  guineas.  Heated,  vexed,  and  mortified,  he  now 
declared  his  intention  of  playing  no  more. 

"  No  more  !  "  exclaimed  one  with  a  stare. 

"  No  more !  "  cried  another  with  a  whistle. 

"  Well,  I'm  blowed,"  said  a  third,  a  stout,  bullet-headed  fellow, 
— "  I'm  blowed  if  that  ain't  a  regular  do." 

"  What's  that  you  say  ? "  cried  my  uncle,  with  a  sudden  explosion 
of  wrath. 

"  I  say  'tis  a  regular  do,"  repeated  the  bully,  "  to  corne  for  to  go 
for  to  win  our  money  in  this  here  fashion,  without  giving  us  a  chance 
for  it  again." 

"  I  have  won  none  of  your  money,"  said  my  uncle,  "  but  I  have  lost 
a  good  deal  of  my  own." 

"  Hark  to  the  Irish  gold-finder,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  party. 

''  If  you  dare  say  that  again "  cried  my  uncle. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  bullet-head,  "  none  of  your  big  looks  here, 
Mr.  Irishman,  or  I'll  pitch  into  you,  though  you  are  such  a  hulking 
fellow,  and  polish  you  off  in  less  than  no  time." 

To  show  that  he  really  meant  what  he  said,  he  threw  off  his  coat, 
turned  up  his  wrist-bands,  and  put  himself  into  an  attitude  that  indi- 
cated the  perfection  of  science. 

"  See  here  now,"  cried  my  uncle,  giving  the  table  a  slap  with  his 
huge  palm  that  shook  the  whole  tenement.  "Just  see  here  now,  1 
could  smash  you  as  easy  as  an  egg-shell,  if  I  chose  to  make  a  black- 
guard of  myself,  which  I  shall  not  do,  for  it  would  be  as  much  as  my 
commission  is  worth.  But  if  you  are  really  for  fighting,  as  you  pretend, 
I'm  your  man,  and  this  instant  too,  but  it  must  be  as  a  gentleman." 

"  Oh,  oh !  "  cried  all,  ima  voce. 

"  There  is  my  card,"  said  my  uncle,  who,  in  the  vanity  of  his  heart, 
had  written  himself  down,  "  Captain  O'Elaherty,  of  the  Slashers." 

The  strangers  gazed  in  silence  on  this  formidable  piece  of  paste- 
board, and  looked  at  one  another  as  if  uncertain  how  to  treat  the 
announcement. 

"  And  these,"  continued  my  uncle,  unlocking  the  pistol-case,  which 
lie  had  placed  on  the  billiard-table, — "  these  are  my  weapons." 


92  THE  YOUNG  RIPLEMAN. 

Here  an  indistinct  whispering  took  place  amongst  the  strangers, 
who  seemed  to  look  rather  blank  at  sight  of  the  splendid  duelling 

1 "  Now,"  resumed  my  uncle,  "if  you  really  feel  disposed  for  a  fight, 
take  one  of  these  beautiful  barkers,  and  load  it  to  your  own  taste. 
There  is  a  flask  of  glazed  powder ;  the  balls  and  wadding  all  ready, 
cut  and  dry ;  the  flints  transparent  as  crystal,  and  a  hair  trigger  that 
won't  stand  the  brushing  of  a  fly's  wing.  Then  take  your  post  at  the 
other  end  of  the  table,  unless,  indeed,  you  prefer  fighting  across  it ; 
and  if  I  don't  make  a  box  of  cold  meat  of  you  in  three  jiffeys,  my 
name  isn't  Captain  O'Flaherty." 

This,  of  course,  settled  the  affair.  The  serious  tone  of  my  uncle, 
and  the  unmistakable  expression  of  his  countenance,  proved  to  the 
sharpers  the  necessity  of  a  change  in  their  tactics.  They,  accord- 
ingly, one  and  all,  pressed  round  O'Flaherty  with  expressions  of  regret 
at  having  mistaken  his  rank,  &c.  &c.,  and  the  pugilist  made  a  hand- 
some apology  for  his  rudeness,  which  was  immediately  accepted  by 
my  uncle,  who  was  as  easily  pacified  as  roused  to  anger.  It  was  then 
proposed  that  they  should  shake  hands,  and  drown  all  animosity  in 
the  generous  juice  of  the  grape.  Some  bottles  of  champagne  were 
accordingly  procured  from  a  neighbouring  tavern,  which  healed  ail 
sores,  and  gave  an  additional  stimulus  to  my  poor  relative's  excited 
imagination. 

From  this  period,  my  uncle  could  give  no  connected  account  of  his 
London  adventure ;  it  being  all  buzz  with  him,  as  he  said,  after  he 
had  partaken  of  another  bottle  of  champagne. 

Certain  gleams  of  recollection  he  had,  however,  from  which  he 
begged  me  to  make  out  something  like  a  continuous  narrative,  in  the 
hope  of  discovering  some  clue  or  other  out  of  the  terrible  labyrinth 
in  which  he  was  involved ;  for  instance,  he  recollected  that  when 
called  on  to  pay  his  bill,  at  the  tavern  where  he  put  up,  he  found 
himself  minus  of  his  green  silk  purse  and  its  contents. 

Naturally  concluding  that  his  pocket  had  been  picked  by  some  of 
his  quondam  friends  of  the  billiard-table,  he  was  about  to  start  back 
for  its  recovery,  or,  in  default  thereof,  to  take  it  out  in  a  sound 
thrashing,  indiscriminately  bestowed  upon  the  shoulders  of  the 
knaves  who  had  plundered  him.  To  this,  however,  the  waiter  and 
the  landlord,  and  the  landlord's  wife,  put  in  a  demurrer,  until  the 
bill,  amounting  to  £3. 15s.,  was  liquidated.  This  was  a  poser  for  my 

E)or  uncle,  who  was  fairly  at  his  wits'  end  ;  when  luckily  the 
ndlady  opened  the  pistol-case,  and  exclaimed,  with  a  gesture  of 
surprise, — 

'  Lawk  !  only  think ;  I  declare  to  my  gracious  if  it  ben't  a  box  full 
of  young  guns.  Suppose  you  pop  them." 

My  uncle,  who  had  no  idea  of  any  sort  of  popping  but  one,  was 
here  let  into  popping  of  another  description ;  and,  at  length  with 
great  reluctance,  consented  to  the  only  expedient  that  could  now 
release  him  from  durance  vile.  The  porter,  accordingly,  took  charge 
of  the  implements ;  and,  after  a  short  absence,  very  honestly  brought 
him  back  £5.  10s.  and  a  square  bit  of  pasteboard,  on  which  were 


CAPTAIN   O'PLAHERTY.  93 

written  certain  hieroglyphics,  that  seemed  to  dance  the  hayes  before 
liis  astonished  eyes  as  he  gazed  on  them. 

When  my  uncle  next  came  to  his  recollection,  he  found  himself 
half-naked  and  fighting  in  the  streets,  somewhere  in  the  precincts  of 
Old  Drury,  but  with  whom  and  for  what,  he  could  not  possibly 
imagine.  As  he  was  literally  "  an  Irishman  in  a  row,  every  one's 
customer,"  he  maintained  the  pass  against  all  comers,  and  floored 
fifteen  Charleys  in  succession,  till  at  last  lie  was  captured  by  a  rush 
of  a  dozen  from  all  points  of  the  compass ;  and  being  hand-cuffed 
and  ankle-cuffed,  he  was  borne  oif  to  Bow  Street.  Thence  he  was 
duly  transmitted  to  his  regiment;  all  bruised,  and  battered,  as  he  said, 
like  an  old  tin  kettle  that  had  gone  the  rounds  at  the  tail  of  a  mad  dog. 

"  I  shouldn't  care  a  pinch  of  snuff,"  said  my  uncle,  "  for  all  the 
beatings  in  the  world,  for  mine  has  been  a  give-and-take  sort  of  life 
from  my  youth  upwards :  neither  should  I  care  for  reduction  to  the 
ranks,  for  the  first  forlorn  hope  will  give  me  back  the  worsted 
epaulette  again  ;  but  the  disgrace,  nephew,  the  disgrace  of  the 
halberts  will  break  my  heart." 

When  my  poor  relative  was  a  little  more  composed,  I  asked  him 
how  much  of  the  company's  money  he  was  deficient  in. 

"  About  six  pounds,"  he  replied,  with  a  heavy  sigh. 

"Well,"  I  said,  "I'm  pretty  sure  I  can  make  that  up  before  the 
court  sits  to-morrow." 

"  My  poor  dear  nephew,"  said  he,  squeezing  my  hand,  affection- 
ately, it  will  ruin  you ;  and  I  shall  never  forgive  myself  for  involving 
ypu  in  my  troubles.  Besides,  'tis  of  no  use ;  for  I  shall  be  equally 
disgraced  on  account  of  the  pistols." 

"  How  much  were  they  pawned  for  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Five  pounds  ten  shillings,"  he  replied. 

"Well,  give  me  the  ticket,"  I  said.  "It  may  not  yet  be  too  late 
to  redeem  them." 

"It's  lost,"  he  replied  with  a  heavy  sigh.  "I  cannot  find  it  high 
or  lovy." 

This  was,  indeed,  a  serious  blow  to  my  hopes ;  and  I  now  began 
really  to  despair  of  saving  my  poor  uncle  from  the  disgrace  he  so 
justly  dreaded. 

"Do  you  think,"  I  asked,  "that  Captain  Hopkins  would  consent 
to  receive  from  me  an  equallv  valuable  case,  in  lieu  of  the  one  he  has 
lost  ?;' 

**  Not  lie,  the  puppy,"  replied  my  uncle.  "  He  was  in  a  towering 
passion  when  he  heard  of  the  loss,  and  swore  a  dreadful  oath  that  he 
would  take  ample  vengeance  out  of  my  back." 
i  Tin's  was  just  as  I  expected,  and  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the 
character  of  the  man.  I  knew  not,  therefore,  what  course  to  pursue  ; 
and  sat  silent  and  melancholy,  gazing  upon  my  unhappy  relative  with 
a  woe-begone  countenance,  even  worse  than  his  own. 

"Well,"  he  said,  with  an  effort  to  rouse  himself,  "there's  no 
use  in  sighing  and  dying,  anyhow,  and  I  must  keep  up  my  courage 
for  the  trial.     My  dear  nephew,  just  hand  me  a  dhudlieen*  that 
*  A  short  pipe. 


<J4  THE  YOtJNG  RIFLEMAN. 

you'll   fmd   in   my  jacket   pocket ;    it's  hanging  up  on  the  nail 
1   searched   accordingly,    but    couldn't   find   the    comforter   he 

"  Then  it  must  be  in  the  pocket  of  my  new  frock-coat,"  he  said. 
"Just  see  how  the  villains  tore  it  off  my  back/'3 

It  was,  indeed,  pretty  yell  reduced  to  ribbons,  arid  it  was  with 
difficulty  I  could  ascertain  which  was  a  sleeve  and  which  was  a 
pocket.  At  last,  after  a  long  search,  I  said : — 

"I  cannot  find  your  pipe,  uncle,  though  I  have  searched  every 
pocket  carefully — stop,  there's  a  hole  in  this  one,  perhaps  it  has  fallen 
down— yes,  here's  something  between  the  coat  and  the  lining — huzza! 
huzza !  "'tis  the  pawnbroker's  ticket,  doubled  up ! " 

"God  be  praised  !"  cried  my  poor  uncle,  elevating  his  hands  and 
eyes  ;  "  there  is  at  least  a  glimmering  of  hope." 

"  Now,"  I  said  cheerfully,  "  keep  up  your  courage,  and  leave  the 
rest  to  me.  I  shall  start  for  town  immediately,  and  you  will  probably 
not  see  me  again  till  the  court  opens  to-morrow,  when  you  must  ask 
the  president  to  allow  me  to  defend  you." 

He  squeezed  my  hand  affectionately  as  the  tears  rolled  down  his 
cheeks,  and  exclaimed  in  a  voice  broken  by  sobs : — 

"  God  bless  you,  my  only  comforter  1  Sure  it  was  Providence  that 
sent  you  to  me  in  my  extremity." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  COURT-MARTIAL. 

BY  good  luck,  I  caught  the  paymaster  just  as  he  was  getting  into 
bed.  "We  had  always  been  very  good  friends  ;  for  he  was  musical  as 
well  as  myself,  and  had  a  splendid  voice,  with  great  good  taste,  but 
no  science.  W hen,  however,  I  told  him  that  a  case  of  life  and  death 
required  that  I  should  be  put  in  immediate  possession  of  twenty 
pounds,  he  looked  woefully  blank  ;  but  as  I  had  been  generally  very 
punctual  in  money  matters,  and  gave  him  a  bill  on  ray  brother  for  the 
amount,  which  he  knew  would  be  duly  honoured,  he  at  length  pro- 
duced two  ten-pound  notes,  saying  with  a  grim  smile  as  he  handed 
them  to  me,  that  he  hoped  I  was  going  to  run  away  with  an  heiress, 
as  nothing  else  on  earth  could  possibly  warrant  a  poor  ensign  in 
borrowing  such  a  mint  of  money. 

Again  I  was  in  luck,  for  I  caught  the  very  last  heavy  coach,  just 
on  the  point  of  starting  from  the  "  Bell "  in  Rochester ;  and  spring- 
ing up  to  the  box  seat,  I  was  in  due  time  trundled  once  more  into 
the  mighty  metropolis,  where,  after  a  light  supper,  I  went  to  bed, 
giving  directions  that  I  should  be  called  at  seven  in  the  morning. 

After  a  hasty  breakfast,  I  was  once  more  in  the  streets  at  the 
very  unfashionable  hour  of  eight  o'clock;  hurrying  to  the  pawn- 


THE  COURT-MARTIAL.  95 

broker's,  and  plaguing  myself  on  the  way  with  fancying  a  thousand 
accidents  that  might  baulK  my  wishes.  Nothing,  however,  intervened 
of  an  unfavourable  nature :  I  obtained  the  precious  deposit,  and 
started  again  for  Rochester,  where  I  arrived  soon  after  eleven. 
Time  was  becoming  very  critical ;  so  I  made  the  best  of  my  way  to 
the  barracks,  and  arrived  just  as  the  members  of  the  court-martial 
were  sworn  in,  and  the  proceedings  about  to  commence. 

The  court  being  held  in  the  mess-room,  several  officers  had 
sauntered  in  to  look  at  the  morning  papers,  which  had  just  been  de- 
livered by  the  drum-major.  My  presence,  therefore,  attracted  no 
notice,  as  I  entered  with  the  pistol-case,  wrapped  up  in  my  handker- 
chief, under  my  arm.  I  took  an  opportunity  ot  passing  close  in  front 
of  the  prisoners,  and  tapped  the  case  with  my  finger,  as  I  gave  my 
uncle  a  significant  smile. 

The  effect  was  electrical ;  for  having  heard  or  seen  nothing  of  me 
since  the  previous  night,  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  had 
failed,  and  was  even  ashamed  to  appear  in  his  defence.  He,  there- 
fore, when  I  entered,  stood  amidst  his  brother  culprits,  his  hands 
clasped  together,  and  his  head  bent  down,  a  perfect  statue  of  mute 
despair.  But  when  he  saw  me  smile,  and  beheld  under  my  arm  the 
object  of  his  most  painful  solicitude,  he  smiled  in  turn,  raised  himself 
to  his  full  height,  looked  round  with  a  free,  unconcerned  gaze,  and 
stood  the  very  model  of  a  perfect  soldier. 

I  was  very  glad  to  find  that  much  sympathy  was  evinced,  by  many 
officers  present,  for  the  fate  of  poor  O'Maherty,  whose  well-known 
bravery  had  made  him  a  general  favourite  ;  but  when  they  heard  the 
charges  against  him,  they  sighed,  and  gave  him  up  as  a  lost  man. 

The  president,  having  read  the  usual  formula  for  the  constitution 
of  the  court,  Sergeant  O'Elaherty  was  first  put  upon  his  trial ;  and 
the  other  prisoners,  and  all  the  witnesses,  except  one  about  to  be 
examined,  were  ordered  to  withdraw. 

The  first  charge,  for  drunkenness  and  rioting,  was  fully  proved  by 
two  members  01  the  London  police,  who  had  nothing  to  say  in  my 
uncle's  favour,  except  that  he  was  the  most  terrible  fighter  they  had 
ever  come  across. 

The  second  charge,  for  defalcation,  was  proved  by  his  own  books, 
and  by  the  evidence  of  the  captain  of  his  company,  which  was  cer- 
tainly given  with  the  best  possible  feeling,  ana  mingled  with  many 
observations  highly  favourable  to  the  prisoner. 

The  third  charge,  for  making  away  with  the  pistols,  depended 
solely  upon  the  evidence  of  Captain  Hopkins,  which  he  gave  with  a 
degree  of  bitterness  and  malignity  that  excited  universal  disgust ; 
and  one  or  two  young  fellows  near  me  expressed  a  wish  to  see  the 
puppy  himself  tied  up  to  the  halbeids. 

The  case  haying  been  closed  for  the  prosecution,  the  president, 
with  much  feeling,  addressed  the  prisoner,  and  said  it  was  a  pity  to 
see  so  gallant  a  soldier  reduced  to  such  a  dilemma ;  but  he  had  heard 
the  evidence  against  him,  and  the  court  was  now  ready  to  listen  to 
what  he  could  urge  in  his  defence. 

"  Mr.  President,"  said  my  uncle,  with  a  degree  of  firmness  and  a 


96  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

propriety  of  expression  that  I  did  not  expect  from  him,  "  I  am  a  poor 
unlettered  man,  and  should  only  injure  my  own  cause  by  pleading  it 
myself;  but,  as  I  feel  confident  that  much  may  be  said  in  my  favour, 
1  shall  esteem  it  an  act  of  mercy  if  the  court  will  permit  my  defence 
to  be  made  by  Ensign  Blake,  who  has  kindly  offered  his  services  on 
the  occasion." 

"This,"  said  the  president,  "is  a  somewhat_unusual  request,  and  I 
must  clear  the  court  to  take  it  into  consideration." 

"  Mr.  President,"  I  then  said,  "  I  shall  feel  deeply  indebted,  if  you 
will  permit  me  to  make  one  observation  before  you  clear  the  court." 

"  Certainly,"  he  replied. 

"It  is  merely  this,"  I  continued,  "that  the  prisoner,  doubtless 
from  a  motive  of  delicacy  towards  me,  ^has  not  stated  to  you  that  I 
am  his  nephew.  This,  however,  is  the  fact:  he  is  my  mother's 
brother,  and  it  is  therefore  that  I  most  humbly  entreat  to  be  heard 
in  his  defence." 

Here  a  fresh  indication  of  astonishment  appeared  on  the  counte- 
nances of  all  present ;  and  Alphabet  Hopkins  threw  as  much  scorn 
into  his  insipid  features  as  they  were  capable  of  expressing. 

"  That  being  the  case,"  said  the  president,  after  a  moment's  con- 
sideration, "  it  may  not,  perhaps,  be  necessary  to  clear  the  court. 
What  say  you,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  at  all  necessary,"  replied  one. 

"  There's  no  occasion  in  the  world,"  said  another. 

"  Mr.  Blake,"  said  the  president,  "  the  court  has  agreed  to  hear 
you  in  behalf  of  the  prisoner ;  you  will  therefore  state  what  you 
have  to  say  in  his  defence,  as  briefly  as  may  be  consistent  with  the 
duty  you  have  undertaken  towards  your  client." 

From  my  own  experience,  1  knew  that  if  brevity  be  the  soul  of  wit, 
it  is,  a  fortiori,  the  soul,  and  body  too,  of  a  military  defence.  I  ttiere- 
fore  avoided  everything  bordering  on  prolixity,  and,  according  to  the 
Horatian  maxim,  plunged  at  once  in  medias  res. 

"Mr.  President  and  gentlemen,"  1  said,  "I  shall,  with  your  per- 
mission, begin  with  the  last  charge  preferred  against  the  prisoner,  it 
being  that  which  strikes  at  his  well-known  character  for  honesty  and 
trustworthiness.  He  is  charged  with  having  fraudulently  disposed 
of,  or  otherwise  made  away  with,  a  case  of  pistols." 

"  Duelling-pistols,"  interrupted  Hopkins,  with  a  degree  of  rudeness 
that  called  down  upon  him  the  censure  of  the  president. 

"  A  case  of  duelling-pistols,"  1  quietly  resumed,  "  belonging  to 
Captain  Hopkins,  who  has  deposed  upon  oath  to  the  correctness  of 
the  charge." 

"  And  I  defy  you  to  shake  my  evidence,"  said  Hopkins,  pert.lv. 

Captain  Hopkins,"  said  the  president,  "  I  insist  on  your  being- 
silent,  or  leaving  the  court ;  one  or  the  other." 

"In  spite  of  this  oath  of  Captain  Hopkins,"  I  resumed,  "I  main- 
tain that  the  prisoner  is  perfectly  guiltless  of  the  crime ;  and  here  is 
the  proof  of  my  assertion." 

I  now  unfolded  the  case,  unlocked  it,  and  placed  it  before  the 
president,  to  the  amazement  of  all  present,  and  the  bitter  disap- 


THE  COUllT-MAPcTlAL.  97 

pointment  of  the  baffled  dandy,  who  would  willingly  have  sacrificed 
his  beloved  duelling-pistols  for  the  gratification  of  his  revenge. 

"  I'd  be  glad  to  know,"  he  cried  abruptly,  "  where  and  now  Mr. 
Blake  got  possession  of  those  pistols  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  point  we  are  not  assembled  to  try,"  said  the  president 
quietly.  "It  is  now  only  necessary  for  you  to  state  whether  these 
are  the  pistols  you  entrusted  to  Sergeant  O'Flaherty." 

"  Yes,  they  are,"  said  Hopkins.    "  But  I  want  to  know " 

"Are  they  in  as  good  a  condition,"  interrupted  the  president,  "as 
when  you  placed  them  in  his  hands  ?  " 

"  Yes,  they  are,"  replied  Hopkins ;  ."but  for  all  that •" 

"  The  court  is  satisfied  with  the  evidence  before  it,"  said  the  pre- 
sident, "and  requires  no  further  on  this  charge." 

Alphabet  Hopkins  locked  his  case,  put  it  under  his  arm,  and 
walked  off,  with  a  scowl  of  malignity  at  me,  and  another  at  my  uncle. 

"  The  next  charge,  Mr.  President* and  gentlemen,"  I  then  resumed, 
"  I  trust  I  shall  also  be  able  to  refute.  It  is  founded  on  a  balance  oi' 
six  pounds  ten  shillings,  which  appears  against  the  prisoner  in  his 
own  ledger,  and  in  his  own  handwriting.  Tin's  balance,  however,  so 
far  from  having  embezzled  or  made  away  with,  as  stated  in  the; 
charge,  he  now  offers  to  the  court  through  me  "  (here  I  handed  the 
amount  to  the  president).  "I  beg  further  to  add,  by  his  desire,  that 
no  delay  whatever  would  have  taken  place  in  its  repayment,  were  it 
not  for  the  savage  jll-treatment  he  received  from  a  gang  of  scoundrels 
in  London,  the  marks  of  which  he  still  bears  on  various  parts  of  his 
body;  and  which  occasioned  such  mental  confusion  and  loss  of 
memory,  that  it  was  only  last  night  he  fully  recollected  in  whose 
charge  he  had  safely  deposited  his  company's  money  and  Captain 
Hopkins' s  pistols." 

The  president  handed  the  money  to  the  captain  of  my  uncle's  com- 
pany, and  asked  him  if  that  was  the  balance  he  claimed.  The  captain 
replied  that  it  was  perfectly  correct ;  and  added,  he  was  happy  to  find 
that  the  opinion  he  had  always  entertained  of  Sergeant  O'Elaherty 
was  now  so  fully  justified. 

"  Yfith  respect  to  the  first  charge,  Mr.  President  and  gentlemen," 
I.  continued,  "the  prisoner  instructs  me  to  plead  guilty;  and  he 
throws  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  court.  But  in  doing  so,  may  I 
be  permitted  to  observe  that,  though  he  certainly  was  drunk  on  the 
occasion  specified,  he  was  not,  at  the  time,  on  any  duty ;  he  was  not 
even  with  his  regiment,  but  at  a  distance  from  it  on  furlough :  under 
which  circumstances  it  is  not  customary  to  scan  the  actions  of  a 
soldier  with  the  rigid  scrutiny  that  is  called  for  in  garrison  or  in  the 
field. 

"  I  also  beg  leave  to  observe,  that  the  money  which  enabled  him  to 
commit  this  breach  of  decorum  was  prize-money  gained  by  him  at  the 
capture  of  Monte  Video ;  at  the  storming  of  which  place  he  was  the 
first  man  that  mounted  the  breach,  and  the  only  survivor  of  the  for- 
lorn hope. 

"May  I  beg  the  indulgence  of  the  court  further  to  observe,  that 
the  prisoner  has  ten  wounds  on  his  body,  all  received  in  general 


98  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAX. 

action,  or  iu  storming  parties,  in  Egypt,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  at 
Monte  Video,  and  in  the  Peninsula ;  and  that  he  has  numerous  testi- 
monials of  good  conduct  from  general  and  other  officers,  which  I  beg 
to  lay  before  the  court." 

This  closed  the  proceedings ;  the  court  was  cleared,  and  on  the 
following  day  the  adjutant  read  the  finding  and  sentence  on  the  gar- 
rison parade"  Sergeant  O'Elaherty  was  fully  acquitted  of  the  second 
and  third  charges  preferred  againt  him ;  he  was  found  guilty  of  the 
first,  and  reduced  to  the  rank  and  pay  of  a  private  sentinel,  but 
strongly  recommended  to  mercy  by  the  court. 

The  commandant  of  the  depot,  a  brave  old  soldier  himself,  said 
that,  in  confirming  the  proceedings  of  the  court-martial,  he  felt  a 
pleasure  in  acceding  to  the  recommendation  in  favour  of  one  who  had 
hitherto  acquitted  himself  so  well.  He  hoped  Sergeant  O'Elaherty 
would  profit  by  the  severe  lesson  he  had  received  :  lie  might  now  join 
his  company  with  his  rank  restored  to  him,  and  his  character  for 
honesty  unblemished;  a  compliment  which  he  hoped  his  future  con- 
duct would  also  soon  enable  him  to  pay  to  his  sobriety. 

The  termination  of  this  affair  was  not ^  only  very  gratifying  to  my 
feelings,  but  it  won  me  golden  opinions  from  all  classes  in  the  garri- 
son ;  "where  I  was  looked  upon  as  a  staunch  sort  of  chap,  that 
wouldn't  desert  a  poor  fellow  in  distress,  from  any  feeling  of  false 
shame  or  silly  pride.  The  president  of  the  court-martial,  a  dis- 
tinguished field-oilicer,  always  afterwards  gave  me  a  smile  of  recogni- 
tion, and  the  soldiers,  I  fancied,  threw  more  respectful  feeling  into 
their  ordinary  salute. 

Even  the  worthy  Hebrews,  who  were  regarded  as  ':  sojourners,"  if 
not  actually  as  denizens  of  the  barrack-yard,  seemed  to  consider,  on 
a  very  nice  calculation,  that  the  transaction  had  raised  me  at  least 
ten  per  cent,  in  public  estimation;  and  Solomon  Levi,  as  he  stood 
chaffering  \vkh  me  one  day  for  the  purchase  of  some  old  lace  and  a 
pair  of  wings,  said,  in  a  moment  of  enthusiasm,  that  if  at  any  time  I 
should  be  in  want  of  ten  or  fifteen  pounds,  he  wouldn't  hesitate, 
"s'help  him.  Got !  "  to  lend  them  to  me  on  my  own  personal  security. 
My  military  readers  especially  will  be  able  to*  appreciate  the  value  of 
this  Hebrew  compliment. 

As  for  my  poor  uncle,  he  was  brimful  of  affection,  and  was  never 
tired  of  expressing  his  gratitude  to  me  for  saving  him  from  the  hal- 
berts,  and  restoring  him  to  rank  and  character,  when  all  others  had 
given  him  up  as  a  lost  and  ruined  man.  He  frequently  came  to  my 
barrack-room  to  have  a  talk  with  me  about  family  affairs  and  other 
matters ;  and  I  never  hesitated  to  receive  him  with  as  much  con- 
sideration as  if  fortune  had  made  no  difference  in  our  relative 
positions. 

Indeed,  my  brother-officers  evinced  an  equal  delicacy  towards  him; 
for  if  any  of  them  happened  to  come  into  my  room  when  he  was  pre- 
sent, and  he  would  get  up  to  go  awav,  they  would  immediately  say : 
"  Sit  down,  O'Elaherty ;  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you."  It  was 
very  seldom,  however,  that  he  would  avail  himself  of  the  invitation; 
tor  he  was  not  only  afiaid  of  compromising  me,  but  he  never  forgot 


THE  DUEL.  99 

that  respect^  so  essential  to  discipline,  which  is  deeply  implanted  in 
the  breast  of  the  British  soldier. 

With  my  own  particular  set,  the  affair  being  turned  over  in  every 
possible  point  of  view,  it  was  agreed,  nem.  con.,  that  it  was  a  very 
honourable,  clever  sort  of  thing: ;  and  that  nothing  could  have  been 
done  in  a  more  quiet,  natural,  and  gentlemanly  manner.  Thev 
bestowed  upon  me  the  sobriquet  of  the  "Judge  Advocate,"  whicn 
stuck  for  many  months  after ;  and  even  the  familiar  term  of  Percy 
Blake  merged  for  a  time  in  the  more  novel  and  popular  title. 

There  was,  however,  one  dissentient  voice  to  this  general  meed  of 
approbation.  Alphabet  Hopkins  could  never  forgive  me  for  rescuing 
his  victim  from  his  grasp ;  for,  with  the  tenacity  of  a  little  mind,  lie 
still  cherished  the  revengeful  feeling  he  had  conceived  against  my  poor 
uncle,  though  all  reasonable  ground  for  it  had  long  disappeared. 
Indeed,  he  was  frequently  in  the  habit  of  evincing  the  ill-temper  that; 
devoured  him,  at  mess  and  elsewhere ;  by  throwing  out  innuendoes 
about  poor  relations,  strange  connexions,  drunken  soldiers,  &c. ;  all  of 
which  I  treated  with  the  silent  contempt  they  merited. 


CHAPTER  XXIIT. 

THE  DUEL. 

THE  spring  of  1810  was  now  approaching,  and  as  the  army  under  Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley,  recently  created  Viscount  Wellington,  was  shortly 
to  open  a  fresh  campaign,  every  effort  was  being  made  to  reinforce 
him.  We  had  heard  of  the  battle  of  Talaverabefore  we  left  Walchc- 
ren,  and  many  a  heart  was  set  throbbing  for  the  Peninsula  by  the 
glorious  details.  ^  We  subsequently  learned  _that  Lord  Wellington, 
finding  it  impossible  to  supply  his  troops  with  provisions,  owing  to 
the  total  failure  of  Spanish  promises,  had  separated  from  Cuesta's 
army,  which  had  always  proved  more  an  incumbrance  than  otherwise, 
and  crossing  the  Tagus  at  Arzobispo,  had  retired  upon  his  resources 
at  Badajoz. 

At  this  period,  Napoleon  was  pouring  in  constant  reinforcements 
over  the  Pyrenees,  and  strengthening  his  army-corps  in  every  pro- 
vince of  the  Peninsula.  The  Spanish  generals  were  overthrown  in 
every  direction,  the  French  were  everywhere  victorious,  and  Spain 
once  more  lay  nearly  at  their  feet. 

In  this  state  of  affairs  Lord  Wellington  deemed  it  expedient  to 
confine  himself  to  the  defence  of  Portugal,  and  his  army  accordingly 
recrossed  the  Tagus  for  that  purpose ;  while  the  British  Government, 
fortunately  seeing  where  the  battle  of  European  freedom  was  really 
to  be  fought,  sent  out  as  many  of  the  Walcheren  battalions  as  could  be 
made  effective  to  Lisbon ;  and  the  Portuguese  army  in  British  pay 
was  augmented  to  thirty  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of 
Marshal  Beresford. 

Amongst  other  preparations  for  the  approaching  struggle,  a  large 
n  2 


100  THE  YOUNG   RIPLEATAN. 

draught  from  Chatham  received  orders  to  prepare  for  service ;  and, 
to  my  great  delight,  it  included  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  my  own 
regiment,  and  five  officers,  of  whom  1  was  one. 

1'he  bustle  of  preparation  soon  banished  everything  else  from  my 
mind ;  and  the  numerous  expedients  to  which  my  man  Conolly  and  I 
had  recourse,  to  reduce  my  baggage  to  the  most  compact  state  of 
light-marching  order,  in  which  every  possible  convenience  was  to  be 
comprised  in  the  smallest  possible  space,  gave  me  abundance  of  em- 
ployment up  to  the  very  last  moment. 

The  day  was  at  length  stated  in  garrison  orders,  when  the  draught, 
consisting  of  thirty  officers  and  fifteen  hundred  men,  was  to  march  in 
two  divisions  for  Portsmouth,  to  embark  for  those  fields  of  glory  to 
which  we  all  looked  forward  with  the  glowing  hopes  of  the  soldier, 
and  all  the  cheerful  buoyancy  of  youth. 

Our  last  night  at  the  garrison  mess  was  of  course  a  jovial  one.  We 
sat  clown,  fifty  officers,  who  were  never  again  perhaps  to  meet  together 
in  this  world,  and  many  of  whom  were  likely  to  occupy  foreign  graves 
before  the  year,  which  had  just  commenced,  should  have  accomplished 
its  varied  round. 

In  civil  life,  parting  scenes,  I  believe,  are  generally  of  a  sad  and 
dreary  character,  but  with  us  it  was  quite  the  reverse;  for  we 
,  enjoyed  ourselves  to  a  late  hour,  as  if  there  was  nothing  in  the  world 
to  think  of  but  the  pleasures  of  good-fellowship,  and  happy  quarters. 
EOT  my  part,  my  spirits  were  unusually  light  and  joyous;  and  I 
laughed,  talked,  and  sang  more  than  1  recollect  to  have  done  on  any 
occasion  before  or  since. 

At  length  the  table  began  to  thin,  and  towards  midnight  there 
were  only  a  dozen  good  fellows  left ;  principally  those  who  were  not 
included  in  the  draught,  and  who  seemed  desirous  of  paying  the  last 
honours  of  the  garrison  to  their  departing  comrades. 

We  had  closed  up  to  the  president,  and  I  had  just  concluded  one  of 
my  old  mess  songs,  when  a  young  friend  near  me  cried  out, — 

"  I  say,  Judge-Advocate,  old  fellow,  you'll  be  singing  that  to  the 
soft  senoras  before  another  month  is  over  your  head." 

"  If  so,"  cried  a  voice  opposite  to  me,  "  he'll  be  better  employed 
than  in  pleading  bad  causes." 

Forcibly  struck  by  the  voice  and  the  observation,  I  looked  across 
the  table,  and  saw,  for  the  first  time,  Alphabet  Hopkins,  who,  in  the 
changes  of  the  evening,  had  got  into  his  present  position;  whether 
intentionally  or  not  I  cannot  say,  though  the  former  seemed  the  more 
likely  from  what  followed.  He  looked  flushed  and  excited  with  wine, 
and  stared  at  me  as  if  to  give  more  significance  to  his  remark.  But 
I  was  perfectly  cool  and  collected,  having  been  particulary  abstemious 
during  the  evening,  though  I  appeared  to  drink  as  much  as  the  rest. 
I  therefore  took  no  notice  of  what  he  said ;  but  it  was  freely  com- 
mented on  by  others. 

"Nay,  nay,  Hopkins,"  said  one,  "you  of  all  men,  should  let  that 
subject  die  in  peace." 

"I  only  hope,"  said  another,  "that  I  may  have  as  good  a  cause, 
and  as  clever  an  advocate  if  I  should  ever  be  in  such  a  predicament/' 


THE  DUEL.  101 

" I  think/'  said  a  canny  Scot,  "that  byganes  should  be  byganes, 
and  I  beg  leave,  Mr.  President,  to  propose  General  Brizo." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  president,  "fill  your  glasses.  General 
Brizo!" 

This  old  peace-making:  toast  was  accordingly  drunk  in  bumpers  ; 
but  though  Hopkins  paid  due  honour  to  it  like  the  rest,  the  wine 
seemed  only  to  make  him  more  fidgetty  than  before. 

"By-the-by,  Hopkins,"  said  the  president,  "I  have  heard  it 
rumoured  that  you  are  going  on  the  India  staff  again." 

"That  I  certainly  am,"  said  Hopkins;  "for  who  can  live  like  a 
gentleman  in  this  beggarly  country  ?  Besides,  1  am  cursedly  bored 
with  your  stupid  garrison  towns,  where  one  is  so  apt  to  meet  strange 
connexions  and  country  cousins.  I'm  devilish  sorry  I  ever  left  the 
Suuderbunds." 

"Ah,"  said  Major  Holmes,  "he  wants  to  get  back  again  to  Dum- 
Dum  and  the  Delhi  durbar," 

"  Much  better,"  returned  Hopkins,  "than  your  frowsy  old  barracks, 
where  one  is  mixed  up  with  drunken  old  soldiers,  et  hoc  genus  omne" 

"You'll  enjoy  your  tiger-hunting  again,"  observed  Captain  Philips, 
desirous  of  parrying  this  palpable  hit  at  me. 

"  I  wouldn't  be  an  elephant  in  his  path,"  said  the  president,  "with 
that  double  rifle  of  his." 

"  I  shoot  snobs  and  elephants  with  the  pistol,"  said  Hopkins.  "  I 
keep  the  rifle  for  the  Royal  Bengals." 

"  Well,"  said  a  young  sub,  "  I  never  heard  of  shooting  elephants 
with  a  pistol  before." 

" 3Tis  true,  however,  my  dear  Allen,"  returned  Hopkins ;  "for  you 
must  perceive  there  is  no  use  in  throwing  away  rifle-balls  on  such 
great  hulking,  vulgar  scoundrels  as  elephants,  any  more  than  a  delicate 
hint  on  obtuse  intellects  ;  as  they  only  stick  in  tiieir  thick  hides,  or 
gross  layers  of  muscular  flesh,  and  but  seldom  reach  a  vital  part."  ^ 

"But  how  on  earth  do  you  shoot  the  elephants  with  pistols r " 
demanded  Allen. 

"  Thus  it  is,"  replied  Hopkins.  "  In  the  first  place,  a  man  must 
have  thorough  pluck — real  English  pluck,"  he  repeated,  laying  an 
emphasis  on  the  word,  and  looking  significantly  at  ine. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Allen,  "  any  pluck  will  do,  for  that  matter,  so 
it  be  genuine.  What  do  you  do  next  ?  " 

"Then,"  said  Hopkins,  "I  take  my  stand,  and  await  the  coming 
of  the  brute  till  he  is  within  range.  I  then  fix  my  eye  on  the  spot 
to  be  hit ; "  here  he  actually  did  fix  his  eye  upon  me  in  a  manner  not 
to  be  mistaken,  for  it  was  now  more  than  evident  that  he  was 
desirous  of  picking  a  quarrel  "  That  spot,"  he  continued,  "  is  a 
small  hollow  just  above  the  eye,  through  which  I  send  my  ball  right 
into  his  brain  ;  and  the  brute,  however  gross,  or  strong,  or  muscular 
he  may  be,  falls  dead  at  my  feet." 

The  purport  of  all  these  sly  hints  and  innuendoes  was  now  so  pal- 
pable, that  common  decency  required  me  to  bring  the  matter  to  a 
head,  before  he  should  be  emboldened  to  utter  anything  more  gross 
or  outrageous.  I  therefore  quietly  observed,  — 


102  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"These  elephants,  they  say,  are  remarkably  expert  with  their 
trunks,  and  can  pick  up  a  pin,  or  thread  a  needle  with  the  unwieldy 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Hopkins,  roughly,  "what  of  that  ?" 

"  Simply  this,"  I  replied ;  "  suppose  the  elephant  you  meant  to 
hit  had  a  nine-pounder  levelled  at  your  own  body,  through  the  means 
of  his  trunk  or  otherwise,  don't  you  think  your  English  pluck  might 
quail  a  bit  ?" 

"  English  pluck  never  quails,  sir,"  retorted  Hopkins,  looking  as 
fierce  as  ten  furies.  "It  doesn't  want  the  Dutch  stimulant  that 
inspires  the  courage  of  your  drunken  uncle." 

This  being  a  casus  belli  not  to  be  mistaken,  I  immediately  replied 
in  a  calm  and  collected  manner,— 

"  Captain  Hopkins,  if  you  ever  again  presume  to  utter  a  word  in 
disparagement  of  my  uncle,  I'll  wring  the  nose  off  your  face." 

The  buzz  of  genial  chat  instantly  ceased ;  a  deep  silence  reigned 
around,  and  every  eye  was  fixed  on  the  belligerents,  in  expectation 
of  the  denoiiment. 

Hopkins  had  become  ghastly  pale ;  his  lips  quivered,  he  grasped 
his  glass  C9nvulsively  to  convey  it  to  his  lips,  but  his  hand  shook  so 
that  the  wine  poured  all  down  his  snow-white  vest  and  faultless  shirt- 
front  ;  till,  dashing  the  glass  in  fragments  on  the  taole,  ho  rushed  out 
of  the  room. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  President,  "this  is  all  parish,  and  of  course 
goes  no  further." 

"  Of  course  not,"  replied  several  voices. 

"  It's  all  right,"  said  one. 

"  Bravo,  Judge  Advocate ! "  cried  another. 

"  Go  it,  Percy,  my  boy ! "  said  a  third. 

I  now  rose,  and  also  retired  from  the  mess-room,  having  first 
whispered  a  request  to  Captain  Philips,  who  sat  next  me,  to  follow 
me  to  my  quarters. 

"  Well."  said  Philips,  when  he  had  got  to  my  barrack-room,  "  it 
couldn't  have  been  otherwise.  I  saw  what  was  coming  from  the  very 
beginning." 

"I  hope,"  I  said,  "you  do  not,  therefore,  disapprove  of  my 
conduct." 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  he  replied  ;  "it  was  evidently  forced  upon  you. 
Indeed,  I  must  say  you  evinced  a  great  deal  of  forbearance,  and  that 
seems  to  be  the  general  opinion."  _ 

"  Then  I  trust  you  will  be  kind  enough,  to  act  for  me  in  this 
matter,"  I  continued. 

"  Certainly,"  he  replied,  "  and  _  I  was  going  to  say  with  pleasure ; 
but  the  occasion  may  very  well  dispense  with  that  hackneyed  term." 

Our  conversation  was  soon  after  interrupted  by  a  knock;  and 
Philips  going  to  the  door,  found  it  was  Brevet-Major  Jones,  with  a 
message  from  Hopkins.  My  friend  accordingly  accompanied  him  to 
settle  preliminaries,  while  1  occupied  myself  in  preparing  for  the  event. 

In  nalf-an-hour  Philips  returned,  and  said  that  everything  was 
arranged  for  the  morning. 


THE  DUEL.  103 

"As  your  division  marches  at  eight  o'clock,"  said  Philips,  "we 
have  settled  the  meeting  to  take  place  at  daylight,  between  six  and 
seven." 

"Very  well,"  I  said,  "I  shall  just  have  time  to  take  a  snooze 
before  Conolly  packs  up  my  bed  for  the  baggage-waggon." 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  conceited  fool  as  your  adversary,"  observed 
Philips.  "There  he  is,  strutting  up  and  down  his  barrack-room, 
vapouring  about  his  favourite  duelling-pistols ;  and  boasting  that  in 
one  month  he  had  shot  with  them  three  Baboos,  one  Qui  Hi,  and  a 
Griffin.  I  suppose  he  meant  some  wild  beasts  of  the  jungle." 

"No,  no,"  1  replied,  "those  all  belong  to  the  Bytes  intplumis 
species.  The  Baboo  is  the  Indian  gentleman,  the  Griffin  a  Johnny 
Kaw,  and  he  himself  is  a  specimen  of  the  genus  Qui  Hi." 

"I  thought  it  was  some  cock-and-a-bull  story  like  that  of  the 
elephant,"  observed  Philips.  "  If  we  take  his  own  word  for  it,  he's 
the  most  bloodthirsty  fellow  in  Europe." 

"  Line-crossers,"  I  said,  "  are  privileged  to  draw  the  long  bow." 

"  The  puppy  has  the  impudence  to  say,"  continued  Philips,  "  that 
iu  restoring  his  favourite  pistols,  you  have  given  him  a  stick  to  break 
your  own  head." 

"  If  that  be  the  case  "  I  replied,  "  I  must  give  him  a  Roland  for 
his  Oliver ;  and,  in  diplomatic  phrase,  leave  the  decision  to  the  God 
of  battles." 

Philips  now  looked  at  my  pistols — the  old  brass-barrelled  pair  I 
had  received  as  a  final  gift  from  my  poor  father  on  leaving  him. 

"Well,"  he  said,  laughing  heartily  at  their  homely  appearance, 
"  nobody  will  ever  take  you  for  a  professed  duellist,  at  all  events." 

"  I  trust  not,"  I  replied ;  "  for  I  am  by  no  means  ambitious  of  the 
title.  But  I  am  decidedly  of  opinion  that  one  man  who  kills  a  robber 
in  defence  of  his  property,  is  as  much  a  murderer  as  another  who 
shoots  an  adversary  in  defence  of  his  honour,  which  is  a  thousand 
times  more  precious." 

"Decidedly,"  said  Philips  ;  "but  don't  you  think,  my  dear  fellow, 
that  I  ought  to  go  and  provide  you  with  a  better  pair  ?  " 

"  On  no  account,"  I  replied ;  "  the  secret  is  already  in  the  keeping 
of  too  many ;  and  I  wouldn't  for  the  world  that  any  cause  of  preven- 
tion should  originate  on  my  side." 

"  You're  quite  right,"  said  Philips  ;  "but  I  doubt  if  so  exquisite  a 
Qui  Hi  will  condescend  to  be  shot  by  such  vulgar  bull-dogs." 

Philips  having  wished  me  a  good  night,  I  went  to  bed  and  slept 
soundly  till  half-past  five  ;  when,  being  called  by  my  faithful  Conolly, 
I  dressed,  got  into  a  chaise  with  my  friend,  and  we  drove  to  the 
ground,  which  was  a  field  some  little  distance  from  Rochester,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Medway.  "We  arrived  a  few  minutes  before  the 
appointed  time ;  but  had  not  waited  long,  when  another  chaise  drove 
up,  containing  Hopkins,  his  friend,  and  his  regimejital  surgeon. 

It  was  a  cold,  damp  morning  in  the  beginning  of  February,  and 
we  were  all  muffled  up  in  great  coats,  except  my  adversary,  whose 
foppery  was  displayed,  even  on  such  an  occasion  as  the  present.  He 
wore  a  light  blue  and  silver  cavalry  jacket,  which  set  off  the  sym- 


104  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAX. 

metry  of  his  person  to  great  advantage;  while,  as  he  jumped  from 
the  chaise  humming  an  air  with  great  nonchalance,  and  went  towards 
his  position  in  a  sort  of  waltz  step,  he  took  a  white  cambric  hand- 
kerchief from  his  pocket ;  twirling  this  about  two  or  three  times,  he 
tied  it  round  his  waist  with  an  affectation  of  boyish  levity  that  was 
perfectly  absurd. 

Twelve  paces  being  measured,  we  took  our  ground,  and  our 
seconds,  having  loaded  and  delivered  to  us  our  pistols,  retired  a 
short  distance  •  it  being  arranged,  as  we  were  both  crack  shots,  that 
Major  Jones  should  simply  give  the  word  "fire ! "  when  he  thought 
it  most  convenient  to  do  so.  We  were  not,  however,  lett  long  in 
suspense ;  the  word  was  given,  both  pistols  were  instantly  raised, 
and  went  as  one,  and  both  took  effect. 

I  had  scarcely  pulled  the  trigger  of  mine,  when  I  felt  a  shock  m 
lay  upper  left  arm,  as  if  it  had  been  suddenly  wrenched  out  of  the 
socket ;  but  I  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to  stand  as  if  nothing 
had  happened,  while  my  adversary  was  on  the  ground,  groaning  in 
:i  most  dismal  manner. 

Every  one  ran  to  the  fallen  man;  who,  after  the  surgeon  had 
examined  the  nature  of  his  wound,  was  carried  to  his  chaise,  and 
driven  slowly  off.  his  heavy  moans  striking  upon  my  young  heart 
like  the  knell  of  departing  happiness.  I  was  badly  wounded  myself, 
but  1  felt  it  not ;  I  wasted  not  a  thought  upon  my  own  safety,  or 
probable  sufferings  :  all  my  anxiety  was  for  my  unhappy  antagonist ; 
and  I  felt  such  a  sudden  gush  of  intense  pity  and  remorse,  that  it 
•was  by  the  _most  powerful  effort  I  restrained  the  tears  that  were 
almost  bursting  from  my  eyes. 

Philips  came  towards  me  with  an  appearance  of  hilarity  that  I 
could  see  was  feigned,  and  said,  with  an  attempt  at  cheerfulness,  — 

"You  have  spoiled  his  dancing  for  some  time,  at  least;  he  is 
badly  hit  in  the  hip.  But,  good  heavens !  you  are  bleeding — you  are 
hit  yourself !  Well,  I  must  say  you  take  it  as  if  you  were  used  to  it. 
Ay — there  it  is,  within  an  inch  of  your  heart.  But  it's  your  own 
fault,  my  dear  fellow ;  he  couldn't  miss  you,  for  you  stood  full  front 
to  him." 

"  That's  a  way  we  have  on  the  sod,"  I  replied,  with  a  faint  smile  ; 
"  there  we  always  show  at  least  a  fair  front  to  the  enemy." 

"  Then  it's  a  custom  more  honoured  in  the  breach  than  the  ob- 
servance," said  Philips  drily.  "  In  future,  pray  take  a  lesson  from 
Alphabet  Hopkins ;  you  saw  how  beautifully  he  stood  sideways, 
screwing  in  his  stomach,  and  leaving  no  more  surface  than  the  edge 
of  a  deal  board.  I  doubt  much  if  you'd  have  hit  him  at  all,  especially 
with  that  brazen  bull-dog  of  yours,  if  the  puppy  hadn't  tied  a  white 
handkerchief  round  his  waist." 

"That's  it,"  I  replied.  "With  all  his  science,  he  committed  a 
capital  error;  for  my  eye  was  irresistibly  attracted  by  the  white 
handkerchief." 

I  was  now  bleeding  pretty  fast,  and  getting  weak.  We  therefore 
got  into  our  chaise,  and  started  for  the  barracks ;  but  when  I  arrived 
at  my  quarters,  I  found  them  empty,  for  I  had  kept  the  matter  so 


THE  BAY  OF  BISCAY.  105 

profound  a  secret  from  Mr.  Conolly,  that  he  had  placed  nn 
on  the  waggons,  and  started  with  the  rear  guard  at  least  half  an 
before. 

In  this  dilemma,  Philips  took  me  to  his  quarters,  put  me  into  his 
own  bed,  and  sent  for  one  of  the  depot  surgeons,  who  proceeded 
forthwith  to  extract  the  ball,  which  had  lodged  in  the  muscular  part 
of  the  arm,  and  gave  me  considerable  pain ;  causing,  also,  such  an 
eifusion  of  blood,  that  I  became  excessively  weak  and  sick  at  the 
stomach. 

I  was  very  anxious,  notwithstanding,  to  get  up,  and  march  witli 
the  division ;  but  the  surgeon  declared  he  wouldn't  answer  for  my 
life,  if  I  stirred  even  out  of  bed  for  a  fortnight.  This  intelligence 


My  friends,  however,  rallied  round  me ;  told  me  there  was  no  use 
in  fretting,  that  patience  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  that  every 
sigh  I  heaved  added  twenty-four  hours  to  my  confinement.  I  for- 
tunately had  sense  enough  left  to  acknowledge  the  truth  of  their 
observations,  and  I  therefore  kept  myself  quiet,  not  to  retard  my 
cure.  But  in  a  few  days  intelligence  arrived  of  the  sailing  of  the 
transports  for  Lisbon.  This  threw  me  into  another  paroxysm  of 
impatience ;  and  I  bitterly  bewailed  my  fate  at  seeing  the  glory  with 
which  1  had  so  long  fed  my  hopes,  so  unexpectedly  snatched  from 
my  too  eager  grasp. 

I  was  obliged,  however,  to  submit  to  that  inexorable  destiny  which 
not  only  mocks  all  human  hopes,  and  baffles  all  human  efforts,  but,  by 
showing  us  that  we  are  the  mere  slaves  of  necessity,  deprives  us  even 
of  the  merit  of  patience,  and  the  comfort  of  philosophy.  To  kill 
time,  in  this  dilemma,  as  well  as  to  prepare  myself  for  future  opera- 
tions, I  now  renewed  my  acquaintance  with  the  majestic  old  Cas- 
tilian ;  and  took  lessons  from  a  young  Spaniard,  who  had  been  driven 
from  his  country  by  the  atrocious  Godoy,  for  loving  it  "  not  wisely, 
but  too  well."  With  him  I  read  and  conversed  a  good  deal  during 
the  progress  of  my  cure ;  and  the  facility  I  obtained  from  this 
regular  practice  was  of  essential  service  to  me  much  sooner  than  I 
expected. 


CIIAPTEB,   XXIV. 

THE  BAY  OF  BISCAY. 

I  WAS  at  length  sufficiently  convalescent  to  quit  the  confinement  of 
my  barrack-room,  to  take  air  and  exercise  ;  and  the  joy  I  felt  on  the 
occasion  was  so  great,  that  I  sincerely  pitied  my  adversary,  who  was 
still  in  bed,  and  likely  to  continue  so  for  some  months  to  come ;  the 
extraction  of  the  ball  having  been  a  difficult  r.nd  troublesome  affair, 


106  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

while  the  excessive  irritation  of  his  mind  had  thrown  him  into  a 
fever. 

One  morning,  as  I  was  lounging  about  in  the  tepid  warmth  of  a 
March  sun,  a  brother  officer  came  running  up,  exclaiming,— 

"  Weil,  Judge  Advocate !  I  have  good  news  for  you." 

"What  is  it,  my  dear  Goodlad  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  I  know,"  he  replied,  "  that  you  are  pining  for  your  regiment,  and 
in  a  terrible  hurry  to  go  and  get  knocked  on  the  head ;  so  1  wrote 
to  my  sailor  brother  to  ask  him  if  he  could  help  you  to  a  passage." 

"  You  excellent  fellow,  with  a  most  appropriate  name ! "  I  ex- 
claimed ;  "  what  did  your  sailor  brother  say  in  reply  ?  " 

"  Here  is  his  letter,"  said  Goodlad.  "  He  informs  me  that  he  sails 
for  Lisbon  in  three  days  hence,  with  despatches  and  a  mail ;  and  says, 
like  a  sea-going  monster  as  he  is,  that  if  you  can  rough  it  in  a  four- 
gun  cutter,  and  will  bear  a  hand  and  clap  on  canvas,  he'll  trundle 
you  over  to  that  dirty  city,  in  the  twirling  of  a  handspike." 

I  was  so  delighted,  that  I  warmly  embraced  my  young  friend,  and 
immediately  wrote  an  application  for  permission  to  join  my  regiment 
at  my  own  expense,  a  request  that  was  granted  without  any  diffi- 
culty. Having  no  baggage  left,  through  Mr.  Conolly's  great  attention 
to  that  part  of  his  duty,  _my  preparations  were  soon  made;  and, 
before  1  started  for  my  regiment,  I  passed  one  more  pleasant  evening 
with  my  friends,  at  the  garrison  mess,  now  reduced  to  twenty 
members :  being  overwhelmed  on  every  side  with  good  wishes  and 
kind  predictions  of  success,  and  not  a  few  hints  and  inuendos  of  how 
I  was  to  conduct  myself  with  las  buenas  mtichachas. 

It  was  a  fine  night  as  I  sallied  alone  from  the  mess  to  seek  my 
barrack-room.  All  was  calm  and  silent ;  and  the  full  moon,  cloudless 
and  serene,  shed  a  brilliant  splendour  over  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  as  if  anxious  to  bind  them  together  in  one  bond  of  peace, 
unity,  and  love.  My  heart  seemed  subdued  as  I  looked  upwards ; 
every  feeling  of  hostility  and  pride  that  may  have  lurked  there,  even 
unknown  to  myself,  vanished  under  the  mild  influence  of  the  scene ; 
and  a  glow  of  intense  brotherly  affection  filled  my  breast  for  all  the 
race  of  man. 

In  this  mood  I  was  passing  the  quarters  of  my  late  antagonist, 
which  were  on  the  ground-floor.  All  was  silent  within ;  but  there 
was  a  light  burning,  which  indicated  the  watchfulness  of  the  sick- 
chamber  ;  and  his  servant  was  leaning  against  the  outer  door-post, 
looking  up  at  the  moon,  just  as  I  had  been  myself,  a  few  moments 
before. 

A  sudden  impulse  induced  me  to  stop,  and  I  said  to  his  servant,— 

'  Jenkins,  how  is  your  master  ?  " 

"He's  getting  on  nicely,  now,  sir/3  replied  Jenkins;  "but  he  has 
had  a  severe  bout  of  it." 

"  Is  he  asleep  or  awake  ?  "  I  asked. 

"He  was  dozing  just  now,  sir,"  replied  Jenkins ;  "but  he  doesn't 
sleep  long,  for  he  still  suffers  a  good  deal." 

"  I  am  going  to  join  my  regiment  in  the  morning,"  I  said,  "  Could 
I  step  in,  and  bid  him  good-bye  ?  " 


THE  BAY  OS  BISCAY.  107 

" Certainly,  sir,"  said  Jenkins  ;  "why  not  ? " 

I  accordingly  walked  in  to  look,  with  a  feeling  very  remote  from 
hostility,  on  the  wreck  I  myself  had  made  ;  in  defence  of  that  honour, 
which  is  not  only  the  air  we  breathe,  but  the  very  bread  we  eat, 
wanting  which  we  die  a  living  death  of  obloquy  and  shame :  while  in 
defending  it,  at  the  risk  of  existence,  we  incur  the  anathema  of  all 
who  arrogate  to  themselves  a  monopoly  of  virtue.  Singular  paradox 
of  human  thought ! 

Hopkins  was  lying  on  his  left  side,  the  position  to  which  his 
wound  had  so  long  confined  him.  His  handsome  features  were  pale 
and  bloodless,  his  cheeks  hollow,  his  eyes,  which  were  closed,  sunk 
deep  in  his  head,  while  a  quick,  uncertain  breathing  still  indicated 
the  presence  of  fever.  There  was  an  open  letter  in  his  right  hand, 
from  a  mother,  perhaps,  or  a  sister;  or^t  might  have  some  relation 
to  a  miniature  that  lay  upon  his  table,  for  an  expression  of  sadness 
seemed  mingled  in  his  features  with  one  of  pain. 

I  sat  down  by  his  bedside,  the  curtains  of  which  were  thrown 
back ;  and  as  1  gazed  on  the  motionless  figure  before  me,  my  eyes 
filled  with  tears,  and  I  took  him  gently  by  the  hand.  Hopkins  slowly 
unclosed  his  eyes,  and  looked  at  me;  but,  as  if  uncertain  of  the 
correctness  of  his  vision,  he  put  up  his  hand  to  shade  his  brow 
from  the  light  of  the  candles  that  were  burning  on  the  table,  and 
then  exclaimed,  with  an  accent  of  surprise, — 

"  Good  heavens  !     Can  it  be  you,  Blake  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Hopkins,"  I  said,  pressing  his  feverish  hand,  "  I  hope 
you  will  pardon  this  intrusion ;  but  1  start  for  the  Peninsula  in  the 
morning,  and  couldn't  go  without  bidding  you  good-bye." 

"Well,"  he  exclaimed,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "Blake,  you  never 
conquered  me  till  now ;  but  this  is  an  act  of  manly  kindness  that  I 
shall  never  forget." 

"Then  I  am  truly  happy,"  I  returned,  "that  I  have  at  last  taken 
a  step  to  which  my  wishes  have  often  prompted  me." 

"  So  am  I,"  he  replied ;  "  for  my  mind,  which  has  long  been  agitated 
by  conflicting  feelings  about  you,  is  now  at  rest;  and  1  feel  assured 
that  your  generous  visit  will  do  me  more  good  than  all  the  attentions 
of  our  worthy  doctor." 

"  It  will  be  a  great  consolation  to  me,"  I  said,  "  where  I  am  going, 
that  we  part  friends." 

"As  truly  and  sincerely,"  he  replied,  "as  once  we  were  enemies. 
But  I  am  sorry  to  see  your  arm  still  in,  a  sling ;  they  told  me  you 
were  quite  well." 

"I  shall  soon  lay  it  by  altogether,"  I  answered,  "for  I  have  been 
too  long  indulged  in  luxury  and  idleness." 

"  Would  to  heaven  I  were  going  with  you  to-morrow,"  said  poor 
Hopkins,  with  a  sigh,  "  for  I  begin  to  feel  that  my  whole  life  has 
been  nothing  but  idleness." 

We  parted  soon  after,  with  warm  and  sincere  wishes  for  each 
other's  happiness. 

'•  Good-bye,  my_dear  fellow,"  J  said,  pressing  his  hand;  "I  hope 
we  shall  meet  again  under  happier  auspices." 


J  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  God  bless  you,  Percy  Blake  ! "  he  replied,  returning  ray  pressure. 
"If  you  ever  come  to  India,  be  sure  you  inquire  for  Alphabet 
Hopkins." 

This  being  the  first  time  ray  quondam  antagonist  had  ever  con- 
descended, in  any  way,  to  notice  his  well-known  sobriquet,  I  hailed 
it  as  a  return  to  a  more  wholesome  and  unaffected  mode  of  thinking; 
and  my  mind  being  relieved  by  this  interview  from  a  mountain  of 
anxiety,  I  started,  in  the  morning,  by  the  mail  for  Ealmouth,  where 
I  arrived  just  as  "Blue  Peter"  was  run  up  to  the  gaff  of  his 
Majesty's  cutter,  Seagull. 

I  lost  no  time  in  getting  on  board,  where  I  was  received  by 
Lieutenant  Goodlad,  the  commander,  and  his  brother  officers,  who 
made  me  as  comfortable  as  the  limited  means  of  so  small  a  vessel 
would  allow.  They  had  laid  in  additional  sea-stock,  with  assorts 
of  creature  comforts,  both  liquid  and  solid ;  and  I  had  my  choice  of 
a  berth  or  a  hammock,  giving,  of  course,  a  preference  to  the  latter. 
They  seemed  all  jolly  good  fellows,  especially  Goodlad  himself,  who 
was,  without  exception,  the  most  obliging,  good-tempered  fellow  I 
ever  met  with.  In  short,  with  "  all  appliances  and  means  to  boot," 
we  had  every  reason  to  anticipate  a  most  delightful  passage. 

On  Wednesday,  at  noon,  the  23rd  of  March,  we  got  under  weigh, 
and  stood  our  course  for  Lisbon  with  a  leading  wind.  But  we  had 
scarcely  got  of  the  chaps  of  the  Channel,  when  a  heavy  gale  came  on. 
from  the  north-west ;  and  the  appearance  of  the  weather  was  such, 
on  Sunday  evening,  that  the  mainsail  was  furled,  the  trysail  set,  and 
everything  made  snug  for  the  night. 

Being  "  only  a  lodger,"  as  the  song  says,  I  turned  into  my  hammock 
immediately  after  supper,  leaving  my  messmates  to  contend  Avith  the 
spirit  of  the  storm.  There  I  lay  for  some  time,  between  waking  and 
sleeping ;  listening  to  the  roaring  of  the  wind,  the  dashing  of  the 
waves,  the  creaking  of  the  bulkheads,  the  boatswain's  pipe,  and  the 
rumbling  of  the  carronades,  not  taut  enough  in  their  breachings;  till, 
the  din  at  length  became  so  infernal,  that  I  got  up,  wrapped  my  boat- 
cloak  around  me,  and  poked  my  head  up  the  cabin  hatchway,  to  have 
a  look  at  the  state  of  affairs. 

It  was  very  evident  that  March,  however  it  came  in,  was  deter- 
mined to  go  out  like  a  lion ;  for  the  sky  had  assumed  a  wild  and  most 
threatening  aspect,  and  the  billows  were  tossing  their  heads  on  high, 
in  a  manner  which,  to  the  practised  eye  of  the  mariner,  indicated  a 
tempest  of  no  ordinary  violence.  It  accordingly  came  on,  as  the 
darkness  of  the  night  increased,  with  a  fury  calculated  to  shake  the 
stoutest  heart,  and  to  appal  the  oldest  seaman. 

The  cutter,  however,  had  plenty  of  sea-room,  being  then  about  two 
hundred  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  Lizard,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 
But  the  wind  blew  through  the  night  with  such  steady  and  terrific 
violence,  repeatedly  carrying  away  the  trysail  sheets :  and  the  sea 
rolled  m  such  mountainous  billows,  that  early  on  Monday  morning 
all  hands  were  turned  up,  and  the  cutter  was  hove  to  under  topsail, 
and  close-reefed  foresail  and  jib. 

Under  this  very  reduced  canvas,  the  Seagull  lay  to  for  some  time, 


THE  BAY  OF  BISCAY.  109 

until  a  heavy  sea,  which  struck  her  forward,  carried  away  some  of  her 
bulwarks ;  and  it  was  found  necessary  soon  after  to  close-reef  the 
trysail.  While  all  hands  were  on  deck  engaged  in  this  operation,  a 
tremendous  sea  struck  the  cutter  amidships,  and  threw  her  on 
her  beam  ends ;  sweeping  with  terrific  violence  into  the  foaming 
billows,  four-and-twenty  officers  and  seamen,  three  of  her  four  guns, 
the  tanks,  binnacles,  and  compasses :  shivering  the  mast  into  three 
pieces;  which,  with  sails,  rigging,  spars,  hatches,  bulwarks,  and 
everything  in  short  that  came  in  contact  with  its  irresistible  fury, 
were  swept,  in  one  undistinguishable  mass  of  destruction,  into  the 
yawning  gulf  that  seemed  ready  to  devour  them. 

Sixteen  fine  fellows,  of  the  four-aud-twenty,  who  were  thus  plunged 
into  the  foaming  abyss,  were  lost  for  ever:  the  remaining  eight, 
including  two  officers,  were  thrown  back  by  the  returning  wave  upon 
the  deck,  without  any  exertion  of  their  own ;  perfectly  unconscious, 
so  rapid  was  the  occurrence  of  the  imminent  danger  they  had  incurred, 
and  their  most  singular^escape. 

But,  though  once  more  on  board  the  cutter,  their  situation,  like  our 
own,  seemed  as  perilous  as  ever;  for  the  sea  descended  in  torrents 
down  the  now-uncovered  hatchways,  the  ballast  was  thrown  up  and 
tossed  in  all  directions,  the  chain  cable  was  pitched  out  of  its  locker, 
and  everything  on  board  was  capsized,  and  flung  out  of  its  place.  In 
short,  the  utter  destruction  of  the  vessel  seemed  inevitable  •  for  the 
sea  made  a  clear  breach  over*  her  deck,  filling  the  hold  and  cabins, 
and  tearing  away,  with  irresistible  fury,  everything  that  opposed  it. 

Still,  however,  even  in  the  jaws  of  destruction,  there  is  something 
in  the  heart  of  man,  especially  of  a  British  sailor,  that  prompts  him 
to  struggle  boldly  with  his  fate ;  and  it  was  this  indomitable  principle 
alone  that  saved  the  poor  remnant  of  the  cutter's  crew.  Being 
freed  from  the  heavy  weight  of  her  mast  and  rigging,  which  were 
now  tossing  about  on  the  billows,  the  Seagull  righted  and  regained 
her  buoyancy ;  but  the  sea  was  still  pouring  in  torrents  down  the 
uncovered  hatchways,  and  every  moment  increased  the  probability  of 
her  being  water-logged. 

To  prevent  this  catastrophe,  we  all  laboured  incessantly  to  coyer 
the  hatchways  with  hammocks,  beds,  blankets,  &c. :  but  these  being 
constantly  washed  off,  the  water  still  had  free  admission  ;  till,  bereft 
of  almost  every  hope,  we  fancied  that  the  cutter  was  settling  fast  by 
the  stern,  and  expected^her  every  moment  to  founder.  Still,  we  left 
nothing  untried  that  might  conduce  to  our  safety ;  and  the  pump- 
gear  having  been  washed  away,  we  commenced  with  determined 
patience,  to  bale  out  the  water  with  a  tin  kettle  which  did  not  hold 
more  than  a  gallon,  and  was  almost  the  only  utensil  that  was  left  in 
the  vessel. 

This  was,  indeed,  an  arduous  and  disheartening  task;  but  "courage 
mounteth  with  occasion,"  and  the  maxim  of  the  British  tar  is  "Never 
say  die ! "  Fortunately,  the  hull  ot  the  vessel  was  uninjured ;  con- 
sequently, there  were  no  leaks,  and  the  cutter  lay  pretty  high  out  of 
the  water.  It  was,  therefore,  hoped  that  by  patient  perseverance  the 
body  of  water  she  had  slapped  might  be  reduced ;  and,  in  fact,  after 


]10  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

labouring  hard  for  four-and-twenty  hours,  it  was  sufficiently  dimi- 
nished to  allow  us  a  little  respite  from  the  labour  of  baling. 

Having  so  far  gained  on  the  enemy,  the  jib  was  rigged  on  the  stump 
of  the  mast  which  remained,  to  serve  for  a  mainsail :  a  foresail  was 
converted  into  a  jib,  an  old  boat's  sail  was  set  up  for  a  mizen ;  and 
under  this  wretched  canvas  the  head  of  the  Seagull  was  kept  to  her 
coarse,  as  nearly  as  we  could  judge,  without  _  chart,  compass,  and 
quadrant,  which  had  all  been  swept  out  and  buried  in  the  remorseless 
deep.  But  the  gale,  though  it  still  prevailed  with  unabated  fury, 
continued  happily  to  blow  from  one  point,  which,  being  fair,  per- 
mitted the  cutter' to  remain  on  one  tack;  a  most  favourable  circum- 
stance, for  had  she  been  compelled  to  go  on  another,  she  would, 
owing  to  the  ballast  having  shifted,  in  all  probability  have  capsized. 

Matters  being  thus  brought  to  something  "ship-shape"  like,  we 
were  enabled  to  look  about,  and  contemplate  the  ruin  that  surrounded 
us.  Two  of  the  officers,  who  were  below  when  the  sea  had  struck 
the  vessel,  had  been  fairly  washed  out  of  their  cabins,  and  forced 
upon  deck  with  nothing  but  their  shirts  on.  But  whatever  ideas  of 
drollery  may  have  been  excited  by  their  forlorn  aspect,  they  were  soon 
checked  by  the  appearance  of  a  quantity  of  blood,  staining  some 
flags  on  the  quarter-deck  ;  from  which  we  'drew  the  melancholy  con- 
elusion,  that  some  of  our  gallant  messmates  had  been  crushed  to 
death  by  the  falling  spars,  before  they  had  been  washed  off  the  deck 
of  the  vessel.  Our  sympathy  was  soon1  after  still  further  excited  on 
beholding  the  bodies  of  two  or  three  of  them  floating  at  some  dis- 
tance on  a  portion  of  the  wreck,  stark  and  rigid  in  the  grasp  of 
death. 

The  cold  was  now  intense ;  and  the  scanty  covering  which  had 
been  spared  to  us,  poor  souls,  being  thoroughly  drenched,  only  served 
to  enhance  the  severity  of  the  weather.  Towards  evening,  however, 
the  wind  having  moderated  a  little,  we  were  enabled  to  light  a  fire, 
the  caboose  fortunately  not  having  been  carried  away;  and,  as  another 
piece  of  good  fortune,  the  cook,  who  has  generally  a  secret  locker  of 
his  own,  produced  a  leg  of  mutton,  a  sheep's  head,  and  a  cold  ham. 
Of  the  former  we  made  some  very  passable  soup  in  the  ship's  coppers; 
and  Lieutenant  Goodlad  having  produced  five  or  six  bottles  of  brandy 
from  his  secret  locker,  we  made  a  supper  worthy  of  the  gods ;  for, 
though  our  biscuit  was  thoroughly  soaked  with  salt  water,  we  im- 
proved it  wonderfully  by  an  infusion  of  Cognac. 

On  Wednesday,  the  30th,  a  brig  hove  in  sight  to  leeward,  towards 
evening ;  and,  as  we  drifted  down  towards  her,  we  fired  our  only 
remaining  gun,  and  thus  attracted  the  notice  of  the  stranger,  which 
proved  to  be  a  Frenchman.  Having  neared  the  Seagull,  the  captain 
offered  to  send  a  boat  for  us,  if  we  would  abandon  the  wreck,  saying 
•he  could  do  nothing  for,  or  with,  the  hull.  The  unconquerable  pride 
of  a  British  tar,  however,  here  evinced  itself :  Lieutenant  Goodlad 
refused  to  abandon  his  ship  so  long  as  her  planks  held  together, 
while,  with  three  cheers,  we  all  declared  our  resolution  to  stick  by 
him  to  the  last ;  and  the  Frenchman,  finding  it  useless  to  urge  the 
matter,  filled  his  sails  and  stood  his  course. 


THE  BAY  OP  BISCAY.  Ill 

About  ten  o'clock  on  the  same  night,  an  English  brig  from  Liver- 
pool fell  in  with  us,  and  ranging  up  alongside,  the  captain  proffered 
his  assistance.  This  being  accepted,  he  ordered  a  boat  to  be  lowered, 
and  two  men  to  get  into  it  to  board  the  Seagull,  and  see  what  could 
be  done  for  our  preservation.  But,  alas  !  the  fore-tackle  by  which 
the  boat  was  suspended  unhappily  gave  way,  and  boat  and  men  were 
instantly  engulfed  in  the  mountainous  billows.  The  master  of  the 
brig,  notwithstanding  this  serious  loss,  hoisted  a  lantern  at  his  fore- 
top,  and  lay-to  all  night  in  the  midst  of  the  gale,  to  render  assistance 
if  possible  in  the  morning. 

Thus  passed  the  melancholy  night  of  Wednesday ;  but,  bad  as  our 
prospects  then  were,  the  morning  brought  us  an  addition  ^  to  our 
cares.  Towards  daylight,  if  that  could  be  called  light  which  was 
only  "  darkness  visible,"  the  gale  increased,  with  a  heavy  sea  and 
thick  hazy  weather ;  the  English  brig  being  considerably  to  leeward, 
but  on  a  wind,  and  making  towards  the  wreck.  The  Seagull  also 
bore  away  towards  the  brig ;  but,  unhappily,  the  gale  increased  with 
tremendous  violence,  accompanied  with  terrible  hailstorms,  and  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  the  brig  altogether. 

In  this  forlorn  condition,  our  commander  had  now  no  other  remedy 
than  to  make,  as  well  as  he  could  judge,  for  the  nearest  part  of  the 
Spanish  coast;  even  at  the  risk  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
French,  who  were  in  possession,  generally,  of  the  northern  sea-ports. 
This  was  a  bad  look  out  for  one  <  whose  glowing  hopes  of  com- 
mencing the  campaign  with  some  brilliant  success  were  likely  to  be 
soon  extinguished  in  the  gloom  of  a  French  prison.  But  it  was  un- 
generous of  me  io  think  only  of  myself,  for  my  gallant  companions 
were  in  the  same  predicament :  moreover,  there  was  no  help  for  it 
in  our  utterly  crippled  condition;  and  we  must  either  run  for  the 
nearest  shore,  or  perish  miserably  in  the  gulf  that  was  yawning  to 
swallow  us. 

We  had  not  kept  our  present  course  many  hours,  for  wre  were 
going  bodily  before  the  wind,  when  a  headland,  bearing  due  south, 
loomed  in  the  distance,  raising  its  bluff  bulwark  against  the  waves  of 
the  Atlantic.  As  we  neared  it,  Goodlad,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  coast,  made  it  out  to  be  Corunna,  from  the'  deep  indenta- 
tion comprising  the  three  bays  of  Corunna,  Betanzos,  and  Ferrol. 
At  daylight,  on  Monday,  the  4th  of  April,  we  had  got  in  so  well  wit  h 
the  land,  that  we  were 'distinguished  by  the  people  on  shore,  who  at 
first  took  us  for  a  fishing-smack :  but  having  fired  off  the  last  shot 
we  had  "  in  the  locker,"  as  a  signal  of  distress,  a  government  vessel 
was  sent  out  to  our  assistance.  This  having  taken  us  in  tow,  \ve 
were  soon  brought  in  to  the  harbour ;  to  our  own  great  delight,  and 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  innumerable  spectators  who  crowded 
•'ima, 


THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE    SPANISH    POSADA. 


A  PARTY  of  Aduancros,  or  custom-house  troops,  was  immediately 
sent  on  board  the  Seagull,  to  prevent  smuggling-  :  a  very  needless 
precaution  on  the  part  of  the  authorities,  seeing  that  our  only  cargo 
was  salt  water  ;  a  great  quantity  of  which,  with  all  our  baling,  we 
had  not  been  able  to  return  to  its  parent  bed. 

Nothing  of  our  poor  cutter  now  remained  but  the  bare  hull,  and 
the  stumps  of  her  broken  mast  and  bowsprit  ;  while  the  deck  was 
strewn  with  fragments  of  everything,  in  every  state  of  dilapidation  ; 
hats,  boots,  clothes,  charts,  lanterns,  crockery-ware,  &c.,  &c., 
scattered  about  in  hopeless  confusion,  and  irretrievably  ruined.  The 
bulwarks  were  all  torn  to  atoms,  the  boats  gone,  and  not  a  vestige 
left  of  ringing,  spars,  hatches,  &c.,  &c.  The  ship's  journals,  log- 
books, and  books  of  sailing  directions,  were  all  cut  to  pieces  below, 
by  the  shifting  to  and  fro  of  the  shingle  ballast  which  pervaded  every 
part  of  the  vessel,  and  they  came  up  eventually,  piece-meal,  through 
the  pumps.  A  small  portion  of  the  mail  was  preserved;  but  the 
great  mass  of  it,  comprising  newspapers,  government  despatches  of 
the  utmost  importance,  love-letters  complaining  of  silence,  and  duns 
threatening  arrest,  was  actually  reduced,  by  the  long  rolling  process 
it  had  undergone,  to  papier  maclie  —  many  a  precious  secret,  and  fond, 
confiding  thought,  being  now  nothing  better  than  pap; 

We  lost  no  time  in  making  ourselves  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
affairs  on  shore,  and  learned,  to  our  infinite  satisfaction,  that  there 
was  not  a  single  Frenchman  at  Corunna  ;  the  garrison  having  been 
recently  withdrawn,  to  swell  the  numbers  of  the  "Army  of  Por- 
tugal," with  which  Massena  was  now  about  to  overwhelm  the  British 
troops,  and  drive  the  hated  "leopards"  into  the  sea. 

Still,  however,  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Corunna  were  placed  in  a 
dilemma  by  our  unwelcome  advent  ;  for,  if  they  ventured  to  show 
any  particular  interest  in  our  welfare,  the  French  would  doubtless 
remember  it  to  their  cost  on  their  return  ;  and.  they  could  not  well 
refuse  sympathy  and  assistance  to  the  distressed  officers  and  seamen 
of  a  power  that  was  making  such  gigantic  efforts  to  free  their 
country  from  its  Gallic  thraldom.  In  this  predicament  they  adopted 
a  mezzo  termine,  and  came  to  the  prudent  resolution  of  ignoring  our 
existence  altogether.  Thus  we  lay  in  the  harbour,  like  a  waif  that 
nobody  would  own  ;  while  even  the  manorial  rights  of  flotsom  and 
jetsam  were  abandoned,  from  an  apprehension  of  being  embroiled 
by  meddling  with  one  or  other  of  the  contending  belligerents. 

Fortunately,  we  were  not  starved  in  this  nondescript  position  of 
ours;  for  we  had  abundant  supplies  of  all  descriptions  from  the 
shore,  duly  paying  for  the  same.  We  also  obtained,  on  application, 
another  indulgence,  viz.,  permission  to  visit  the  tomb,  or  rather  the 


THE  SPANISH  POSADA.  113 

grave,  of  our  gallant  countryman,  Sir  John  Moore ;  but  even  this 
•was  by  moonlight,  and  under  the  most  vigilant  supervision  of  the 
police. 

In  this  posture  of  affairs,  Goqdlad  resolved  to  await  the  result  of 
an  application  to  Lisbon  for  assistance,  which  he  was  going  to  make 
through  the  Spanish  post.  But  as  this  channel  of  communication 
•was  so  proverbially  tardy,  if  not  altogether  unsafe,  as  to  involve  the 
probable  delay  of  many  weeks,  I  came  to  a  resolution,  quite  worthy 
of  so  sage  a  person  as  myself:  this  was  to  seek  my  way  through. 
Gallicia  to  the  Portuguese  frontier,  whence  I  thought  I  should  find 
no  difficulty  in  reaching  the  head-quarters  of  the  British  army. 

It  was  in  vain  the  worthy  Goodlad,  and  his  few  remaining  brother- 
officers,  represented  to  me  the  absurdity  and  absolute  madness  of 
such  a  course ;  the  country  being  overrun  by  parties  of  the  enemy  in 
all  directions,  while  the  Spaniards  themselves  were  by  no  means 
trustworthy.  My  obstinate  self-will  was  proof  against  all  their  kind- 
ness ;  and  I  was  determined  not  to  lose  the  chance  of  some  glorious 
action  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  through  a  vague  apprehension 
of  possible  danger. 

Accordingly,  on  a  fine  evening,  in  the  early  part  of  April,  I  parted 
affectionately  from  the  worthy  fellows,  and  bade  adieu  to  the  Sea- 
gull, which  had  certainly  been  a  bird  of  ill  omen  to  me ;  my  only 
wardrobe  being  what  I  actually  stood  in,  viz.,  a  sailor's  jacket,  check 
shirt,  Russia-duck  trousers,  and  a  natty  sou'-wester  stuck  rakishly 
on  the  side  of  my  head.  But  my  spirits  were  buoyant,1  my  heart  was 
stout ;  and  I  recollected,  as  I  went  along,  the  philosophy  I  had  im- 
bibed from  my  poor  father's  campaigning  songs,  as  I  sat  on  his  knee 
in  my  infancy. 

Exclusive  of  my  aforesaid  sea-toggery,  all  the  worldly  wealth  the 
gale  had  left  me  was  three  doubloons.  Goodlad  wanted,  right  or 
wrong,  to  double  the  amount,  but  I  knew  they  ought  to  be  sufficient 
to  take  me  to  my  regiment,  and  that  more  would  only  subject  me  to 
robbery  or  assassination.  I  therefore  gratefully  declined,  his  offer, 
and  the  worthy  fellow  was  quite  annoyed ;  for,  with  his  sea-going 
prejudices,  he  looked  upon  my  enterprise  as  if  I  were  actually  going 
a  thousand  miles  into  an  African  desert.  I  had  also  my  brass- 
barrelled  pistols,  and  my  commission,  a  tough  piece  of  parchment, 
bearing  the  signature*  of  George  the  Third ;  and  a  very  queer  one  it 
was  at  that  period,  consisting  of  a  rigmarole  scrawl,  more  like  a  nest 
of  grasshoppers  than  George  Rex.  I  was  offered  fifty  guineas  for  it 
the  other  day  by  a  collector  of  royal  autographs,  but  refused,  being 
determined  that  it  shall  descend  as  an  heir-loom  to  my  latest 
posterity. 

It  was  dusk  when  I  landed  on  the  Marina,  and  I  chose  this  hour 
expressly  to  avoid  observation,  having  no  passport ;  for  the  Spanish 
authorities  absolutely  declined  having  anything  whatever  to  do  with 
the  crew  of  the  Seagull,  who  were  even  more  '*  tabooed  "  at  Corunna, 
than  the  "Ancient  Mariner"  himself.  The  plan  I  had  laid  down 
for  my  guidance,  was  to  seek  some  unpretending  posada,  where  the 
anieros,  or  muleteers,  are  accustomed  to  put  up ;  as,  by  means  of 


114,  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAN. 

one  of  these  sentry,  of  whose  sagacity  and  trust-worthiness  I  had 
heard  many  favourable  accounts,  I  might  succeed  in  finding  my  way 
to  the  Portuguese  frontier.  I  accordingly  proceeded  in  my  search, 
making  as  few  inquiries  as  possible,  to  a,void  exciting  troublesome 
curiosity. 

The  streets  of  old  Coruuna  were,  like  those  of  most  Spanish  towns, 
narrow,  winding  and  dirty;  and  the  houses  resembled  gloomy 
prisons,  from  the  huge  iron  grating  that  invariably  guards  the 
windows  of  the  ground-floor.  This  floor  was  also  appropriated  as  a 
stable,  or  cow-house ;  or,  if  the  building  belonged  to  an  hidalgo  of 
any  pretension,  it  was  a  large,  vacant,  dirty  hall.  There  were  very 
few  people  about,  even  at  this  early  hour,  and  the  streets,  for  want 
of  lamps,  were  dismally  dark.  I  stumbled  on,  however,  till  I  had 
traversed  the  whole  town,  and  made  many  ineffectual  attempts  to 
procure  a  lodging ;  but  I  was  a  stranger,  and  nobody  would  take  me 
in;  while,  as  every  one  to  whom  I  vainly  applied,  returned  my 
Bnenas  nodes!  with  the  customary  Vaya  listed  con  Diosf  it  sounded, 
in  spirit  at  least,  wonderfully  like  Paya  usted  con  demonio  ! 

Thus  baffled,  I  began  to  contemplate  the  agreeable  prospect  of 
passing  the  night  in  the  streets ;  while,  to  mend  the  matter,  it  came 
on  to  rain  so  furiously  that  I  was  speedily  wet  to  the  skin.  At 
length,  an  old  woman,  feeling  for  my  situation,  offered  to  show  me  a 
posada,  where  I  should  probably  be  received ;  and,  under  the 
guidance  of  this  ancient  sibyl,  I  proceeded  to  a  remote  and  dreary 
part  of  the  town,  the  houses  of  which  looked  in  a  very  old  and 
tumble-down  condition.  Into  one  of  these,  which  certainly  had  a 
most  gloomy  and  sinister  aspect,  I  was  ushered,  and  found  the  lower 
apartment  filled  with  mules  and  bullocks :  in  their  agreeable  society 
I  was  left  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  the  dark ;  while  the  whole 
building  re-echoed  with  the  shrill  voice  of  my  conductress,  as  she 
endeavoured  to  attract  to  our  assistance  some  one  belonging  to  the 
casa. 

At  length,  her  repeated  cries  seemed  to  produce  some  effect ;  for 
a  glimmering  light,  gradually  descending  a  rickety  staircase,  dis- 
played to  my  longing  eyes  a  squalid-looking  female,  enveloped  in 
rags  and  dirt,  who  at  a  safe  distance  demanded : 

"  Quien  esta  ahi  ?  "  * 

"  Gente  de  paz,"t  replied  my  fair  friend,  in  a  voice  which,  in  spite 
of  her  assertion,  had  something  warlike  in  its  tones. 

The  captivating  figure  of  the  stranger  now  ventured  to  descend  a 
few  steps  further ;  when,  having  ascertained  the  object  of  my  visit, 
.she  looked  at  me  for  some  seconds  with  a  scrutinizing  glance,  and 
demanded  in  a  very  unmusical  voice  : — 

"Es  usted  Ingles  ?"J 

"  No,"  I  replied,  with  much  presence  of  mind,  "  I  arn  an  Irishman." 

<  Pues  usted  es  Cristiano,"§  she  exclaimed,  with  something  like  a 
smile. 

*  "  Who  is  there  ? "  f  "  Friends,"— literally,  "  people  of  peace." 

T  "  Are  you  an  Englishman  ? "          {•  "  Then  you  are  n  Christina." 


THE  SPANISH  POSADA.  115 

"  Certainly,  seiiora  patrona,  muy  Cristiano,"  I  replied,  as  1  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  to  convince  her  of  the  fact. 

This  immediately  wrought  a  favourable  change  in  both  ladies,  one 
of  whom  exclaimed,  "Ave  Maria  purisima!"*  and  the  other,  "Sin 
pecado  conccbida!"f  I  was  then  invited  to  ascend— a  welcome 
summons,  which  I  gladly  obeyed,  after  heartily  thanking  my  venerable 
guide. 

I  followed  mine  hostess  up  three  flights  of  steps,  avoiding  with 
caution  the  numerous  apertures  which  age  and  decay  had  made  in 
the  time-won!  fabric,  until  we  arrived  at  the  cocina,  or  kitchen,  which 
was  at  the  very  summit  of  the  building,  and  served  also  as  parlour 
and  drawing-room  to  the  numerous  guests  who  frequented  this 
delectable  establishment. 

Into  this  Cyclop' s  den  I  was  now  ushered;  but  whether  it  was 
inhabited  by  any  other  beings  than  myself  I  could  only  ascertain  by 
the  confused  sound  of  many  voices,  so'dense  was  the  atmosphere,  and 
so  thick  the  volumes  of  smoke  that  rolled  about,  and  increased  the 
blackness  of  the  walls  and  ceiling,  which  were  mcrustcd  with  the 
dirt  of  half  a  century. 

I  had  no  sooner  taken  a  seat,  in  order  to  dry  my  clothes,  by  a  fire 
that  was  composed  of  huge  logs  of  pine  and  cork  tree,  over  which 
some  iron  pots  and  saucepans  were  hissing  and  sending  forth  a 
savoury  odour,  than  the  patron,  or  landlord,  approaching  with  scant 
ceremony,  desired  to  see  my  passport.  Without  any  hesitation  I 
pulled  out  my  commission,  and  displayed  it  to  his  admiring  gaze  ;  but 
though  it  was  all  Greek  and  Arabic  to  him,  yet,  being  printed  on  vellum 
and  bearing  the  War-office  seal,  he  took  it  for  granted  that  it  was  all 
right,  and  invited  me  to  draw  near  the  supper-table. 

This  unsophisticated  festal  board  consisted  of  two  rough  planks, 
rudely  joined  together  and  supported  upon  trestles,  or  cross-legs ;  it 
was  unencumbered  with  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  tablecloth,  which 
gave  it  an  air  of  primitive  simplicity.  This  was  very  much  enhanced 
by  the  homely  aspect  of  a  dozen  wooden  platters,  and  spoons  of  the 
same  material,  with  some  horn  drinking-cups,  placed  before  as  many 
very  hungry  guests,  for  such  I  conjectured  them  to  be,  from  the  eager 
glances  with  which  they  hailed  the  appearance  of  a  huge  earthen  pan 
filled  with  a  smoking  puchero,  or,  as  we  call  it  in  England,  "  olla 
podrida"  that  was  now  placed  on  the  centre  of  the  supper-table. 

My  new  companions  appeared  to  be  very  intimate  with  each  other, 
and,  indeed,  connected  together  by  some  tie  either  of  brotherhood  or 
profession.  They  were  dressed  in  the  ordinary  Gallician  costume, 
and  wore  their  Montero  caps  at  table,  some  decorated  with  a  red 
plume  and  others  with  a  peacock's  feather. 

Though  they  all  seemed  very  familiar  with  each  other,  they  paid 
more  than  ordinary  respect  to  one  who  sat  opposite  to  me,  and  whom 
they  always  addressed  as  Don  Pedro :  but  amongst  themselves  they 
rarely  used  any  other  terms  than  hermano  (brother)  or  amigo  (friend) ; 
with  the  addition  of  their  Christian  name,  or  some  distinctive  appel- 


116  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAN. 

lation,  derived  from  personal  quality,  or  defect,  or  peculiar  incident 
of  private  history.  They  also,  in  confidential  chat,  frequently  called 
their  chief  Pero  Yote.ro  (Swearing  Peter)  or  el  Tio  del  Diablo  (the 
devil's  uncle).  This  Don  Pedro  was  a  stout-built,  stern-looking 
fellow,  with  huge  mustachios,  and  a  gash  in  his  left  cheek,  that 
seemed  to  draw  the  eye  on  that  side  down  lower  than  its  companion; 
but  there  was,  at  the  same  time,  a  look  of  frank  hardihood  about  him 
which  won  my  regard  at  the  first  glance. 

I  had  time  to  make  these  observations  while  ihzpuchero  was  going 
round :  for  every  one  put  in  his  spoon  and  helped  himself  either  to 
ham  and  chicken,  turkey  pullet,  hare,  wild  fowl,  beef,  mutton,  or 
veal— for  of  all  these  ingredients  was  this  noble  dish  composed ; 
seasoned  with  chillies,  onions,  tomatoes,  garlic,  and  other  condiments, 
equally  savoury  and  appetissant.  This  being  the  first  time  I  had  seen 
the  boasted  puchero*  I  was  very  much  interested  in  its  favour ;  and 
when  it  came  to  my  turn  I  followed  the  example  of  my  companions 
with  no  niggard  hand  :  in  short,  all  were  soon  occupied  in  the  most 
satisfactory  manner ;  and  the  general  process  of  mastication  was  only 
interrupted  by  occasional  visits  to  the  pipe  of  a  hota,  or  leathern  wine- 
bag, which  circled  quicivly  from  mouth  to  mouth  round  the  table,  to 
the  evident  diminution  of  its  racy  contents. 

In  the  midst  of  our  enjoyment,  the  door  opened,  and  in  walked  a, 
gaunt,  sinister-looking  fellow,  who  was  evidently  a  "  late"  member  of 
the  supper-party,  from  the  look  of  disappointment  with  which  he 
gazed  on  the  fully  occupied  table,  where  no  place  had  been  kept  for 
him,  ancHhe  expression  of  surprise  in  which  he  vented  his  anger. 

"  Carajo !  "f  he  exclaimed  ;  "  no  tiene  hi  gar  para  mi !" 

All,  however,  seemed  too  well  employed  to  pay  attention  to  the  new 
comer,  who,  seeing  that  he  must  help  himself  or  wait  till  the  others 
were  done,  made  directly  towards  me,  the  only  stranger  in  company, 
and  taking  me  rudely  by  the  shoulders,  cried  out, — 

" Hola !  seiior  paisano,  vaya  usted  con  mil  demonios  !"J 

I  instantly  started  up,  enraged  at  being  thus  interrupted  in 
my  first  acquaintance  with  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  Spanish  cookery,  and 
exclaiming,  "  Go  to  the  devil  yourself! "  I  gave  the  fellow  a  push  that 
sent  him  staggering  into  the  lap  of  thepatrona,  who  was  resting  from 
her  labours,  and  now  opened  with  a  volley  of  abuse  upon  her  uninten- 
tional visitor. 

All  who  witnessed  the  incident  laughed  at  the  drollery  of  the 
catastrophe ;  but  the  hungry  Gallegan,  exclaiming  with  immense 
volubility,  "  Carajo !  Cojones  !  Demonic !  San  Antonio !"  grasped 
his  knife  and  ran  at  me,  evidently  intent  on  avenging  his  disgrace  in 
the  most  approved  Peninsular  fashion.  Before  he  had  time  to  eifect 
his  purpose,  however,  I  drew  one  of  my  brazen  bulldogs  from  my 

*  This  famous  Spanish  dish  derives  its  name  from  the  pipkin  or  vessel  in  which 
it  is  cooked. 

t  This  is  the  invariable,  but  untranslatable  Spanish  oath.  It  is  pronounced 
car«,ho. 

i  "  Go  to  a  thousand  devils,  peasant ! " 


PERO  VOTERO.  117 

breast,  and  presenting  it  in  his  face,  swore  I  would  blow  his  brains  out 
if  he  did  not  instantly  put  up  his  weapon. 

The  fellow  looked  at  me  for  a  moment,  as  if  uncertain  what  to  do  • 
but  I  repeated  my  threat  in  a  still  more  determined  manner,  till 
finally,  with  a  look  of  diabolical  malice,  he  did  as  he  was  bid,  and 
shuffled  in  amongst  some  of  his  companions,  who  made  room  for  him, 
muttering  to  himself  the  thousand  and  one  different  ways  in  which  he 
would  put  me  to  death  on  the  first  convenient  opportunity. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PERO  VOTERO. 

As  the  harmony  of  the  meeting  was  evidently  interrupted  by  this 
serio-comic  incident,  and  a  few  angry  looks  were  directed  towards  me, 
I  made  something  in  the  shape  of  a  general  apology  for  a  disturbance 
of  which  I  had  been  the  innocent  cause,  out  trusted  the  senores 
caballeros  would  do  me  the  justice  to  acknowledge  that  I  was  not  the 
aggressor. 

"Es  verdad!"  cried  Don  Pedro,  striking  the  table  with  his  fist. 
"  Cuerpo  del  diablo  !  el  chico  tiene  razon  !"* 

This  produced  so  evident  a  change  in  my  favour,  that,  with  a  lively 
feeling  of  gratitude  for  the  timely  intervention,  I  poured  out  a  horn 
of  wine  in  the  English  fashion,  and  drank  it  off  to  the  health  of  my 
generous  backer.  At  the  same  time,  more  inadvertently  than  other- 
wise, I  made  him  the  Masonic  sign  of  brotherhood. 

"  Toma !  Toma ! "  cried  Don  Pedro,  returning  the  signal ;  "  con  que 
usted  es  uno  de  nosotros  !"t 

"  Sin  dubio !"  I  exclaimed.     "  Yivan  los  valorosos  Espaiioles  !" 

"Que  viva!  Que  viva  usted,  caballero!"  cried  several  voices, 
while  Don  Pedro  grasped  my  hand  across  the  table,  and  we  were 
thenceforward  friends  and  brothers.  The  remainder  of  the  supper 
passed  off  with  great  glee  and  good  fellowship ;  and  even  Manuelo, 
with  whom  I  had  had  the  fracas,  was  prevailed  on  to  offer  me  his 
hand,  which  I  shook  cordially. 

After  the  puchero  had  entirely  disappeared,  for  it  was  considered 
unmanly  to  quit  the  scene  of  action  before,  we  drew  round  the  fire- 
place to  enjoy  a  social  chat  until  bed-time. 

I  attached  myself  especially  to  Don  Pedro,  who  seemed  gratified  at 
the  preference ;  and  handing  him  my  cigar-case  (stored  with  right 
Havannahs  by  the  worthy  Goodlad),  a  compliment  which  is  never 
thrown  away  in  Spain,  we  entered  into  confidential  chat  a  little  retired 
from  the  remainder  of  the  company,  till,  by  degrees,  the  natural 
reserve  of  the  Spanish  character  had  entirely  vanished. 

"Apparently,"  said  Don  Pedro,  "you  belong  to  the  English  vessel 
so  nearly  wrecked  on  this  maldita  coast  of  ours." 

*  "  Body  of  the  devil !  the  lad  is  right ! "  t  "  Then  you  are  one  of  us ! " 


118  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  I  came  out  in  her,"  I  replied ;  "but  I  am  an  officer  in  the  British 

armv,  going  to  join  my  regiment." 

"Sombre ! "  exclaimed  Don  Pedro,  with  a  gesture  of  surprise, 
"  how  do  you  mean  to  go  ?  " 

"I  must  try  and  find  my  way,"  I  replied,  "to  the  Portuguese 
frontier,  and  there,  doubtless,  I  shall  get  assistance." 

"Carajo  !  "  cried  Don  Pedro,  "  you  are  either  a  very  bold  follow, 
or  very  ignorant  of  the  dangers  and  difficulties  that  lie  in  your  way." 

"I  care  little  about  them,"  I  said,  "if  the  thing  is  not  altogether 
impossible." 

"Nothing  is  impossible,"  said  Don  Pedro,  "to  a  bold  heart  and  a 
cool  head.  But  you  will  have  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  French  army- 
corps  and  straggling  parties  ;  _and  how  you  are  to  do  that,  without 
being  shot  or  made  prisoner,  is  the  thing  I  cannot  just  now  under- 
stand." 

"If  any  kind  friend,"  I  observed,  "would  assist  me  in  my  enter- 
prise, I  should  reward  him  for  his  services." 

"  Vamos  a  yer— let  us  see,"  said  Don  Pedro.  "  The  head-quarters 
of  el  gran  lor*  are  now  at  Yizen,  for  your  army  is  all  in  Portugal  at 
present.  General  Hill  is  at  Abrantes,  Picton  at  Pinhel — but  stay, 
what  division  do  you  belong  to  ?  " 

"I  am  equally  surprised  and  delighted,"  I  said,  '"'to  find  you  so 
well  acquainted  with  the  positions  of  the  British  army." 

"  Don't  you  trouble  yourself  about  that.  Senor  Inglesito,"  said  Don 
Pedro,  drily.  "If  I  can  put  you  in  the  way,  1  will ;  if  not,  you  must 
take  the  will  for  the  deed.  What  division  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  The  light  division,"  1  replied. 

"Oh,  Crawfurd,"  interrupted  Don  Pedro.  "He  is  in  advance 
between  Guard  a  and  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  on  the  Coa.  He'll  have  the 
iirst  brush  with  the  troops  of  Massena,  who  has  orders  from 
.Napoleon  to  drive  your  leopards  into  the  sea." 

"  A  threat,"  I  exclaimed,  "  which  he  will  never  be  able  to  ac- 
complish." 

"That  is,"  observed  Don  Pedro,  gravely,  "  if  el  gran  lor  obtains  the 
assistance  of  nosotros." 

"Sin  dubio,"  I  responded;  "nothing  can  be  done  without  los 
"'"alientes  Espaiioles." 

"Con  que,"  said  Don  Pedro,  much  gratified  by  this  admission; 
''  you  want  to  go  the  safest  way  to  Guardu." 

"The  nearest,"  I  replied;  "for  I  want  to  be  with  my  regiment 
before  the  opening  of  the  campaign." 

Here  the  thoughtful  Spaniard  put  his  finger  to  his  forehead,  as  if 
deeply  considering  the  case  in  all  its  bearings.  At  length  he  ex- 
claimed : 

"Jesus  mil  veces !    Lo  tengo  !  "f 

He  then  requested  me  to  stand  up ;  and,  as  if  communing  with 
himself,  muttered : 

*  The  great  lord,  as  Wellington  was  called  in  Spain. 

t  "  Jesus,  a  thousand  times !  (a  common  adjuration)   I  have  it ' " 


PESO  YOTE110.  119 

"No  not  too  tall— a  light  and  flexible  figure— good  features— yes, 
'twill  do— buena  moza !  buena  moza !  "* 

Quite  at  a  loss  to  kno\v  if  lie  was  amusing  himself  at  my  expense, 
and  extremely  puzzled  about  the  phrase  "  buena  moza,"  I  was  about 
to  question  Don  Pedro,  when  he  suddenly  started  up,  exclaiming1 : 

"  Venga  usted  conmigo  !  "f 

More  than  ever  surprised  at  what  I  considered  very  eccentric  con- 
duct, 1  yet  followed  my  new  friend ;  who,  taking  an  iron  lamp  that 
was  burning  on  a  shelf  over  the  fireplace,  conducted  me  through  two 
or  three  winding  passages,  and  up  a  rickety  flight  of  stairs.  Then, 
stopping  at  a  door,  he  knocked  three  times,  and  it  was  opened  by  ;t 
stout,  good-looking  young  woman,  in  rather  a  careless  deshabille,  who 
drew  back  on  seeing  a  stranger. 

"Entre  usted,  caballerq,"  said  Don  Pedro,  with  all  the  formal 
generosity  of  an  old  Castilian.  "This  house,  and  all  it  possesses,  is 
yours  from  henceforward  for  ever,  and  I  hope  you  will  honour  it  with 
your  acceptance." 

This  was,  I  confess,  no  great  effort  of  generosity  on  the  part;  of 
Don  Pedro,  for  the  venerable  casa,  as  he  called  it,  contained  nothing 
but  a  rickety  table,  a  couple  of  rush-bottomed  chairs,  a  truckle  bed. 
and  an  iron  lamp  burning  before  an  image  of  the  Virgin  in  tinsel 
finery,  stuck  up  in  a  niche  in  the  wall.  I,  however,  returned  mucJias 
gracias  for  so  munificent  a  donation,  and  he  then  introduced  me  to  his 
muy  queridita  mugeri,  Dona  Maria. 

1  made  a  very  elaborate  bow,  as  I  exclaimed,  "  Mi  tengo  a  los  pies 
de  usted,  sefiora;"§  to  which  she  replied  with  a  gracious  smile, 

"  Beso  a  usted  la  mano,  caballero."  || 

"  Now,"  said  Don  Pedro  to  me,  after  these  preliminary  formalities, 
"  the  case  is  this,  Senor  Ingles :  Mi  muger  is  going  to-morrow  beyond 
Orense,  about  three  days'  journey  from  this,  to  see  her  parents,  and 
she  travels  with  a  very  careful  arriero,  who  is  to  take  up  at  Orense  a 
lading  of  the  rich  wines  of  Valdeorras  for  Benevento.  Now,  if  you 
are  so  disposed,  you  can  travel  with  her  to  Verin,  where  you  are  quite 
close  to  the  Portuguese  frontier,  and  there  we  can  say,  '  Yaya  usted 
conDios.'" 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  I  said,  "  and  most  grateful,  if  the  senora 
has  no  objection." 

"  I  have  none,  on  my  own  account,  Senor  Ingles,"  replied  Dona 
Maria,  with  amiable  frankness,  "  but  I  fear  there  will  be  some  diffi- 
cultv  about  you  on  the  part  of  those  gabachos  of  IVenchmen." 

"1  have  foreseen  and  provided  for  that,"  said  Don  Pedro.  "  The 
English  chico  will  have  no  objection  to  change  his  sex,  at  least  in 
appearance,  to  accomplish  his  object." 

"  Not  the  least  in  the  world,"  I  exclaimed,  now  for  the  first -time 
understanding  the  drift  of  his  mysterious  examination  of  my  person ; 
*'  but  how  on  earth  am  I  to  do  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  leave  that  to  us,  Senor  Ingles,"  said  Don  Pedro.    ' ( We 

*  Pretty  girl !  pretty  girl !  t  "  Come  with  me,  sir." 

j  His  dear  little  wife.  $  "  I  am  at  your  feet,  sefiora." 

||  "I  kiss  your  hand,  sir." 


120  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

have  been  taught  some  strange  lessons,  nosotros,  in  a  rough  school ; 
but  it  will  go  hard  if  we  do  not  yet  return  theni  with  interest  on  our 
masters,  whom  may  Santiago  confound,  as  he  did  the  Moors  in  the 
good  old  days  of  real  Christianity." 

My  new  friend  and  his  buxom  wife  now  set  to  work  with  great 
skill  and  rapidity,  to  effect  this  transformation  in  my  outer  man. 
Dona  Maria,  indeed,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing  with  great 
glee,  and  produced  from  her  wardrobe  basquinas,  mantillas,  and  other 
articles  of  lady's  attire,  which,  with  some  alterations,  were  accommo- 
dated to  my  shape.  She  then  rubbed  my  face  with  a  brown  ointment 
to  hide  my 'English  complexion,  put  a  load  of  false  braids  and  curls 
on  my  head,  stuck  a  huge  comb  in  my  hair,  from  which  the  mantilla 
hung  gracefully  over  my  shoulders,  and  placed  a  fan  in  my  hand,  like 
the  sail  of  a  windmill.  When  the  operation  was  completed,  she 
swore  roundly,  that  I  made  a  "buena  muchacha,"  who  would  turn 
the  heads  of  the  English  soldiers  when  I  once  got  amongst  them. 

It  was  far  advanced  in  the  night  before  our  preparations  were  made, 
and  I  was  properly  drilled  into  my  new  exercise— especially  in  the 
motions  of  the  fan,  which  were  of  a  very  expressive  and  elaborate 
character.  I  then  left  my  kind  friends  to  their  repose,  and  was  con- 
ducted to  the  sleeping-apartment  by  the  chico  of  the  establishment, 
who  was  to  call  me  at  five  o'clock,  as  we  were  to  start  before  daylight. 

A  Spanish  bed-room  is,  of  all  things  in  this  world,  the  most  un- 
sophisticated part  of  the  domestic  economy,  and  that  into  which  I 
was  now  ushered  was  by  no  means  an  exception  to  the  rule.  It  was 
a  mauy-angular-shaped  room,  with  a  very  broken  floor  and  no  ceiling, 
the  cross-trees  of  the  roof  being  occupied  by  twenty  or  thirty  cocks 
and  hens.  Half  a  dozen  truckle  beds,  which  the  heat  of  the  climate 
rendered  it  unnecessary  to  decorate  with  curtains,  were  ranged  along 
the  dirty  walls ;  and  every  bed  was  occupied  by  two  guests,  except 
mine,  which  I  insisted,  as  a  sine  qua  non,  on  having  to  myself.  I  was 
not,  however,  equally  fortunate  in  my  demand  for  clean  sheets,  a 
desideratum  which  no  entreaties  could  procure  me  from  the  chico ; 
who,  with  a  supercilious  look  at  my  unreasonable  delicacy,  exclaimed, — 

"Hombre,  usted  es  muy  particular ! " 

I  was,  therefore,  obliged  ^to  content  myself  with  those  that  were 
already  on  the  bed,  but  taking  the  precaution  to  sleep  in  my  clothes ; 
the  fatigues  and  turmoil  of  the  day  soon  lulled  me  to  rest,  which  re- 
mained sound  and  unbroken  till  I  was  roused  by  Don  Pedro  himself 
to  prepare  for  my  journey. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

LA  HANOLA. 

"  AL  camino  !  Al  camino,  Senor  Inglesito !  "  cried  Don  Pedro,  as 
he  entered  my  room  the  following  morning  between  four  and  five, 
with  a  candil,  or  iron  lamp,  in  his  hand  •  and  jumping  up  from  my  flea- 
bitten  couch,  I  attired  myself  as  rapidly  as  I  could  for  the  road,  my 


LA  MANOLA.  121 

worthy  friend  assisting  me  with  much  savoir  faire  in  my  unwonted 
toilet. 

On  descending  the  crazy  staircase  together,  we  found  a  long  str 

I  mules  at  the  door,  but  lightly  laden, '. 


of  mules  at  the  door,  but  lightly  laden,  having  to  take  up  the  principal 
part  of  our  cargo  at  Orense.  Dona  Maria  was  already  on  her 
pack-saddle,  and  I  soon  got  into  mine,  which  I  found  consisted  of  a 
great  deal  of  wood  and  very  little  leather  or  stuffing;  altogether 
different,  indeed,  from  the  light  and  easy  jockey-saddles  to  which  I 
had  hitherto  been  accustomed. 

While  I  was  endeavouring  to  make  myself  comfortable  in  this_new 
species  of  purgatory,  which  was  not  provided  against  in  any  of  the 
prayers  I  had  hitherto  learned,  1  observed  Don  Pedro  "at  a  little 
distance,  giving  his  final  instructions  to  the  arriero,  or  muleteer,  as 
better  known  to  the  English  reader.  By  their  frequently  looking  at 
Dona  Maria,  and  then  at  me,  I  concluded  that  these  instructions 
had  reference  simply  to  our  safety  and  comfort  on  the  journey ;  but 
I  subsequently  found  that  they  went  a  little  further. 

We  at  length  made  a  start,  the  arriero,  whose  name  was  Diego, 
mounted  on  the  foremost  mule,  and  the  rest  clattering  after  him, 
through  the  rugged  streets  of  Corunna;  while  Don  Pedro  in  the 
rear,  waved  his  hand,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Vayan  ustedes  con  Cristo  y  con  la  Virgen !" 

Thus,  for  an  hour  or  two,  we  rode  on  at  a  steady  pace,  and  in 
perfect  silence,  all  but  the  bells  of  the  leading  mule,  wliich  tinkled 
loudly  to  keep  the  others  awake ;  till  the  rising  sun  had  dispelled  the 
raw  mists  of  the  morning,  and  enabled  us  to  throw  off  the  voluminous 
capas  in  which  we  had  hitherto  been  enveloped.  Then  our  arriero, 
urging  the  foremost  mules  into  a  quicker  pace,  fell  back  to  inquire 
how  we  were  getting  on. 

Diego  was  a  sturdy  Gallician,  with  a  very  sanctified  air,  but  a  very 
keen  and  cunning  eye.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  tight  brown  jacket, 
a  velveteen  waistcoat  with  hanging  brass  buttons,  brown  cloth 
breeches,  and  leathern  gaiters.  Tne  broad  brim  of  his  sombrero  was 
surmounted  by  a  leaden  image  of  the  virgin,  and  a  large  bunch  of 
rosemary,  an  acknowledged  talisman  against  all  the  machinations  of 
the  foul  fiend;  while,  as  if  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  his  con- 
versation was  interlarded  with  pious  ejaculations,  invocations  of  the 
saints,  &c. 

Dona  Maria,  though  equally  pious  and  credulous  in  all  points  of 
belief,  was  infinitely  more  frank  in  her  manners,  and  altogether  free 
from  that  hypocritical  assumption  of  sanctity  so  conspicuous  in 
honest  Diego.  Indeed,  there  was  a  freedom  in  her  behaviour  and 
expressions,  when  the  latter  was  not  present,  which  was  particularly 
flattering  to  my  amour propre:  this  I  failed  not  to  return  in  a  manner 
that  seemed  highly  satisfactory  to  my  fair  companion ;  whose  spar- 
kling black  eyes,  and  rich  complexion,  heightened  by  exercise  and  the 
fresh  morning  air,  wonderfully  enhanced  the  beauty  of  which  nature 
had  given  her  a  very  fair  share. 

We  stopped  soon  after  at  a  venta  by  the  road-side,  where  we  had 
some  delicious  chocolate,  served  up  with  little  thin  slices  of  toast, 


]22  THE  YOUNG  Bll'LEMAX. 

made  of  that  wonderfully  white  and  compact  bread  which  is  found 
in  no  other  country  than  Spain.  To  the  chocolate  succeeded  a  small 
glass  of  cognac  each;  Dona  Maria  making  no  scruple  to  toss  off 
hers,  any  more  than  she  did  at  smoking  \\erpachillo;  a  cigar  wrapped 
up  in  a  leaf  of  maize,  expressly  so  prepared  for  the  fair  sex  in  Spain, 
both  of  which  luxuries  she  seemed  perfectly  well  accustomed  to. 

These  creature-comforts  seemed  very  much  to  tha\y  the  ice  of 
Diego's  manner,  as  we  jogged  along  in  that  rapid  walk  in  which  the 
Spanish  mule  surpasses  the  horses  of  other  countries,  over  the  dreary 
moors  that  extend  from  Corunna  to  Santiago,  our  first  night's  resting- 
place.  During  this  period,  he  whiled  away  the  time  with  an  inex- 
haustible stock  of  songs  and  ballads,  many  of  whieh  were  founded 
on  the  exploits  of  the  modern  anerrilleros  against  los  godos  and  Ins 
ttabachos,  epithets  of  contempt  liberally  bestowed  upon  the  French 
invaders  in  every  part  of  Spain. 

Dona  Maria,  on  her  part,  gave  ample  scope  to  her  enjoyment. 
She  seemed  like  a  bird,  just  escaped  from  its  cage ;  and  laughed,  and 
sang,  and  chatted,  with  a  degree  of  hilarity  and  abandon,  which, 
though  always  checked  by  the  presence  of  Diego,  broke  out  afresh 
when  his  back  was  turned,  with  a  warmth  and  vehemence  that  abso- 
lutely startled  me,  even  experienced,  as  I  already  fancied  myself,  in 
every  phase  of  colloquy. 

Having  had  an  excellent  dinner  at  Leira,  we  resumed  our  journey 
with  exhilirated  spirits ;  and,  as  the  evening  was  drawing  to  a  close 
we  approached  the  sacred  precincts  of  Santiago  de  Compostella. 
On  our  way  we  encountered  whole  bevies  of  barefooted  pilgrims, 
with  scrip  and  scallop-shell ;  the  most  penitent  of  them  upon  their 
knees,  winning  their  way  slowly  and  painfully,  and  singing  hymns 
and  canticles  up  the  very  gates  of  the  Holy  City. 

Amidst  the  tolling  of  deep-mouthed  bells,  and  the  incessant 
assaults  of  clamorus  mendicants,  begging  charity  for  the  sake  of  the 
great  apostle,  we  entered  the  city  gates,  and  proceeded  to  the  Eonda 
del  Espiritu  Santo,  or  Hotel  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  we  were  S9on 
seated  at  a  luxurious  supper-table,  principally  occupied  by  pilgrims 
of  the  higher  class,  who  could  enjoy  and  afford  to  pay  for  those 
creature-comforts  which  their  poorer  fellow-pilgrims  abstained  from, 
on  the  plea  of  superlative  piety. 

The  conversation,  which  naturally  turned  upon  the  extraordinary 
merits  of  the  saint,  and  the  miracles  daily  wrought  at  his  tomb, 
having  aroused  in  us  a  corresponding  flame  of  devotion,  we  resolved 
to  visit  the  cathedral  before  we  retired  to  rest ;  and  accordingly  set 
out  for  that  purpose,  after  the  course  of  chocolate,  which  terminates 
every  meal  in  Spain. 

The  streets  were,  as  usual,  dark,  and  crowded  with  pilgrims  •  some 
on  their  knees,  others  prostrate  in  the  dust,  and  all,  either  singing 
hymns,  reciting  prayers,  or  begging  alms  par  el  amor  de  Dios  y  de 


We  entered  the  building  through  a  modern  entrance,  with  Doric 
and  Corinthian  tiers,  and  a  heavy  pediment  supported  by  caryatides 
of  Moorish  slaves,  with  Santiago  above,  in  the  habit  of  a  pilgrim. 


LA  MANOLA.  123 

The  interior  of  this  rich  and  celebrated  building  was  rather  dark, 
being  purposely  kept  so,  to  give  greater  effect  to  the  illuminations  at 
the  high  altar :  and,  as  we  sauntered  about  amongst  kneeling  pilgrims 
and  groaning  sinners,  occasionally  stopping  at  a  side  altar  to  pay  our 
respects  to  some  favourite  saint,  a  fancy  seized  on  Dona  Maria  to 
give  Diego  the  slip,  as  he  lay  prostrate  before  the  altar  of  San 
Antonio,  the  great  patron  of  arrieros. 

Accordingly,  when  he  was  striking  his  breast  with  the  most  edify- 
ing vehemence,  and  exclaiming.  "  Mea  culpa  !  mea  maxima  culpa  !  " 
we  rushed  off  into  one  of  the  lateral  aisles,  which  were  still  darker 
than  the  body  of  the  cathedral,  and  amused  ourselves  some  time  with 
the  anxious  but  fruitless  efforts  of  our  arriero  to  discover  us. 

The  aisle  in  which  we  now  were,  was  full  of  confessional  boxes, 
dedicated  to  different  saints,  and  appropriated  to  the  respective 
nations  of  the  foreign  pilgrims ;  and  as  the  place  was  nearly  vacant, 
a  profane  idea  suddenly  occurred  to  me.  Telling  Dona  Maria  that 
I  would  hear  her  confession,  I  got  into  one  of  the  boxes,  and  shut 
myself  in ;  while  the  lady,  "  nothing  loath,"  entered  into  the  spirit  of 
the  jest,  and  knelt,  accordingly,  at  the  place  of  communication. 

"  But,  confound  it  all ! "  1  exclaimed,  "  I  can't  see  you.  Here  is 
a  plate  of  metal,  perforated  with  a  number  of  little  holes." 

"Touch  a  button  on  your  right-hand  side,"  whispered  Dona 
Maria,  who  seemed  marvellously  up  to  the  secret. 

"/«  hora  buena!"  I  exclaimed,  as  1  did  so  ;  and  the  metallic  plate 
slid  back  noiselessly  into  the  framework  of  the  box,  leaving  us  face 
to  face. 

"  Now,  then,  for  your  confession,"  I  said. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  Dona  Maria,  affecting  to  blush,  "  I  love 
a  handsome  young  hidalgo." 

"Ofie!"  I  exclaimed;  "such  a  crime  as  that  must  be  expiated 
by  four  kisses." 

The  penance  was  paid  without  reluctance,  and  the  frail  communi- 
cant proceeded. 

"And  I  am  already"  (here  she  sighed  heavily  arid  in  reality) 
"  married  to  another  that  1  do  not  love?' 

"  That,"  I  said,  with  becoming  gravity,  "  demands  a  penance  of 
eight  kisses." 

These  were  also  paid,  with  one  kiss  over  by  mistake,  to  be 
deducted  from  the  next  allotment. 

"But,  worst  of  all/'  cried  the  fair  penitent,  "the  young  hidalgo 
that  I  love  is  an  Englishman." 

"  Monstrous ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  What,  a  heretic !  One  doomed  to 
Sathanas  from  his  birth!  Twelve  kisses  can  scarcely  redeem  so 
black  a  crime." 

Dona  Maria,  convulsed  with  laughter,  was  also  paying  this  for- 
midable penalty,  when  she  started  suddenly,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Shut  up  !  shut  up  ! " 

"  How  ?  how  ?  "  1  demanded. 

*'  The  button  on  the  left,"  she  replied. 

"Bless  the  buttons !  "  I  exclaimed,  as  I  touched  the  one  indicated; 


124  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

and  the  metallic  plate  slid  back  again  into  its  proper  grove,  with 
becoming  decency. 

"Perdone  usted,  sefiora,"  said  Diego,  as  he  came  gingerly  along, 
with  noiseless  footsteps.  "  I  did  not  know  you  were  at  the  confes- 

"  I  have  done  now,  good  Diego,"  she  meekly  replied,  rising  and 
applying  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes,  to  conceal  her  laughter  rather 
than  her  penitential  tears. 

"But  where  is  the  Inglesito ? "  demanded  Diego. ^ 

"  He  is  at  the  confessional  of  his  country,"  replied  Dona  Maria, 
with  admirable  presence  of  mind ;  "  and  he  will  soon  follow  us  to  the 
great  altar." 

They  accordingly  moved  off,  and  I  stepped  from  the  confessional 
and  followed  them. 

This  little  incident,  as  the  reader  may  imagine,  broke  the  ice 
between  Dona  Maria  and  myself ;  and  many  little  scenes  of  by-play 
occurred  between  us  in  the  progress  of  our  journey.  But  Diego's 
suspicions  seemed  to  have  been  awakened;  and  he  kept  so  close 
a  watch  on  our  proceedings  as  to  prevent  anything  beyond  the  most 
innocent  interchange  of  signs  and  tokens  of  mutual  affection. 

A  day  or  two  after,  I  learned  in  familiar  chat  with  Diego,  for  he 
was  a  thorough-paced  gossip,  that  Dona  Maria  was  originally  a 
mctnola  of  Madrid,  whose  beauty  had  induced  Don  Pedro  to  marry 
her,  in  spite  of  her  unhappy  position. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  FUENCH   CONVOY. 

ON  oar  arrival  at  Orense,  a  nice,  clean-looking  town,  pleasantly 
situated  on  a  gentle  slope  above^the  Minho,  Diego  took  in  his  full 
cargo  for  Benevente,  as  he  said  with  a  mysterious  smile,  of  the 
renowned  Tostado  wine,  for  which  that  place  is  celebrated.  It  is 
also  famous  for  the  hams  of  Caldelas,  a  couple  of  which  excellent 
joints  he  laid  in  for  our  private  enjoyment  on  the  road ;  and,  thus 
furnished,  we  resumed  our  journey. 

We  were  now  approaching  the  Portuguese  frontier,  and  had 
already  crossed  two  or  three  small  tributaries  of  the  Duero,  rushing 
down  their  rocky  beds  amidst  the  deep  denies  of  the  Sierra  de  Gorez; 
whose  rugged  _  sides  were  partially  covered  with  dense  and  gloomy 
patches  of  olives  and  cork-trees,  while  the  topmost  heights  were 
crowned  with  the  fir,  and  the  hardy  ilex. 

The  country  was  picturesque  and  beautiful,  and  I  enjoyed  the  con- 
stant alternation  of  steep  rocky  precipice  and  verdant  dell.  The 
silence  of  the  scene  was  only  broken  by  the  brawling  rivulet,  as  it 
foamed  along  over  its  rocky  bed ;  and  the  tinkling  of  numerous  bells, 
as  our  long  string  of  mules,  laden  with  the  rich  Tostado  wine  in  pig- 
skins, stalked  rapidly  on,  looking  like  a  teem  of  stags  or  elks,  with 


THE  FRENCH  CONVOY.  125 

their  long  taper  legs,  their  lofty  stature,  and  the  bold  carriage  of 
their  heaas.  These  sagacious  animals  were  trained  to  stop  all  at  the 
same  instant  by  one  long  shrill  whistle;  and  it  was  seldom  that 
honest  Diego  had  occasion  to  use  anything  in  the  way  of  reproof  to 
them ;  even  then  it  was  conveyed  in  terms  of  regard,  and  almost 
paternal  affection,  as,  "Arm,  mula !  (Get  on,  mule!)  Vamos,  capi- 
tano!  (Go  along,  captain!)  Famonos,  mis  hijos !  (Come  on,  my 
sons ! )"  &c. 

We  had  as  yet  seen  nothing  in  the  shape  of  an  enemy ;  for,  when- 
ever the  French  troops  marched  from  one  province  to  another,  the 
partisans  of  the  Junta  immediately  commenced  organizing  the  country 
m  the  name  of  Ferdinand  the  Seventh,  as  if  the  French  had  abandoned 
it  for  ever ;  and  the  troops  of  Napoleon,  though  invincible  in  the  field, 
were  in  fact  only  masters  of  the  ground  on  which  they  stood.  The 
garrisons  left  to  overawe  the  country  on  the  military  roads,  were 
obliged,  for  their  own  personal  security,  to  repair  and  shut  them- 
selves up  in  the  old  ruined  castles  on  the  heights,  which  had  been 
erected  ages  before  by  the  Romans  or  the  Moors  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose. Even  here,  they  durst  not  station  their  sentinels  beyond  the 
bounds  of  the  enclosures,  for  fear  of  assassination  ;  but  placed  them 
in  some  turret,  or  on  a  scaffolding  of  planks  upon  the  roof;  under 
cover  of  the  chimney,  in  order  to  observe  all  that  passed  in  their 
vicinity. 

During  our  journey  through  this  mountainous  region,  we  were  oc- 
casionally challenged  by  these  captive  sentinels,  when  our  road  lay 
under  the  eminence  on  which  their  time-shattered  citadels  Avere 
perched  ;  but  other  enemy  we  saw  none.  Even  by  these,  as  we  had 
all  the  appearance  of  inoffensive  travellers,  we  were  allowed  to  pass 
without  question  or  demur ;  though  Diego  generally  amused  himself 
with  making  contemptuous  gestures  at  them,  when  a  jutting  rock,  or 
the  winding  of  the  road,  had  placed  him  out  of  musket-range. 

We  were  at  length  within  a  few  miles  of  Yerin,  where  I  was  to  bid 
adieu  to  my  friendly  escort,  and  find  my  way,  the  best  I  could,  to  the 
outposts  or  the  British  army ;  a  circumstance  which,  I  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  confess,  gave  me  much  less  regret  than  to  my  warm- 
hearted companion,  whose  affection  evidently  increased  every  moment, 
and  at  times  betrayed  itself  somewhat  unguardedly,  in  spite  of  the 
jealous  surveillance  of  Diego. 

At  this  period,  the  latter  respectable  personage  received  several 
mysterious  communications  from  nimble-footed  mountaineers,  armed 
with  the  trabuco,  and  the  long  knife  in  the  girdle,  who  seemed  to 
descend  upon  us  unexpectedly  from  steep  and  rugged  pathways,  im- 
practicable to  everything  but  the  goat,  or  the  equally  sure-footed 
peasant  of  these  Alpine  wilds.  On  all  these  occasions,  looks  of  in- 
telligence would  pass  between  our  arriero  and  Dona  Maria ;  or  a  few 
significant  words,  which  I  could  not  always  catch,  seemed  to  indicate 
some  anticipated  event,  that  called  for  a  few  necessary  preparations 
on  her  part. 

Accordingly,  when  we  stopped  one  day  at  noon  to  take  our  usual 
refreshment,  by  the  side  of  a  purling  rill,  in  a  deep  glen,  where  there 


126  THE  YOUNG  BIPLEMAX. 

was  neither  posada  nor  venta,  Dona  Maria  seemed  to  take  more  than 
ordinary  pains  to  improve  her  personal  appearance,  by  the  addition 
of  sundry  ornaments,  and  a  most  minute  attention  to  all  the  mysteries 
of  the  toilet.  Nay,  to  my  great  surprise,  she  lavished  similar  atten- 
tions upon  me,  till,  having  re-arranged  my  dress,  and  devoted  some 
time  to  my  braids  and  curls,  she  seemed  so  well  satisfied  with  the 
success  of  her  operations,  that  she  threw  her  arms  round  my  neck, 
and  favoured  me  with  a  shower  of  kisses.  These  I  was  about  to 
return  with  interest,  when  Diego,  as  usual,  made  his  unexpected 
appearance  from  behind  a  rock,  where  he  had  evidently  been  lying 
perdu,  in  expectation  of  some  such  catastrophe. 

Unable  to  account  for  these  preparations  in  any  other  manner  than 
by  supposing  that  Dona  Maria  expected^  to  meet  some  friends  or 
relations  during  our  day's  journey,  I  assisted  her  to  mount ;  then 
springing  on  the  back  of  my  own  mule,  with,  very  unfeminine  agility, 
we  resumed  our  usual  steady  pace;  Diego  having  first  made  the 
echoes  ring  with  one  of  those  wild  halloos  so  peculiar  to  the  Spanish 
peasant,  and  which  was  immediately  after  either  echoed  or  answered 
at  some  distance  amongst  the  hills. 

In  this  manner  we  had  proceeded  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  when 
I  was  suddenly  shocked  by  a  very  unexpected  object,  which  seemed, 
however,  to  excite  no  surprise  in  my  companions.  This  was  a  French 
soldier  lying  dead  upon  the  road,  in  a  pool  of  blood,  his  throat  cut 
from  ear  to  ear,  and  his  features  mangled  in  a  ghastly  and  barbarous 
manner.  Though  my  nerves  are  not  easily  shaken,  I  confess  this 
sight  gave  me  considerable  uneasiness,  being  the  first  specimen  of 
Spanish  warfare  I  had  yet  witnessed ;  but  my  fair  companion,  on  the 
contrary,  smiled,  and  exclaimed,  with  a  gesture  of  contempt,  as  she 
passed  the  body, — 

"  Gabacho  Frances,  maldito  sea !  " 

This  little  incident  gave  me  no  exalted  idea  of  my  companion's 
humanity ;  and  it  was  not  improved  when,  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  further  on,  we  observed  some  Spanish  peasants  who  had  bound 
another  French  soldier,  and  were  dragging  him  into  an  olive-grove 
that  bordered  the  roadside,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  murdering 
him.  The  poor  fellow  begged  hard  for  mercy,  and  made  frequent  ap- 
pals to  the  senoras  who  were  approaching,  as  he  hoped,  to  his  relief ; 
but  in  vain,  for  Dona  Maria  called  out  to  her  countrymen,  "  Matale ! 
mutale! "  and  any  interference  on  my  part  might  have  occasioned  the 
loss  of  my  own  life  without  saving  his. 

These  sad  events  evidently  indicated,  as  I  thought,  the  proximity 
of  some  French  troops,  and  I  said  as  much  to  my  companions,  re- 
commending them,  at  the  same  time,  to  use  additional  caution,  lest 
we  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy ;  but  I  was  answered  only 
by  a  mysterious  smile,  which  passed  between  Diego  and  Doiia  Maria. 
Indeed,  the  former,  so  far  from  apprehending  such  a  result,  hurried 
his  mules  into  a  swinging  sort  of  pace,  every  now  and  then  giving  a 
wild  halloo,  that  resounded  fearfully  amongst  the  recesses  of  the 
sierra, 

We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  a  mile  in  this  manner,  when  we 


THE  FRENCH  CONVOY.  127 

fell  in  with  a  French  rear-guard  of  ten  or  twelve  men ;  the  non-com- 
missioned officer  who  commanded  it  immediately  ordering  us  to  halt, 
and  give  an  account  of  ourselves. 

"Seftores,"  said  Diego,  nothing  abashed,  "I  am  going  to  Bene- 
vente  with  a  cargo  of  Tostado  wine." 

"  And  excellent  tipple  it  is,"  said  the  sergeant,  "  of  which  we  are 
sadly  in  want.  Therefore,  move  on,  and  report  your  arrival  to  the 
commandant." 

"  And  be  sure  you  include  the  ladies  in,  your  report,"  said  the 
corporal :  "  for  our  noble  captain  loves  a  pretty  girl  as  well  as  a 
sparkling  glass." 

"Manana!  Maiiana!"  replied  Diego,  as  he  pushed  forward  towards 
the  main  body,  under  an  escort  from  the  rear-guard,  who  had  orders 
to  shoot  him  instantly  if  he  ventured  to  deviate  from  the  road,  or 
make  any  resistance. 

All  this  appeared  to  me  so  singular,  and  my  companions  seemed  so 
little  affected  by  the  perilous  position  in  which  we  were  placed,  that 
I  could  not  help  thinking  there  was  some  premeditation  hi  the  whole 
affair.  I  had  no  time,  however,  for  any  explanation  with  them  on  the 
subject,  for  we  soon  got  up  with  the  main  body ;  this  consisted  of 
sixty  men,  under  a  captain  and  subaltern,  escorting  a  convoy  of  mules 
and  waggons,  laden  with  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  articles,  the 
disjecta  membra  of  a  hurried  march  out  of  snug  quarters  in  Gallicia. 
It  was,  in  short,  the  heavy  baggage  and  plunder  of  a  division  of 
French  troops,  then  some  twenty  miles  in  advance,  on  their  way  to 
join  the  army  of  Massena ;  and  it  comprised,  amongst  other  valuable 
property,  several  line  paintings  by  Velasquez  and  IVIurillo,  which  the 
general  commanding  the  division  had  taken,  as  opima  spolia,  from  the 
shrine  of  Santiago,  t9gether  with  numerous  silver  candlesticks,  gold 
ornaments,  valuable  jewels,  rich  sacerdotal  robes,  &c.,  &c. 

The  arrival  of  Diego  and  his  cargo  of  Tostado  wine  being  notified 
to  the  commandant,  he  condemned  it  instanter,  as  good  and  lawful 
capture,  and  ordered,  our  arriero  to  join  the  cortege  accordingly.  Both 
the  commandant  and  his  subaltern  eyed  Dona  Maria  and  myself  with 
looks  of  eager  curiosity  and  evident  interest ;  and  the  former,  having 
inquired  who  we  were,  Diego  coolly  replied  that  it  was  his  wife  and 
sister,  going  to  a  neighbouring  convent,  where  his  sister  was  to  take 
the  veil. 

"We  soon  after  approached  the  village  of  Abavides,  which  lay  in  the. 
bottom  of  a  narrow  valley,  through  whose  centre  a  mountain  torrent 
urged  its  foaming  course.  On  the  other  side  of  the  village  rose  a 
precipitous  ridge,  with  a  winding  pathway  to  the  summit ;  up  this  we 
perceived,  slowly  wending  their  way,  the  inhabitants  of  the  village, 
led  by  the  alcade  and  the  priest,  who  were  easily  distinguished  by 
their  black  cloaks,  and  the  canoe-shaped  hat  01  the  latter.  The 
children,  and  most  valuable  effects  of  the'  villagers,  were  borne  by 
strings  of  mules  and  asses,  followed  by  the  women ;  while  the  male 
peasants,  armed  with  carbines  and  escopetas,  or  long-barrelled  mus- 
kets, brought  up  the  rear. 

We  accordingly  found  the  village  totally  deserted  on  our  approach, 


J28  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

and  nothing  could  exceed  the  ominous  silence  that  reigned  around. 
This,  however,  did  not  affect  the  spirits  of  the  frenchmen,  who  lested 
merrily  at  the  panic  of  the  poor  fugitives,  and  congratulated  each 
other  on  the  easy  conquest  they  were  about  to  accomplish.  Having 
taken  possession,  in  the  name  of  Napoleon  the  Great,  head-quarters 
were  established  in  the  principal  mansion  of  the  place,  and  the  two 
sefioras  invited  to  take  up  their  residence  there  also ;  the  said  in- 
vitation being,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  most  peremptory 

The  singular  position  in  which  I  thus  found  myself,  appeared  to 
me  like  a  dream,  and  a  very  unpleasant  one  too ;  for  I  could  no  other- 
wise look  on  my  approaching  interview  with  our  hospitable  enter- 
tainers, than  as  "a  certain  prelude  to  a  French  prison,  if  not  to  a 
summary  fusillade  as  a  spy,  should  my  sex  and  country  be  dis- 
covered. I  determined,  .therefore,  to  affect  a  silent,  modest,  and 
reserved  line  of  conduct,  while  at  table— for  we  were  invited  to 
dinner— and  to  retire  as  soon  as  possible  after,  under  pretence  of 
fatigue. 

The  mules  and  baggage-waggons  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  the 
commandant's  quarters,  and  a  guard  of  twenty  men  told  off  for  their 
protection ;  the  remainder  of  the  troops  were  then  dismissed,  and 
ordered  to  billet  themselves  for  the  night,  a  discretion,  or  according 
to  their  own  fancy,  in  the  empty  houses.  I  had  thus  an  opportunity 
of  seeing,  for  the  first  time,  the  ^expertness  with  which  French 
soldiers  accpmodate  themselves  to  circumstances.  They  broke  in  all 
directions,  into  squads  and  parties  of  three  and  four ;  wlio  ran  in  and 
out  of  the  houses  like  so  many  ants,  in  search  of  plunder,  provisions, 
and  cooking  utensils :  while,  if  any  doors  happened  to  have  been 
locked  by  their  too  careful  owners,  a  musket-shot  iired  into  the  key- 
hole speedily  disembarrassed  them  of  the  obstacle. 

By  this  laudable  system,  before  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  our 
escort  seemed  to  be  abundantly  furnished  with  "  all  appliances  and 
means  to  boot ;  "  and  soon  settled  down  in  numerous  parties,  to  pre- 
pare their  evening  meal.  But  what  surprised  and  displeased  me  not 
a  little,  as  I  stood  at  a  window  of  the  commandant's  drawing-room, 
which  9verlooked  the  moving  scene,  was  to  behold  that  knave  Diego, 
that  pious  Catholic,  and  profound  hater  of  the  French,  actively 
assisting  these  bitter  enemies  of  his  country  to  make  themselves  com- 
fortable at  the  expense  of  his  unhappy  compatriots :  nay,  actually 
stealing,  every  now  and  then,  for  their  accommodation,  and  from 
under  the  very  eyes  of  the  sentinels,  a  skin-full  of  that  precious  Tos- 
tado  wine  with  which  his  mules  were  laden.  In  short,  to  such  a  pitch 
did  his  bonhomie  extend,  that  he  supplied  the  very  sentinels  them- 
selves with  horn  after  horn  of  the  precious  liquid ;  which  they  gulped 
down  with  many  a  "  Herd  /  "  "  Bon  enfant !  "  and  "  Cher  Espagnol !  " 
for  his  unaccountable  hospitality. 

Diego,  finally,  by  his  unpatriotic  assiduity,  became  an  especial 
favourite  with  the  whole  party,  who  wrung  him  by  the  hand  with 
loud  expressions  of  gratitude,  and  even  consulted  him  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  their  respective  bivouacs.  Unable  any  longer  to  conceal  my 


THE  GTJERRILLEROS.  129 

disgust  at  so  flagrant  a  betrayal  .of  the  honour  and  interest  of  his 
country,  I  turned  away  from  the  window,  and  was  met  plump  by  the 
commandant,  who,  with  the  well-known  gallantry  of  his  nation, 
offered  me  his  arm  to  conduct  me  to  the  dinner-table. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE  GUEREILLEEOS. 

OUR  company  consisted  of  the  commandant  and  his  subaltern,  Dona 
Maria,  and  ^myself ;  as  snug  a  parti  carre  as  may  be  met  with  at  any 
restaurant  a  (rente  sous  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  or  the  Palais  Royal. 
Lieutenant  Derville,  a  good-looking  young  fellow,  seemed,  as  if  by  a 
preconcerted  arrangement,  to  devote  himself  exclusively  to  Dona 
Maria ;  while  the  commandant,  an  ugly,  wizen-faced  vieux  moustache, 
was  my  beau  for  the  nonce. 

Our  dinner  was  very  good,  considering  the  hasty  nature  of  the 
cuisine ;  and  I  paid  it  all  due  honour,  for  the  mountain  air  had 
sharpened  my  appetite.  Indeed,  our  two  military  friends,  as  they 
helped  me  alternately,  plate  after  plate,  must  have  thought  that  such 
an  appetite  as  mine  was  anything  but  lit  for  the  spare  diet  of  a  con- 
vent. I  had,  however,  sufficient  command  over  myself  not  to  drink 
in  proportion ;  though  I  anxiously  longed  to  have  a  good  manly  swig 
of  the  delicious  wine  which  the  knave  Diego  was  at  that  moment 
serving  out  to  the  soldiers. 

But  this  abstemiousness  of  mine  did  not  prevent  my  companions 
from  paying  due  honour  to  the  bottle.  Dona  Maria  herself  set  the 
example-  every  moment  challenging  our  two  beaux  to  hob-nob,  in 
full  tumblers  of  the  pure  liquid,  and  taunting  them  as  milksops  if 
they  did  not  do  her  justice.  This  she  carried  to  such  a  degree,  that 
I  wondered  not  only  at  her  want  of  delicacy,  but  at  her  strength  of 
head;  which  enabled  her  to  stand  potations  that  were  evidently 
making  a  serious  inroad  on  the  brains  of  the  Frenchmen,  who  had 
not  been  long  accustomed  to  the  strong  wines  of  the  Peninsula. 

When  the  dinner-things  were  removed,  and  fresh  wine  placed  upon 
the  table,  with  the  delicious  fruit  of  the  country,  our  two  beaux  were 
evidently  fuddled.  Their  conversation  became  excited,  and  their 
pronunciation  thick  and  unintelligible,  speaking  Spanish,  as  they 
both  did,  badly.  Derville  hung  over  his  Dulcinea,  whispering  soft 
nonsense :  to  \yhich  she,  "nothing  loth,"  her  ear  did  seriously  incline ; 
not  even  sparing  those  little  female  arts  by  which  the  lord  of  the 
creation  is  so  often  won  to  his  own  undoing.  Captain  Dubardieu,  on 
the  contrary,  called  for  his  guitar,  and  sang  me  a  doleful  dump  from 
a  French  opera  of  the  old  school,  before  Auber  had  infused  an  Italian 
soul  into  the  maudlin  mass. 

When  this  had  continued  for  spine  half-hour,  amidst  the  giggling 
of  the  other  pair  of  lovers  at  the  little  eil'ect  it  seemed  to  produce, 


130  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Dubardieu  at  length  arose,  made  a  most  elaborate  bow,  requested  me 
to  honour  him  with  a  waltz,  caught  me  round  the  waist  with  one 
arm  and  thrust  his  unoccupied  hand  into  my  bosom.  _ 

Enraged  beyond  all  prudence,  and  without  taking  time  for  reflec- 
tion, I  gave  my  inamorato  such  a  box  on,  the  side  of  the  head,  as 
sent  him  staggering  a  dozen  paces  backwards;  till  at  length  he  fell 
over  a  pine  log  into  the  capacious  fire-place,  amidst  a  roar  ol  laughter 
from  Derville  and  his  chere  amie :  the  former,  mystified  as  he  was, 
looking  upon  it  as  nothing  more  than  a  piece  of  prudery  on  the  part 
of  the  nun  elect. 

"  C'est  un  jeune  homme  ! "  cried  the  commandant,  picking  himself 
up,  and  spluttering  out  a  mouthful  of  ashes,  "  C'est  un  vilain  garpon ! 
Ah,  coquin !  je  te  paierai  pour  pa." 

He  drew  his  sword  accordingly,  and  made  at  me  with  intense  fury 
and  tolerable  agility ;  while  Derville  was  so  stupified  with  love  and 
wine,  that  he  looked  upon  the  whole  as  a  jest,  and  laughed  im- 
moderately at  the  fun. 

Not  so,  however,  the  commandant,  whom  I  seemed  to  have  effectu- 
ally sobered  ;  and  who,  now  perfectly  master  of  himself,  rushed  at  me 
with  the  most  sanguinary  intentions.  In  this  predicament,  I  looked 
round  for  something  to  defend  myself;  and  luckily  spying  an  old 
broom  in  a  corner,  I  seized  it  just  in  time  to  parry  a  thrust  that  would 
otherwise  have  brought  my  adventures  to  a  permanent  close.  Foiled 
in  this  attempt,  Dubardieu  renewed  his  attack  with  all  the  skill  of 
which  he  was  master,  delivering  carte  and  tierce  with  a  perfection  of 
science  that  was  ingloriously  wasted  upon  an  old  broomstick ;  with 
which  I  not  only  managed  to  defend  myself,  but  gave  my  adversary 
several  sound  whacks  upon  the  ribs  that  made  him  grunt  and  grin 
like  a  baboon. 

At  length,  the  noise  we  made  in  our  courses  round  the  room,  and 
the  unextinguishable  laughter  of  Derville,  in  which  he  was  heartily 
joined  by  Dona  Maria,  when  she  saw  that  I  was  more  than  a  match 
for  the  old  captain,  attracted  the  baggage-guard  to  the  scene  of  action. 
Bursting  open  the  door,  they  all  rushed  in,  drunk  and  sober  as  they 
were,  at  the  critical  moment  when  I  had  their  breathless  commandant 
pinned  up  in  a  corner ;  and  throwing  themselves  upon  me  in  a  body, 
they  speedily  bore  me  to  the  ground. 

"A  spy!  a  spy  !"  screamed  the  commandant,  with  scarcely  breath 
enough  to  utter  the  suggestions  of  his  fury.  "A  villanous  spy  !  a 
sacre  guerilla ! " 

"  Nay,  nay,  mon  capitaine,"  said  a  shrewd  non-commissioned  officer. 
"  he  is  at  all  events  no  Spaniard.  "Where  will  you  find  a  complexion 
like  this  in  all  Gallicia  ?  " 

Unluckily  a  scratch  of  my  adversary's  point,  in  one  of  his  savage 
assaults,  had  drawn  some  blood  on  my  cheek,  and  this  being  rubbed 
had  removed  the  brown  ointment  with  which  Dona  Maria  had  con- 
cealed my  northern  complexion.  A  towel  and  water  were  now  pro- 
duced ;  my  face  was  washed,  my  country  discovered  as  well  as  my 
sex ;  while,  to  put  the  matter  beyond  all  doubt,  my  person  being 
searched,  my  pistols  and  my  commission  were  brought  to  light. 


THE  GUERRILLEROS.  131 

<0Tis  an  English  dog,  wn  sacre  Jean  RosMff  "  cried  the  captain ; 
"  a  thousand  times  worse  than  a  guerilla.  I'll  hang  him  instantly, 
before  he  does  more  mischief." 

The  propriety  of  this  decision  was  lauded  by  all.  ^  Even  Derville, 
who  had  come  to  his  senses,  acknowledged  that  it  was  not  only 
justifiable  by  the  laws  of  war,  but  actually  necessary  for  the  safety  of 
the  convoy;  this  being  evidently  threatened  with  some  serious  disaster, 
of  which  I  was  doubtless  the  instrument.  Finding  myself  thus  on 
the  point  of  destruction,  for  I  was  ordered  to  be  hanged  instantly  on 
a  tree  before  the  door,  I  kicked  and  struggled  with  might  and  mam  to 
release  myself;  but  my  arms  were  tied  behind  my  back,  and  a  huge 
grenadier  seized  me  by  the  shoulders  to  drag  me  out  to  execution. 

At  this  moment  Dona  Maria,  who  had  hithertp  been  a  passive 
spectator  of  what  was  going  on,  uttered  a  fearful  shriek  ;  then  stoop- 
ing down  she  drew  a  knife  from  her  garter,  the  well-known  scabbard 
of  the  Manolas,  and  rushing  at  the  grenadier,  she  plunged  it  into  his 
abdomen  with  so  deadly  an  aim  and  purpose,  that  he  fell  dead  before 
his  astonished  comrades. 

With  the  fury  of  a  tigress  deprived  of  its  young,  Dona  Maria  next 
attacked  the  others,  and  inflicted  some  desperate  wounds ;  accom- 
panying every  plunge  of  her  knife  with  a  shriek  that  rang  through  the 
silent  village,  and  was  echoed  amongst  the  caverns  and  hills  by  which 
it  was  surrounded. 

She  was  at  length  overpowered,  her  weapon  wrenched  from  her 
grasp,  and  the  soldiers  were  about  to  inflict  a  summary  vengeance  on 
her,  when  a  yell,  like  the  united  voices  of  a  thousand  fiends,  rose  on 
the  air,  multiplied  by  the  mountain  echoes  ;  and  this  was  succeeded 
by  several  volleys  of  small  arms,  and  ferocious  cries  of — 

"  Abajo  malditos  gabachos  !     Boca  a  tierra  ladrones  del  demonic ! " 

"  The  guerrilleros !  the  guerrilleros ! "  cried  every  voice,  as  all 
rushed  out  pell-mell  to  make  head  against  the  onslaught;  while 
Dona  Maria,  throwing  herself  into  my  arms,  exclaimed,  as  she 
fainted, — 

"  Sal  de  mi  alma ! — you  are  saved,  and  I  care  not  for  the  rest ! " 

Grateful,  truly  grateful  as  I  was  for  the  timely  succour  of  Dona 
Maria,  I  could  not  avoid  shuddering  when  I  reflected  that  I  had  so 
determined  a  murderess  in  my  arms,  and  felt  that  her  affection  for 
me  was  the  cause  of  her  ferocity.  The  singular  contrast  between  her 
recent  frenzy,  and  the  excessive  and  amiable  gentleness  she  had 
always  hitherto  evinced,  in  my  presence  at  least,  also  increased  my 
wonder ;  and  opened  to  my  inexperienced  mind  another  fearful  chap- 
ter in  the  anatomy  of  the  human  heart. 

Meanwhile  I  exerted  myself  to  bring  her  to  her  senses  :  laying  her 
gently  down  upon  a  sofa,  I  bathed  her  temples  with  water,  till  at 
length  she  opened  her  eyes,  and  gazed  around  her  witli  a  bewildered 
look.  But  the  volleys  of  musketry,  and  the  shouts  of  the  combatants 
outside,  having  speedily  brought  her  to  her  recollection,  she  fixed  her 
eyes  upon  mine,  and  throwing  her  arms  round  my  neck,  wept  and 
sobbed  in  my  bosom. 

When  the  first  gush  of  passion  had  subsided,  I  tried  to  comfort 


]32  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAtf. 

poor  Maria,  and  thanked  her  earnestly  for  her  timely  intervention  in 

"Ah  !  'tis  but  little,"  she  said,  "  compared  with  what  I  could  do 
for  you.  Willingly  would  I  forfeit  my  own  life  to  preserve  yours,  my 
querido — " 

I  was  about  to  renew  my  acknowledgments,  but  she  stopped  me. 

"  Don't  interrupt  me,"  she  said,  "for  our  time  is  short,  and  we 
must  now  part — yes,  part  for  ever !  Pobre  Maria ! "  she  exclaimed, 
while  large  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks,  and  her  breast  heaved 
with  heavy  sighs.  "  Pobre  Manola !  One  little  glimpse  of  happiness 
you  have  had ;  but  all  is  over,  and  a  life  of  endless  misery  is  now 
your  lot.  But  you,  my  queridito,  a  life  of  honour  awaits  you,  and 
may  it  be  a  life  of  happiness  !  Yet,  when  other  ties  shall  bind  you  to 
another  home  and  country,  perhaps  you  will  not  forget  the  poor 
Manola  to  whom  you  have  been  like  a  messenger  of  love  and  peace 
from  heaven ! " 

I  pressed  poor  Maria  in  my  arms,  and  kissing  the  tears  from  her 
eyes,  assured  her  that  I  should  always  think  of  her  with  gratitude 
and  affection.  I  then  tore  myself  from  her  embrace,  and  it  was  well 
I  did  so ;  for  in  another  moment  a  body  of  guerrilleros  rushed  into 
the  room,  headed  by  my  quondam  friend  Pero  Votero,  or  Don  Pedro, 
armed  to  the  teeth  with  pistols,  dagger,  and  carbine ;  his  high 
crowned  hat  being  decorated  with  a  broad  ribbon,  bearing  the  follow- 
ing inscription, — 

"  VlNCER  0  MOEIll  PRO  P  ATRIA,  ET  PRO  FERDINANDO  SEPTIMO'."* 

The  whole  plot  was  now  unravelled.  Don  Pedro  was  the  chief  of 
the  Guerrilla,  with  some  of  whose  members  I  had  supped  at  Corunna. 
Dona  Maria  and  I  were  the  decoy  ducks  destined  to  lull  the  suspicious 
of  the  two  officers ;  while  honest  _  Diego,  with  his  cargo  of  Ayine  for 
Benuvente,  was  to  fuddle  the  soldiers,  and  betray  them  to  his  com- 
panions ;  an  office  which  he  performed  so  effectually  that  they  were 
unable  to  defend  themselves,  and  were  shot  down  without  mercy. 
Upwards  of  fifty  were  killed  and  wounded  in  this  murderous  affair ; 
and  the  few  who  survived  the  slaughter  were  made  prisoners,  to 
afford  a  more  lingering  revenge  t9  the  conquerors:  such  was  the 
cruel  and  remorseless  nature  of  this  patriotic  war,  so  justly  styled 
Guerra  al  cuchillo.^ 

Don  Pedro's  first  attentions  were  of  course  devoted  to  his  wife, 
who  received  his  caresses,  however,  with  a  degree  of  coldness  and 
constraint  which  he  luckily  ascribed  to  her  terrible  fright.  Then 
turning  to  me  he  said, — 

"  Senor  Ingles,  the  joke  was  carried  further  than  I  anticipated  with 
respect  to  you,  but  all  is  now  happily  over.  Since,  however,  I  have  put 
your  life  imperil,  it  shall  be  my  business  to  procure  you  a  safe  journey 
to  your  regiment,  and  the  sooner  the  better ;  for  that  maldito  capitano 
has  escaped,  though  I  had  made  a  vow  to  Santiago  to  pay  him  off  for 
his  cruel  tyranny,  when  he  had  the  whip-hand  of  us  in  Corunna.  He 
will  bring  down  his  brother  gabachos  upon  us  immediately ;  but  they 

*  "  Conquer  or  die  for  our  native  land,  and  for  Ferdinand  VII." 
t  "  War  to  the  knife." 


THE   GUERRILLEROS.  133 

shall  find  nobody  here,  nor  any  of  thesacred  tilings  they  have  plundered 
from  the  shrine  of  Santiago,  whose  name  be  for  ever  praised  and 
blessed— amen ! " 

"Amen,"  devoutly  responded  the  guerrilleros,  as  they  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross  upon  their  foreheads  with  their  bloody  fingers. 

"  Diego ! "  shouted  Don  Pedro. 

"  Here  am  I,"  said  Diego,  coming  with  his  sanctified  look  from 
amongst  the  crowd. 

"Hiio  Diego,"  resumed  Don  Pedro,  "you  have  well  acquitted 
yourself  of  your  duty  this  day,  and  shall  be  duly  reported  to  the 
Junta.  I  am  now  about  to  confer  upon  you  another  proof  of  my  con- 
fidence :  say,  are  you  ready  and  willing  to  conduct  this  English  officer 
to  the  outposts  ot  El  Gran  Lor  at  la  Guardia  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Diego.  "  Es  bueno  chico  y  muy 
Cristiano,"  he  added,  with  a  sly  leer  at  me,  "  especially  in  the  con- 
fession-box." 

"  Then  saddle  two  fresh  mules  immediately,"  said  Don  Pedro,  "and 
start  at  once.  You  know  the  road  I  dare  say." 

"  I  should  think  I  do,"  said  Diego,  with  a  broad  grin. 

"And  now,  muchachos,"  said  Don  Pedro,  "tackle  the  mules  to  the 
waggons,  and  start  instantly  for  Orense.  Let  the  dead  and  dying 
gabachos  _take  care  of  one  another,  but  put  our  brave  fellows  that 
are  hurt  into  the  waggons.  Vamonos,  muchachos !  come  along,  my 
dear  wife." 

Dona  Maria  however  had  vanished ;  and  as  I  had  nothing  further 
to  detain  me,  I  went  out  to  prepare  for  my  journey. 

The  sight  I  now  witnessed  was  appalling :  the  ground  was  strewn 
with  dead  and  dying  Frenchmen ;  wnile  savage-looking  guerrilleros. 
with  bloody  knives  in  their  hands,  were  stabbing  those  who  still 
showed  any  signs  of  life,  and  rifling  their  knapsacks.  These,  it  must 
be  confessed,  contained  numerous  articles  ot  plunder,  as  doubloons, 
dollars,  gold  and  silver  watches  and  trinkets,  silver  cups,  spoons, 
forks,  &c.  Other  Spaniards  were  putting  the  mules  in  the  traces,  and 
moving  the  waggons  off  as  speedily  as  possible ;  while  a  third  party 
were  collecting  and  carrying  away  the  arms,  accoutrements,  and 
ammunition,  even  to  the  very  clothing  of  their  slaughtered  adversaries. 

There  now  only  remained  Don  Pedro  and  a  few  trusty  followers, 
who,  being  well  mounted,  were  to  act  as  a  rear-guard;  when, 
unluckily  as  they  were  about  to  start,  the  poor  French  commandant 
was  discovered  up  to  his  neck  in  a  wine-vat.  The  sight  of  Dubardieu 
aroused  all  the  vengeance  of  Don  Pedro,  who  ordered  him  for  imme- 
diate execution ;  but  the  Frenchman  prayed  humbly  for  his  life,  and 
I  also  earnestly  interceded  for  him.  ^ 

"  Carajo ! "  cried  the  Spaniard,  with  a  grim  smile.  "  You  English 
are  so  inconsistent.  Why  this  is  the  very  fellow  that  twice  this  day 
attempted  to  take  your  life." 

"  I  forgive  him  heartily,"  I  said ;  "  and  pray  you,  for  my  sake,  to 
spare  his  wretched  life." 


"  Well,"  said  Don  Pedro,  "for  your  sake,  I  will  spare  his  life;  but 
cannot  take  him  with  me,  and  I  mustn't  allow  him  to  escape  till 


134  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

we're  out  of  the  reach  of  pursuit.  Therefore,  muchachos,  tie  him  up 
to  yonder  tree ;  and  if  the  wolves  should  pay  him  a  visit  iu  the  course 
of  the  night,  it  will  not  be  my  fault." 

This  was  a  danger  I  had  not  anticipated,  but  I  now  felt  its  reality ; 
for  already  troops  of  these  shaggy  monsters,  who  abound  in  the 
gorges  of  the  Sierra,  were  seen  prowling  about,  and  snuffing  the 
tainted  air  from  the  scene  of  action,  where  they  speedily  hoped  to 
glut  their  horrid  appetites. 

Poor  Dubardieu  also  felt  the  frightful  extremity  to  which  he  was 
reduced ;  and  begged  piteously  to  be  taken  off  as  a  prisoner,  thrown 
into  a  dungeon,  or  even  put  to  death  at  once,  to  avoid  his  anticipated 
torments.  Don  Pedro,  however,  turned  an  equally  deaf  ear  to  his 
prayers  and  to  my  remonstrances  ;  the  only  modification  of  his  stern 
decree  being,  if  anything,  a  refinement  on  its  cruelty. 

"Tie  him  up  well,"  said  Don  Pedro  to  his  myrmidons,  "but  leave 
his  right  arm  free,  and  give  him  his  sword  to  defend  himself;  wolf 
against  wolf !  That's  fair  play,  or  the  devil's  in  it." 

This  was  accordingly  done :  the  unfortunate  Frenchman  was  tied 
up  to  the  trunk  of  an  olive  tree,  and  armed  with  his  sword;  while 
Diego  taking  me  by  the  arm,  exclaimed,— 

"  Vamos,  Senor  Inglesito  ;  you'll  do  no  good  for  him,  or  yourself, 
if  you  stay  any  longer.  Pero  Votero  is  not  a  man  to  be  trifled 
with." 

Feeling  the  utter  hopelessness  of  any  further  interference  on  my 
part,  I  bade  adieu  to  Don  Pedro,  sprang  on  my  mule,  and  set  off  with 
my  trusty  guide.  As  I  turned  the  corner  of  the  building,  I  looked 
up  at  the  window,  and  there  stood  pobre  Maria,  gazing  after  me  with 
streaming  eyes.  1  kissed  my  hand  to  her,  pressed  it  to  my  heart,  and 
the  next  moment  lost  sight  of  her  for  ever. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  SMUGGLER'S  VENTA. 

IT  was  getting  dusk  as  we  cleared  the  village ;  and  the  clattering  of 
the  mules'  feet  upon  the  rugged  road,  was  the  only  thing  that  broke 
the  dead  silence  which  now  hung  over  a  scene  where  the  noise  of 
battle,  the  shouts  of  the  victors,  and  the  groans  of  the  wounded  had 
so  recently  formed  a  dismal  chorus. 

Two  or  three  frightful  yells,  however,  came  upon  the  breeze,  which 
I  could  not  help  fancying  were  the  last  efforts  of  poor  Dubardieu 
against  the  wolves,  equally  savage  and  remorseless  as  Don  Pedro ; 
and  I  shuddered  when  I  reflected  on  his  horrid  fate.  But  these  soon, 
after  ceased,  as  well  as  the  clattering  of  the  mules'  feet,  when  we 
quitted  the  main  road.  Making  a  sudden  turn  to  the  right,  we  struck 
into  a  wild  and  heathy  district ;  following  the  course  of  the  rivulet, 
which  was  every  moment  increased  in  volume  by  the  tributary  rills 
that  flowed  into  it  from  the  mountains  on  either  side. 


THE  SMUGGLER'S  VENTA.  135 

The  day  had  been  warm  for  the  early  seaspu ;  but  the  night  came 
on  chill  and  cold  :  while  a  damp  mist  arose  from  the  bed  of  the  river, 
that  made  my  teeth  chatter,  and  my  whole  frame  shiver,  as  though  I 
were  getting  a  relapse  of  the  Walcheren  ague.  These  symptoms 
were  soon  perceived  by  my  attentive  guide;  who,  slackening  his  pace, 
which  had  hitherto  been  at  full  speed,  unbuckled  a  capacious  cloak 
with  a  hood  to  it,  which  had  been  strapped  before  him,  and  handed  it 
to  me  with  a  gracious  air,  as  a  present  from  Dona  Maria.  Pobre 
Maria !  in  the  midst  of  her  own  troubles,  she  had  not  forgotten  mine. 

Diego  then  wrapped  himself  up  in  another  capa  that  was  buckled 
behind  him,  and  I  lost  no  time  in  following  his  example,  which  made 
a  wonderful  difference  to  me  in  point  of  comfort :  my  inward  man 
was  still  further  solaced  by  a  long  swig  at  a  botaof  Diego's  excellent 
wine,  which  hung  at  my  saddle-bow ;  on  which  occasion,  as  the 
reader  will  naturally  conceive,  I  made  ample  amends  for  my  self- 
denial  at  the  dinner-table. 

These  preliminaries  being  completed,  we  prepared  for  a  fresh  start, 
when  I  felt  quite  equal  to  all  the  fatigues  ana  perils  of  the  night; 
more  especially,  as  I  had  been  furnished  with  a  carbine  and  a  waist- 
belt  of  cartridges,  and  Don  Pedro  had  restored  my  pistols  and  com- 
mission to  me  when  I  bade  him  adieu.  We  again  set  off  at  full 
speed,  to  take  advantage  of  the  level  country  as  long  as  it  lasted ; 
and  kept  up  nearly  the  same  pace  for  three  hours,  without  meeting 
with  any  obstruction.  But  all  semblance  of  a  road  had  long  ceased ; 
and  the  ground  was  becoming  marshy  and  broken  into  swamps, 
through  which,  however,  our  mules  splashed,  as  sure-footed  as  if  they 
were  going  over  a  bowling-green. 

The  silence  of  the  night  was  unbroken,  except  by  the  noise  we 
made,  and  the  howling  of  the  wolves,  which  reminded  me  sadly  of 
poor  Dubardieu.  From  the  occasional  snorting  and  starting  of  my 
mule,  I  felt  assured  that  we  ourselves  were  surrounded  by  these  vora- 
cious animals ;  and  1  thought  I  could  even  distinguish  the  sparkling 
of  their  eyes,  every  now  and  then,  through  the  palpable  obscure. 

Unwilling  to  become  a  prey  to  these  savage  monsters,  who,  by  a 
sudden  spring  from  an  overhanging  rock,  might  effectually  prevent 
me  from  ever  seeing  the  Light  Division,  I  was  determined  to  try  the 
effect  of  a  shot  or  two  amongst  them.  Being  some  distance  in  front 
of  Diego,  I  unslung  my  carbine ;  and,  checking  the  speed  of  my  mule, 
I  v  ent  on  slowly  till  I  thought  I  could  discern  one  of  the  caitiffs 
crossing  my  path,  at  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  paces.  I  then  fired 
with  a  steady  aim ;  and  was  assured  of  my  success  by  the  dreadful 
howl  that  immediately  followed,  which  was  repeated  on  all  sides,  in 
every  diabolical  key  that  can  be  imagined. 

Effectually  roused  by  these  savage  yells,  our  mules  pricked  up 
their  ears,  and  dashed  forward  at  a  rate  that  soon  removed  us  from 
the  dangerous  proximity.  But  this  was  only  to  bring  us  into  new 
and  unexpected  peril:  for,  as  we  slowly  proceeded  up  a  rocky 
eminence,  towards  a  dark-looking  object,  that  bore  some  resemblance 
to  a  house,  a  report  of  fire-arms  suddenly  assailed  our  ears ;  while  a 
shower  of  slugs  or  bullets  whistled  past,  too  close  to  be  pleasant, 


1«6  THE  YOTING  RIFLEMAN. 

cutting  the  branches  of  the  trees  011  either  side  of  the  path  we  were 

PUTMsnfhreatenmg  demonstration,  sufficiently  startling  of  itself,  was 
immediately  followed  by  a  ferocious  voice,  demanding  with  a  savage 
sort  of  growl,  and  amidst  a  volley  of  oaths  and  imprecations,— 

"  EsUpafia?V|spaiia !  "  replied  Diego.  "  Cuerpo  del  denionio  SI 
thought  every  one  would  have  known  me  hereabouts,  even  in  ilie 

C  We  had  by  this  time  come  up  close  to  the  door  of  a  low,  strong- 
looking  building;  and  the  mirilla,  or  little  square  peep-hole,  with 
which  all  Spanish  doors  are  furnished,  being  opened,  we  were  recon- 
noitred from  within  for  a  moment,  till  at  length  a  female  voice 
exclaimed, — 

"  Madre  de  Dios !    'Tis  Diego ! "  -,.-,••, 

The  door  was  immediately  opened,  and  we  were  admitted  without 
further  ceremony  ;  Diego  exclaiming,  in  his  usual  sanctified  manner, 
as  he  crossed  the  threshold, — 

"  Ave  Maria  purisirna !  " 

And  being  immediately  answered  by  all  present,  and  with  equal 
piety, — 

"  Sin  peccado  concebida !  " 

The  first  persons  we  encountered  on  entering  were  three  deter- 
mined-looking fellows,  with  trabucos,  or  musketoons,  in  their  hands ; 
one  of  which  had  evidently  been  just  discharged,  either  to  kill  or  to 
frighten  us.  Their  hostility,  however,  extended  no  further,  for  they 
gave  Diego  a  friendly  greeting  as  a  companero;  while  a  buxom  wench 
caught  him  round  the  neck  and  kissed  him  very  lovingly. 

Diego,  who  with  all  his  sanctimonious  formality  was  not  insensible 
to  this  token  of  aifection,  bestowed  upon  the  young  lady  the  endearing 
epithets  of  querida,  and  amiga,  and  cam  Juanita:  he  also  threw  over 
her  neck  a  gold  chain  \yith  a  sparkling  cross  attached  to  it,  evidently 
one  of  the  first-fruits  of  the  late  conflict.  To  her  mother,  the  patrona 
of  the  venta,  who  gave  him  the  benvenido  with  much  cordiality,  he 
also  gave  a  dozen  massy  silver  spoons,  which  had  lately  occupied  a 
corner  in  a  Frenchman's  knapsack. 

"  Vamos,  vamos  !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  strangers  ;  "  let  the 
presents  go  round,  amigo."  _ 

"  Mariana,  mafiana ! "  said  Diego,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  to 
indicate  that  there  were  no  more. 

"  What  hidalgo  have  you  been  rifling  ?  "  asked  another. 

"  You'll  know  all  about  it,"  replied  Diego,  "  when  you  get  on  as 
far  as  Abavides." 

"But  why  all  this  mystery  ?"  demanded  the  third.  "Tell  us  at 
once." 

"  Let  me  finish  my  chocolate  first,"  said  Diego,  as  he  took  a  creamy 
cup  just  prepared  for  him  by  Juanita. 

The  apartment  in  which  we  now  stood  was,  as  usual,  the  kitchen, 
dining-room,  and  drawing-room  of  this  way-side  hotel.  The  walls 
were  black  with  smoke,  and  unadorned,  except  by  a  coarse  black 


THE  SMUGGLER'S  VENTA.  137 

crucifix,  which  hung  on  the  right-hand  of  the  door,  with  a  broken 
basin  under  it  for  holy  water.  A  large  cork-tree  was  blazing  on  the 
hearth,  over  which  two  or  three  iron  pots  were  suspended,  bubbling, 
hissing,  and  sending  forth  a  savoury  odour;  while  a  few  pieces  of 
lighted  pine,  stuck  in  the  sides  of  the  chimney,  illuminated  the  apart- 
ment, as  the  hostess  was  preparing  the  supper-table. 

"  Carajo  ! "  cried  Diego,  when  he  had  finished  his  choc9late ;  "  these 
are  pretty  manners  you  have  learned  here  lately,  mis  amigos,  to  salute 
poor  weary  travellers  with  a  shower  of  leaden  bullets  from  your 
trabucos." 

"  'Twas  your  own  fault,  Diego,"  replied  one  of  the  men ;  "we  took 
you  for  malditos  aduaneros." 

"  I  thought  you  knew  better,"  said  another,  "  than  to  go  firing  your 
escopeta  through  the  mountains  at  this  time  of  the  night." 

"  I  did  no  such  thing,"  said  Diego ;  "  though  the  wolves  did  come 
about  us  pretty  thick." 

"Who  was  it,  then?"  demanded  every  one  in  a  tone  of  alarm. 
"  Are  the  aduaneros  then  really  on  the  look-out  ?  " 

"  Well,  if  I  must  tell  you  the  truth,"  said  Diego,  with  a  smile,  "  it 
was  this  young  gen — ahem,  young  lady,  I  mean." 

"Young  lady !  "  cried  the  men,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Young  lady ! "  sighed  Juanita. 

"  Young  lady  !  "  screamed  the  patrona. 

Here  I  threw  off  my  cloak  and  hood,  which  had  hitherto  concealed 
my  feminine  attire ;  and  shone  forth  in  all  the  glories  of  frills,  flounces, 
and  furbelows,  the  borrowed  finery  of  p^oor  Dofia  Maria. 

"  Conque,  Senor  Diego,"  said  one  ot  the  smugglers,  with  a  hearty 
laugh ;  "  this  is  way  you  go  roaming  about  the  country  with  young 
ladies  by  night,  while  poor  Juanita  sits  at  home  in  the  chimney 
corner." 

"  If  she  takes  my  advice,"  said  another,  throwing  his  arm  around 
her  waist,  "she'll  pay  him  off  in  his  own  coin." 

"Cuidado !"  cried  Juanita,  giving  him  a  pretty  smart  box  on  the 
ear.  "I  know  how  and  when  to  avenge  myself,  without  your 
teaching." 

"Fair  maid!"  I  said,  "amiable  Juanita,  do  not  let  me  be  the 
cause  of  any  unhappiness  between  you  and  your  novio.  Believe  me, 
I  would  rather  win  your  love  then  excite  your  jealousy." 

"  Poco  a  poco— fair  and  softly,  good  sir,"  cried  Diego,  interposing, 
*c  you  have  done  mischief  enough  that  way  already,  Senor  Ingfesito." 

Here  was  another  cause  of  wonder  to  the  inmates  of  the  venta,  who 
now  looked  at  me  with  increasing  curiosity ;  till,  at  length,  to  prevent 
further  mistakes,  Diego  explained  the  mystery  of  my  metamorphosis, 
and  the  object  of  my  journey.  He  also  gave  them  an  account  of  the 
cutting-up  of  the  French  convoy,  and  of  my  adventure  with  the 
commandant,  which  threw  them  into  convulsions  of  laughter,  and 
excited  many  a  jest  at  my  expense,  some  of  which  covered  Juanita's 
face  with  frowns  and  blushes. 

To  put  an  end  to  this  badinage,  which  was  rather  exceeding  the 
bounds  of  good  manners,  the  patrona  summoned  us  to  supper;  and 


138  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

we  all  sat  down,  with  immense  appetites,  to  an  enormous  brown 
earthern  dish,  containtainmg  a  guisado,  or  stew,  of  hares  and  rabbits, 
that  smoked  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  and  diffused  around  a  delicious 
fragrance.  It  was  flanked,  on  one  side,  by  a  splendid  ham,  for  which 
Gallicia  is  famous,  and  on  the  other,  by  a  dish  of  hog's  puddings  and 
gamvances,  or  stewed  beans;  while,  the  round  flattened  decanter, 
peculiar  to  Spain,  with  a  long  neck,  and  still  longer  spout,  circled 
round  the  board,  pouring  down  the  throat  of  every  guest  in  turn  a 
jet  of  generous  wine. 

All  hearts  being  opened  by  the  genial  influence  of  these  creature 
comforts,  my  new  companions,  who,  as  I  before  surmised,  were  all 
smugglers,  renewed  their  mirth  and  triumph  at  the  late  glorious 
event,  expressing  themselves  very  sententiously  as  to  the  ultimate 
results  of  the  war. 

"Patience,  and  shuffle  the  cards  !"  they  said ;  " the  pitcher  goes 
to  the  well  till  it  breaks !  He  must  be  blind,  indeed,  that  can't  see 
through  the  bottom  of  a  sieve ! "  with  other  scraps  of  proverbial 
wisdom,  for  which  the  countrymen  of  Sancho  Panza  are  so  famous. 
Then  they  abused  Napoleon  and  los  gabachos  Franceses  for  the  inva- 
sion of  their  delicioso  pais.  Honey,  they  said,  was  not  made  for  the 
mouth  of  an  ass  !  and  Napoleon,  in  particular,  ought  to  be  sent  to 
los  cuatro  infiernos  for  his  presumption.  They  were  all  ready,  they 
said,  for  a  guerra  al  cuchillo,  if  the  English  would  only  stick  by  them. 
As  for  those  poor  Portuguese,  they  were  only  to  be  despised ;  for  it 
was  well  known  that  God  flrst  made  the  Gallician,  and  afterwards 
the  Portuguese  to  wait  upon  him.  But,  "  Viva  el  gran  Lor  !  and  Vivan 
los  valoroses  Ingleses  ! " 

"  Paz  con  Tnglaterra, 
Con  todo  el  mundo  guerra !  " 

Amidst  all  this  egotism  and  self-glorification,  I  was  glad  to  learn 
that  our  new  friends  had  been  to  the  English  camp  with  a  cargo  of 
brandy,  tobacco,  cigars,  and  other  contraband  wares ;  which  they 
were  enabled  to  sell  to  our  troops  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  they 
could  be  supplied  from  Lisbon.  They  knew  the  Light  Division 
perfectly  well,  and  told  me  that  they  were  stationed  at  Gallegos  and 
JBarba  del  Puerco,  on  the  banks  of  the  Agueda ;  the  French  being 
about  to  lay  siege  to  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  which  was  only  three  or  four 
miles  from  our  advanced  posts. 

Having  received  such  circumstantial  information,  which  subse- 
quently proved  quite  correct,  as  to  the  position  of  my  regiment,  I 
determined  to  strike  across  the  country  and  join  it  at  once,  instead  of 
going  to  Lord  Wellington's  head-quarters  at  La  Guarda.  On  con- 
sulting Diego,  I  found  that  he  was  perfectly  competent  to  guide  me 
thither;  and  as  it  was  desirable,  on  many  accounts,  that  we  should 
cross  the  Portuguese  frontier  before  daylight,  he  soon  after  rose  from 
the  supper-table,  exclaiming, — 

"  Arriba,  arriba,  senores !    Ya,  vamos  !  "* 

Having  paid  liberally  for  our  supper,  we  now  prepared  to  start : 
*  "  Up,  up,  masters,  we  are  off ! " 


THE  SMUGGLER'S  VENTA.  139 

the  smugglers  shook  hands  with  me,  exclaiming,  "  Con  Cristo  yais, 
amigo  !  "  and  Juanita,  in  return  for  the  pezzo  duro  that  I  slipped  into 
her  hand?  gave  me  a  gentle  pressure,  as  she  exclaimed  with  a  co- 
quetish  sigh,  "  Vaya  usted  con  la  Virgeri,  caballerq  ! " 

We  continued  riding  for  the  remainder  of  the  night  at  a  slackened 
pace ;  for  we  were  now  ascending  and  descending  steep  and  rugged 
hills,  and  crossing  the  rocky  beds  of  foaming  torrents,  where  it  was 
sometimes  with  difficulty  that  our  mules  could  keep  their  legs.  This 
was,  in  fact,  the  mountainous  frontier,  over  which  Soult's  army 
escaped  from  Portugal  with  difficulty,  by  the  sacrifice  of  its  artillery 
and  baggage,  only  a  few  months  before,  when  pursued  by  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley's  victorious  troops,  which  never  ceased  pressing  upon  and 

falling  the  rear  of  the  French,  until  they  were  fairly  over  the  frontier, 
n  these  stupendous  passes,  they  were  also  incessantly  assailed  by 
clouds  of  armed  mountaineers,  who,  without  venturing  to  engage  in 
close  array,  or  corps  against  corps,  always  retired  from  rock  to  rock, 
and  from  one  position  to  another  among  the  heights,  firing  perpetually, 
even  when  flying  from  the  hated  gabachos ;  while  the  wounded,  the 
sick,  or  the  exhausted  French  soldier,  who  lagged  for  a  moment 
behind  his  column,  invariably  fell  a  prey  to  the  vengeance  of  his 
inveterate  enemies. 

Morning  broke  sweetly  upon  this  mountain  barrier  between  two 
nations  so  closely  connected,  yet  so  dissimilar  in  many  respects  ;  the 
first  indication  we  received  of  having  crossed  the  frontier,  being  the 
palpable  difference  between  the  sonorous  Castilian  and  the  squeaking 
language  of  Lusitania,  addressed  to  us  by  the  peasants  of  this  wild 
district.  The  scenery  was  striking  and  picturesque  :  the  road  some- 
times passing  beneath  a  succession  of  lofty  peaks  on  one  side ;  while 
on  the  other  lay  a  deep  and  narrow  gulph,  from  which  arose  the 
faint  murmur  of  the  torrent,  that  wound  its  tortuous  course  at  the 
bottom.  The  lower  sides  of  the  mountain  were  covered  luxuriantly 
with  forests  of  beech,  olives,  and  cork-trees ;  while,  in  the  higher 
regions,  the  evergreen  oak  stretched  its  venerable  boughs  across 
some  dark  ravine,  and  the  gloomy  pine  crowned  the  very  summits, 
twisted  and  riven  by  the  violence  of  the  wintry  gales. 

We  had  very  little  trace  of  a  road ;  holding  9ur  way  along  tracts  of 
uncultivated  and  uncultivable  land,  covered  with  a  thick  underwood 
of  gum-cistus,  and  other  aromatic  and  medicinal  plants;  which, 
under  the  pressure  of  our  mules'  feet,  loaded  the  air  with  a  rich  per- 
fume. As  the  morning  advanced,  the  cold  blue  tint  of  the  mountains 
gradually  warmed  up  to  lilac,  then  to  pink,  and  pale  yellow ;  till  at 
last  the  lofty  pinnacles  were  deeply  tinged  with  crimson,  orange,  and 
gold,  as  the  glorious  luminary  rose  ab9ve  the  horizon. 

There  were  very  few  symptoms  of  life  in  these  vast  solitudes ;  the 
bell  of  a  hermitage,  perhaps,  sounding  amidst  the  rocks  and  woods, 
or  a  thin  wreath  of  smoke  curling  upwards,  from  the  dense  foliage. 
Occasionally  a  flock  of  goats  might  be  seen  suspended  almjst  in  the 
air,  browsing  among  the  cliffs,  under  the  care  of  a  wild-looking  goat- 
herd, clothed  in  sheep-skins  :  while  a  ratero,  or  solitary  footpad,  would 
claim  acquaintance  with  Diego,  who  seemed  well  known  in  these 


140  THE  TOVNG  RIFLEMAN. 

parts ;  or  a  pilgrim  to  St.  James  of  Compostella,  with  "  cockle-shell 
and  sandal  shoon,"  would  bestow  a  benedicite  on  the  travellers. 


Having  now,  thanks  to  the  smugglers,  a  certain  point  to  steer  by ; 
...stead  of  going,  at  the  mercy  of  chance,  to  some  distant  part  of  the 
British  lines,  which  necessarily  occupied  an^extended  space  of  country, 


Diego  took  his  measures  acc9rdingiy.  Being  himself  a  very  active 
smuggler,  as  indeed  the  guerrilleros  generally  were ;  he  knew  every 
track  in  this  part  of  the  Peninsula,  highway  and  bye-way ;  and  could 
calculate  to  a  nicety  the  places  to  be  avoided,  and  the  retired  vcntas 
where  we  could  safely  stop  for  rest  and  refreshment. 

In  this  manner,  making  a  detour  to  avoid  Villa  Real,  we  crossed 
the  Duero  between  Lam  ego  and  Miranda ;  then  veering  to  the  left, 
we  struck  off  direct  for  Ciudad  Rodrigo.  For  two  days  longer,  we 
thus  continued  riding  without  interruption ;  for,  if  any  curiosity  was 
excited  by  my  appearance,  it  was  easily  satisfied  by  a  mysterious 
whisper  from  Diego,  that  I  was  a  young  Castilian  lady,  going  to  pay 
a  visit  to  el  gran  Lor :  that  awful  name  checked  all  importunity,  and 
convinced  the  simple  querists  that  all  was  right. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  we  perceived  indications  of  ap- 
proaching an  outpost.  First,  some  soldiers  appeared,  sauntering 
about  the  fields  and.  deserted  houses,  in  search  of  plunder  or  amuse- 
ment. To  my  great  delight  some  of  them  belonged  to  my  own  regi- 
ment, and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  I  restrained  myself  from 
speaking  to  them.  Next  I  heard  some  drummer-boys  and  buglers 
practising  their  respective  instruments,  and  a  juvenile  fifer  essaying 
the  national  anthem  :  then  a  redoubt  or  two  appeared,  with  a  sentry 
walking  on  the  platform,  who  luckily  took  no  notice  of  me ;  the  appa- 
rition of  one  or  the  fair  sex  at  this  out-quarter  being,  perhaps,  of 
somewhat  frequent  occurrence.  To  these  succeeded  the  snambles  of 
the  meat  contractor ;  the  commissariat  stores  5  and  the  hospital,  with 
several  patients  in  their  flannel  gowns,  walking  up  and  down  before 
the  doors  ;  or  a  wounded  man  brought  in  on  a  stretcher  from  the  out- 
lyingtpicket,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Agueda.  Objects,  in  short,  long 
familiar  to  my  sight,  and  dear  to  my  heart,  multiplied  at  every  step  I 
took,  till  I  found  myself  at  the  entrance  of  a  village,  which  Diego 
and  I  rode  boldly  into. 

We  had  not  proceeded  far  when  we  approached  three  or  four 
officers,  walking  leisurely  before  us,  chatting  and  laughing  merrily. 
They  were  all  strangers  to  me  except  one ;  and  him  I  should  know 
amongst  a  thousand,  by  his  portly  person,  his  rubicund  visage,  and 
his  clear  hilarious  laugh,  which  rang  out  good-humouredly  above  all 
the  rest.  Having  no  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  this  individual,  I 
shouted  at  the  very  top  of  my  voice, — 

"Jack  Dillon  from  Navan ! " 


THE  LIGHT  DIVISION.  141 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  LIGHT  DIVISION. 

THE  strangers  all  turned  round  and  approached  me,  with  evident 
symptoms  of  surprise  and  curiosity,  till  at  last  Dillon  himself,  after 
staring  at  me  for  awhile,  exclaimed : — 

"  By  the  powers,  'tis  Percy  Blake  of  ours  ! " 

"  N9nsense  ! "  said  one,  "  'tis  a  woman !  " 

" 'Tis  a  buena  muchacha"  said  another,  " and  not  a  bad-looking 
girl  either,  on  a  march." 

"  Then  it  must  be  his  sister,"  said  Dillon  "  for  I  never  say  any  two 
faces  so  like  one  another,  and  I  never  saw  hers  at  all,  at  all." 

A  general  laugh  pealed  forth  at  Dillon's  bull,  in  which  I  heartily 
joined  as  the  party  approached. 

"  Ah,  then,  Percy,  my  boy,"  said  Dillon,  "  is  it  you  or  your  sister  ? 
and  which  of  the  heavenly  elements  have  you  dropt  from*  a  cushla  ?" 

" Help  me  to  alight,  Jack,"  I  said,  "I  have  been  a  whole  week  on 
this  cursed  packsaadle,  and  have  lost  the  use  of  my  limbs." 

Dillon  accordingly  lifted  me  off  my  mule  in  his  brawny  arms,  and  I 
was  introduced  to  nis  companions,  officers  of  the  43rd,  one  of  the 
distinguished  regiments  of  the  Light  Division,  who  gave  me  a  most 
cordial  reception. 

I  now  turned  to  Diego,  and  putting  my  last  two  doubloons  into  his 
hand,  I  released  him  from  all  further  attendance,  and  desired  him  to 
present  my  kind  and  grateful  regards  to  Don  Pedro  and  Dona  Maria. 
With  many  thanks  and  good  wishes  Diego  took  his  leave,  praying 
that  my  excellency  might  live  a  thousand  years. 

"  Well,"  said  Dillon,  "  this  beats  Banagher  and  Ballinasloe,  to  see 
you  drop  amongst  us  like  one  of  the  howrees  of  the  Turks,  so  trans- 
mogrified that  if  I  didn't  know  your  face  by  the  sound  of  your  voice, 
I'd  swear  you  had  been  changed  at  nurse,  alanuv." 

Dillon's  merry  companions  seemed  to  hang  so  entirely  on  every 
word  he  uttered  as  mirth-exciting,  that  even  this  hackeyed  bull  pro- 
duced a  laugh  from  them ;  while  he,  unconscious  that  they  more  fre- 
quently laughed  at  him  than  with  him,  went  on  his  own  free  and  easy 
way,  as  usual. 

"And  to  hear  you  gabbling  Spanish,"  he  continued,  "  like  a  three- 
year-old,  when  I  have  been  amongst  the  Dons  and  High  Dolgoes  for 
a  month  of  Sundays,  and  I  can't  say  thonrem  pogue  ma  cauleen  ogne  yet 
in  any  language  but  my  own.  The  first  of  the  Blakes  must  surely 
have  been  a  top-sawyer  at  the  tower  of  Babylon,  and  left  you  the  gift 
of  the  gab  as  a  codicil." 

After  another  explosion  of  laughter,  in  which  Dillon  joined  uproari- 
ously at  his  own  wit,  we  adjourned  to  the  quarters  of  one  of  my  new 
friends,  where  cigars  and  cognac  being  produced  ad  libitum,  I  gave 


142  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

them  a  relation  of  my  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  which  very  much 
excited  their  wonder  and  amusement.  They  explained  to  me  in  turn, 
the  present  posture  of  affairs  at  this  advanced  outpost  of  the  British 
army,  which  was  briefly  as  follows  : — 

The  Light  Division,  under  General  Crawfurd,  consisted  of  the  43rd, 
52nd,  and  95th,  regiments  of  the  line,  with  the  First  German  Hussars, 
a  troop  of  horse  artillery,  and  two  battalions  of  Cacadores  (Portu- 
guese light  infantry),  numbering  in  all  about  four  thousand  bayonets. 
It  was  stationed  in  advance  of  the  river  Coa  (the  boundary  between 
Spain  and  Portugal),  the  principal  quarters  being  Gallegos  and  Barba 
del  Puerco,  where  I  had  just  arrived.  The  outlying  pickets  were 
furnished  alternately  by  the  three  regiments ;  and  as  the  French  in 
overwhelming  force  were  about  to  besiege  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  which 
was  only  two  or  three  miles  beyond  our  advance  at  Gallegos,  our 
troops  were  greatly  harassed  by  the  severity  of  the  duty,  an  attack 
being  almost  hourly  expected. 

"Luckily/5  said  one  of  the  43rd,  "we  have  an  excellent  backer ; 
for  Picton  with  the  fighting  division  is  at  Pinhel,  a  few  miles  only  in 
our  rear." 

"  'Tis  little  good  that  will  do  you,"  said  Dillon.  "  He  loves  Craw- 
furd as  the  devil  does  holy  water,  and  wouldn't  be  sorry  to  see  him 
get  a  licking  before  he  came  to  his  assistance." 

These  words  of  my  eccentric  friend  proved  prophetic  at  a  critical 
moment  not  long  after. 

"  Matters  being  in  this  ticklish  position  then,"  I  said,  "  I  must  get 
rid  of  this  female  toggery  as  soon  as  possible.  Where  are  our  lads 
quartered,  Dillon?" 

"  At  Gallegos,"  replied  Dillon.  "  You  are  now  at  Barba  del  Puerco, 
or  if  you  like  it  better  in  English,  at  the  'Pig's  Beard.'  I  have  heard 
of  a  pig's  whistle  before  now,  but  they  wear  imperials,  it  seems,  in 
this  country." 

" I  dare  say  I  can  get  a  rig  out  amongst  them,"  I  observed,  "for  I 
have  come,  as  you  see,  in  very  light  marching  order." 

"  Oh,  Father  Tim  will  do  your  business  in  that  way,"  said  Dillon, 
winking  at  his  companions. 

"Wlwishe?"  1  demanded. 

"  I'll  introduce  you  to  his  reverence,"  said  Dillon  drily. 

"But  perhaps  Conolly  is  come  up,"  I  said,  "with  my  baggage 
from  Lisbon." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  said  Dillon  mysteriously. 

"  In  that  case,"  I  said,  "  I  shall  soon  be  in  skirmishing  order. 
Come,  Jack,  let  us  start." 

"  Fair  and  aisy,"  said  Dillon.  "  Wait  till  nightfall ;  for  if  they  saw 
me  walking  with  you  in  that  trim  I  should  lose  my  character  as  an 
immaculate  Benedick." 

Accordingly,  after  chatting  with  my  new  friends  for  another  hour, 
we  bade  them  adieu,  and  started  for  Gallegos,  a  few  miles  in  advance, 
between  the  Agueda  and  the  Coa.  We  soon  reached  the  narrow 
bridge  of  San  Felices,  which  spans  the  rapid  current  of  the  former, 
where  we  fell  in  with  a  guard  of  the  52nd ;  the  cracking  of  rifles  and 


THE  LIGHT  DIVISION.  143 

the  whistling  of  balls  becoming  more  perceptible  as  we  neared  the 
outlying  pickets  9f  the  two  armies.  As  we  thus  jog  along,  challenged 
by  sentries,  scrutinized  by  patrols,  who  thought  me  a  very  suspicious- 
looking  person,  and  stumbling  on  fatigue  parties  in  the  dark,  laden 
with  sandbags  and  fascines  for  the  front  or  wounded  men  for  the 
rear,  it  will  not  be  a  bad  opportunity  to  introduce  to  the  reader's 
acquaintance  Jack  Dillon  from  Navan. 

Jack  was  as  brave  a  fellow  as  ever  drew  a  sword,  and  with  his 
rubicund  visage  and  portly  person,  the  beau-ideal  of  jollity  and  good- 
humour.  He  had  been  a  bit  of  a  dunce  at  school,  and  did  not 
improve  much  since  he  had  left  it ;  but  he  had  a  great  deal  of  what 
is  called  "  mother  wit,"  with  a  national  tendency  to  bull-making, 
which  formed  such  a  delightful  compound  as  made  him  a  general 
object  of  attraction  to  all  the  young  fellows  of  the  brigade,  by  a  bevy 
of  whom  he  was  always  surrounded. 

But  Dillon's  peculiar  talent  was  the  grace  and  elegance  with  which 
he  sang  the  Irish  melodies  :  for  though  one  might  naturally  expect 
from  him  such  versions  as  "Would  you  task  the  moon-tied  hair,"  he 
was  on  the  contrary,  not  only  perfectly  correct  in  his  reading,  but 
singularly  accurate  in  character  and  expression;  while  his  voice, 
which  was  melody  itself,  was  modulated  as  it  were  by  instinct,  for  he 
knew  no  more  about  gamut  or  solfa  than  he  did  about  Greek,  which 
he  called  the  language  of  those  old  Turks  the  Romans. 

Strange  to  say,  Dillon  had  never  been  in  England ;  having  come, 
as  he  himself  described  it,  by  a  side  wind  from  Cork  to  Lisbon, 
"which  brought  me  over,  you  see,  by  way  of  a  slope,"  said  Jack, 
"without  touching  the  stepmother  country  at  all,  at  all."  He  might, 
therefore,  be  held  excusable  for  believing  that  an  Irish  city  was  the 
finest  thing  in  nature,  and  Navan  the  first  of  Irish  cities,  "  barrin' 
Dublin,  perhaps."  He  accordingly  wrote  himself  down,  with 
becoming  pride,  as  "Jack  Dillon  from  Navan,"  on  his  cards,  his 
trunks,  and  occasionally,  indeed,  in  his  guard  reports,  when  he 
happened  to  have  a  drop  in  his  eye ;  and  by  this  style  and  title  he 
was  better  known  in  the  Peninsula  than  by  any  other. 

We  arrived  at  length  at  Gallegos,  which,  as  usual,  I  found  to  consist 
of  narrow  winding  streets  and  grated  windows.  This  small  place, 
which  was  only  three  or  four  miles  from  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  having 
been  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants,  the  houses  were  all  occupied  by 
our  Light  Bobs ;  the  church,  a  large  respectable  building,  being 
appropriated  as  an  hospital.  Into  this  we  took  a  peep  en  passant, 
and  found  it  pretty  wen  filled  with  sick  and  wounded,  ranged  along 
the  walls,  and  lying  upon  thick  straw  mattresses  on  the  floor,  while 
medical  men  and  hospital  orderlies  were  bustling  about  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  the  groans  of  a  poor  fellow  suffering  amputation  sounded 
ominously  to  the  ear. 

Having  groped  our  way  for  some  time  through  the  proverbial  dirt 
and  darkness  of  this  truly  Spanish  village,  we  came  to  a  small  shop 
that  was  dimly  lighted  with  one  or  two  iron  lamps,  in  which  very 
rancid  oil  was  burning. 

"  This,"  said  Dillon,  "  is  the  residence  of  Father  Tim.    Just  place 


144  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAtf. 

ypurself  here  beside  the  door,  and  you'll  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of 
Ms  reverence." 

1  did  so  accordingly,  and  looked  into  the  shop,  which  was  very 
sparingly  furnished  with  three  or  four  casks  of  different  shapes  ana 
sizes,  and  a  few  pig-skins,  apparently  filled  with  wine  ;  one  of  the 
casks  being  labelled  "  ACCADENTE,"  another  "Co-Ni-AC,"  and  a  third 

"MOLLYGO." 

Behind  the  counter  stood  Father  Tim  himself,  a  young  man 
evidently,  though  enveloped  in  the  capacious  white  habit  of  a  Domi- 
nican friar,  while  his  head  was  covered  with  the  huge  canoe-shaped 
hat  of  that  distinguished  order.  He  was  occupied  apparently  in 
counting  upon  his  fingers,  muttering  to  himself,  and  scolding  a 
Portuguese  boy  that  he  called  Jose,  who  was  washing  tumblers  and 
glasses  by  his  side,  to  help  the  customers  who  came  in  for  wine  or 
spirits ;  while,  as  Father  Tim  had  occasion  to  move  about  his  shop, 
he  carried  in  his  hand  to  light  his  steps  one  of  those  immense  waxen 
tapers  that  decorate  the  altars  in  Catholic  countries. 

"  Now,  Jose,  you  thief,"  said  Father  Tim,  in  English,  "  if  you 
break  any  more  of  them  glasses,  I'll  turn  you  out  on  the  shokheraun, 
and  'tis  thinking  I  am  you'll  be  sorry  enough  when  you  go  back  to 
ypur  own  beggarly  home,  from  the  good  aiting  and  dhrinking,  and 
iligant  dhry  lodgins  you  find  undher  my  counther  here,  you  thief  o' 
the  world!" 

"Why,  good  heavens !"  I  exclaimed  to  Dillon,  "  'tis  Conolly !" 

"  Hush,  hush !"  said  Dillon,  bursting  with  laughter,  "  be  silent  for 
awhile,  or  you'll  spoil  sport." 

"  If  you  please,  Father  Tim,"  said  a  soldier's  wife,  who  had  just 
entered  the  shop,  "  I'll  be  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  a  pint  of  Acca- 
dente." 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Father  Tim,  who  didn't  seem,  however,  to 
relish  her  extra  politeness  ;  "  but  remember  my  sign,  ma'am,  if  you 
please." 

The  woman  cast  her  eye  with  a  doleful  expression  on  a  large 
placard,  upon  which  was  written,  in  very  legible  characters,  the  fol- 
io wing  pi  thy  distich  :— 

"  Neither  tick  nor  trust, 
But  down  with  your  dust !  " 

"Well,  then,  Father  Tim,"  said  the  lady,  in  a  wheedling  voice, 
"  'tis  a  little  short  I  am  at  present,  but  I'll  pay  you  to-morrow,  for  1 
have  a  washing-bill  due  me  by  Ensign  Battersby." 

"  This  is  the  tenth  time  I  have  heard  of  that  washing-bill,"  said 
Father  Tim ;  "  but  it's  no  go,  ma'am." 

"Milia  murther!"  cried  the  applicant,  "what'll  I  do  now?  My 
poor  man  is  going  on  outlying  picket  to-night,  and  he  hasn't  a  toothful 
to  comfort  him." 

" Can't  help  it,  ma'am,"  replied  Father  Tim.  "I  can't  pay  house- 
rent  and  servant's  wages,  and  feed  such  a  gormandizing  thief  as  Jose, 
upon  tick,  ma'am." 

The  poor  woman  turned  to  leave  the  shop,  but  as  she  came  out  of 


THE  LIGHT  DIVISION.  145 

the  door  Dillon  put  a  peseta*  into  her  hand,  and  placed  his  finder  on 
his  lips  at  the  same  time.  This  enabled  her  to  get  a  whole  bottle  of 
Accadente  to  comfort  her  poor  man  on  outlying  picket,  and  Father 
Tim  was  all  smiles  and  complaisance  at  sight  of  the  coin. 

The  soldier's  wife  was  succeeded  by  an  urchin  not  so  high  as  the 
counter,  who  called  out  lustily,  however, — 

"Fader  Tim '.Fader  Tim!" 

"Well,  my  man,"  said  Father  Tim,  "what  is  it  you  want?" 

"  Please  sir,"  replied  the  youngster,  "  daddy  says  you  haven't  ped 
him  yet  for  de  Frenchman's  goold  watch  he  sold  you." 

"  Gold,  you  desaiver ! "  cried  Father  Tim.  "  'Twas  only  pinchback, 
and  not  worth  five  shillings." 

"  Please,  Fader  Tim,"  said  the  young  negotiator,  "  daddy  says  he 
has  no  dejection  to  take  it  out  in  liquor,  if  it's  all  de  same  to  you." 

"Very  well,"  said  Father  Tim,  "how much  do  you  want  now?" 

"A  bottle  for  daddy,"  said  young  hopeful,  "and  a  sup  for  meself." 

Father  Tim  immediately  supplied  the  wants  of  his  young  customer, 
who  exclaimed  as  he  went  away  smacking  his  lips, — 

"Oh,  be  de  hokey,  isn't  dat  bang-up !" 

After  one  or  two  more  scenes  of  this  nature,  which  exhibited  the 
shrewdness  of  Father  Tim,  as  well  as  his  love  of  money,  Dillon  and 
I  entered  the  shop,  the  former  calling  for  a  pint  of  Malaga. 

"  Yes,  captain,"  said  Father  Tim,  with  great  alacrity.  "  I  hope 
your  honour's  well  sir;  and  is  this  your  honour's  lady,  sir?"  Here 
he  gave  me  a  good  long  stare,  while  I  looked  exceedingly  demure. 
"She's  a  Spanish,  I  suppose,  captahl,  by  her  mantile-o,  and  doesn't 
speak  English."  Here  he  gave  another  look.  "  Will  you  have  the 
dry  or  the  sweet  Mollygo,  captain?" 


but 
exclaiming — 

"  Heavenly  Mary !  'tis  the  masther ! " 

Down  dropped  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  drawing  the  wine,  and 
without  waiting  to  stop  the  C9ck,  poor  Connlly  threw  himself  at  my 
feet,  seized  my  hand,  and  kissing  it  repeatedly,  blubbered  forth — 

"  Thank  Heaven  and  all  the  blessed  saints  that  I  see  you  once  more 
alive ;  and  the  blaggards  told  me  you  were  kilt  in  a  jewel.  Jose,  you 
thief  o'  the  world !  Why  don't  you  stop  that  cock,  an'  all  the  liquor 
running  about?  Oh,  captain,  dear,  what  a  joker  you  are,  with  your 
'dry  for  myself,'  an'  your  '  sweet  for  the  lady.'  Jose,  snuff  that  candle, 
or  I'll  brain  you— don't  you  see  there's  a  thief  in  it,  and  itself  a  holy 
candle,  to  boot.  And  my  own  dear  master  is  come  back  to  us  again 
to  shoot  the  Tooraloos ;  bad  scran  to  them  for  making  a  hole  in  my 
beautiful  pigskin  of  Mollygo,  the  other  night,  with  a  rifle-ball." 

"  Well,  Conolly,"  I  said,  interrupting  his  miscellaneous  eloquence. 
"  You  seem  to  be  driving  a  pretty  brisk  trade  here." 

"  And  thanks  to  his  honour  Captain  Dillon  for  that  same,  sir/' 

*  A  Spanish  coin,  about  eightpence  in  value. 


146  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

replied  Conolly.  "Sure  he  got  me  excused  from  guards  and  parades, 
and  outlying  picket,  that  I  might  look  after  your  honour's  baggage, 
and  save'  it  from  the  rogues  and  rapparees." 

"  And  where  is  my  baggage  ?"  1  demanded. 

"  Where  would  it  be,  but  in  your  quarters,  sir  ?  replied 
Conolly. 

"Where  are  they  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Here,  sir,  up  stairs  to  be  sure,"  replied  Conolly.  "  Oh  !  praise 
be  to  the  Vargin,  if  I  haven't  got  you  as  snug  billet  as  ever  you.  sot 
eyes  on,  in  spite  of  the  quartermaster-sergeant,  who  wanted  it  for 
himself,  indeed;  only  his  honour  Captain  Dillon  stood  in  the  gap, 
and  defaited  the  inimy.  And,  by  the  same  token,  as  there  was  a 
nice  little  bit  of  a  shop  belonging  to  it,  I  thought,  your  honour,  I 
couldn't  do  better  than  turn  an  honest  penny  in  it." 

"  But  how  have  you  escaped  the  provost-marshal,  in  so  doing  ? " 
I  demanded. 

"  Oh,  the  provo  and  I  is  as  thick  as  thieves,"  replied  Conolly;  "  and 
I'll  engage  the  daisant  man  never  wants  for  a  toothful  of  Accadente, 
or  a  go  of  Co-ni-ac,  on  a  winter's  night,  or  a  frosty  morning,  when 
lie's  going  his  rounds.  '  All  I  ask  of  you  Maister  Conolly/  says  he, 
*  is  to  keep  yer  hands  frae  peeking  and  stealing,'  says  he. 

"  '  Oh,  tear  an  ages  !  Sergeant  Jameson/  I  said  to  him.  'how  coidd 
you  think  I'd  ever  do  sich  a  thing  ?' 

"  'Hoot  awa,  mon!'  says  he,  'dinna  ye  think  I  have  heerd  tell 
about  the  cuckoo-clock,  in  the  island  of  Walcherecu?'  ;; 

"  Murder  will  out,  Conolly,"  said  Dillon.        , 

"Now,  Conolly,"  I  said,  "let  me  see  my. quarters;  for  I  am  both 
tired  and  hungry." 

"  To  be  sure,  sir  ;  this  way,  yer  honour,"  said  Conolly,  taking  two 
of  the  holy  candles  in  his  hands,  to  marshal  me  the  way,  as  I  have 
seen  royalty  lighted  to  its  opera-box  by  an  obsequious  manager. 
Before  he  went,  however,  he  called  out  to  his  locum  tenens : 

"  You  Jose,  mind  the  shop  till  I  come  back ;  and  if  you  drink  any 
more  of  that  Molly-go,  I'll  throttle  you,  you  thief." 

Conolly  now  led  the  way  up  stairs  into  a  very  nice  room  indeed, 
for  a  Spanish  house ;  and  here  I  found  all  my  baggage  safe,  and  in 
good  order. 

"  There  they  are,  sir,"  said  Conolly,  with  an  expression  of  laudable 
pride.  "  Six  of  all  sizes,  from  the  'big  bed-chest,  down  to  the  little 
portmantle,  all  in  rotation,  like  huckster's  turf;  and  many  a  hard 
light  I  had,  as  his  honour  the  captain  knows,  to  get  'em  up  here  from 
Lisbon,  what  with  quartermasters,  and  quartermaster-sergeants, 
and  commissary's  clerks ;  but  I  bamboozled  'em  all,  for  I  borrowed 
the  colonel's  canvass  cases  for  them,  with  his  name  painted  in  full, 
and  then  who  dar  say  paise  ?" 

"What  did  the  colonel  do  in  the  mean  time  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Sure  I  knew  before  any  one  else  did,"  replied  Conolly,  "  through 
his  servant,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  that  he  was  goina-  to  stop  at 
Lisbon  for  three  weeks;  and  by  that  time  1  had  'em  all  sent 
back.'1 


OUTLYING  PICKET.  147 

<c  You're  a  wonderful  fellow,  Conolly,"  I  said,  "  but  you  must  cut 
the  shop." 

"Oh,  Master  Percy!"  exclaimed  Conolly,  "isn't  this  a  poor  case, 
an'  I  making  sich  a  mint  o'  money.  Besides,  yer  honour,  'tisn't  a 
shop  after  all,  but  a  wine-store,  as  they  call  it  in  this  country ;  and 
sure  I  don't  sell  any  of  the  vulgar  commodities,  as  soap,  candles, 
treacle,  and  hog's  puddings,  only  the  genteelest  of  Co-ni-ac  ana 
Moilv-eo." 

"  You  must  also,"  I  said,  "  give  up  that  clerical  habit  that  has 
made  such  a  guy  of  you.    Pray  where  did  you  get  it  ?" 

" The  what  do  you  call  it,  sir  ?"  said  Conolly.  "Ok  I  I  know  what 
you  mean.  Sure  it  belonged  to  Father  Tonio,  who  lived  here  till 
he  died  one  day,  and  left  it  to  me  in  his  will,  with  four  holy  candles 
that  we  used  at  his  berrin,  and  a  holy  water  brush." 

"Did  he  die  here  ?"  I  demanded. 

"In  this  verv  room,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "But  you  needn't  be 
afraid,  Master  tercy ;  for  I  had  his  sperrit  laid  in  the  Red  Sea,  with 
bell,  book,  and  candle." 

My  considerate  valet  now  lit  a  fire  on  the  capacious  hearth,  and 
fried  some  excellent  rashers  of  Estremadura  hog,  with  eggs  "hot 
from  the  hen,"  as  he  expressed  himself;  and  some  of  our  lads  who 
knew  me,  with  others  who  did  not,  but  were  dying  to  hear  my  strange 
adventures,  having  dropped  in,  we  passed  a  pleasant  evening,  with  the 
aid  of  cigars  and  Mr.  Conolly's  Co-ni-ac.  That  night  I  slept  in 
clover  in  my  own  camp-bed ;  and  made  my  appearance  on  parade 
at  three  o'clock  the  following  morning,  once  more  every  inch  a  Light 
Bob. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

OUTLYING  PICKET. 

IT  was  the  merry  month  of  May,  and  everything  was  bright,  cheerful, 
and  brilliant  at  Galleg-os ;  where,  under  the  auspices  of  Jack  Dillon, 
to  whose  company  I  was  posted,  and  some  other  old  hands,  we 
established  a  very  comfortable  field  mess  in  the  principal  house  of 
the  place,  which  had  belonged  to  the  alcalde.  Here  we  kept  up  a 
very  friendly  and  familiar  intercourse  with  the  other  two  regiments 
of  our  brigade,  which  were  quartered  at  Barba  del  Puerco,  and  other 
neighbouring  villages,  being  mutually  honorary  members  of  each 
other's  messes,  and  paying  each  other  frequent  visits;  on  which 
occasions  I  used  to  enjoy  amazingly  a  ramble  through  the  woods 
of  cork  and  olive  trees  that  lay  between  our  respective  quarters. 

We  not  unfrequently,  also,  got  up  little  entertainments  for  the  simple 
and  worthy  Leonese,  in  whose  "idngdom"  we  now  were;  at  which 
the  charros  and  charms,  or  dandies  and  dandyzettes  of  Leon,  exhibited 
their  graceful  forms  and  picturesque  costumes,  for  the  admiration  of 
their  English  friends.  Nor  were  they  remiss  in  the  duties  of  hos- 
pitality themselves ;  but  returned  our  civilities  with  warm  and 


iSk  THE  YOtTNG  RIFLEMAN. 

pressing  invitations  to  their  cattle-brandings,  marriages,  and  family 
feasts;  on  which  occasions  they  kept  open  house,  with  a  profusion  of 
eating,  drinking,  singing,  and  dancing,  that  pleasingly  reminded  us 
of  the  wedding  of  Camacho. 

Meanwhile,  the  horizon  began  to  lower  in  the  direction  of  the 
Pyrenees ;  and  the  Gallic  cock  to  flap  his  wings,  as  if  all  in  reality 
was  over,  but  the  final  crow  of  triumph.  The  peace  concluded  at 
Vienna  in  1809  having  released  France  from  all  her  northern  wars, 
Napoleon  announced  his  intention  of  "  drowning  the  Leopard ; "  and 
accordingly  sent  powerful  supplies  to  Spain,  for  the  invasion  of 
Portugal  and  the  expulsion  of  the  English. 

The  French  army  destined  for  this  invasion  amounted  to  eighty 
thousand  men,  in  three  divisions,  under  Marshals  Ney,  Junot,  and 
Reynier ;  the  command  in  chief  being  vested  in  Marshal  Massena. 
To  oppose  this  multitude  of  tried  and  hardy  warriors,  accustomed  to 
conquest  over  all  the  rest  of  Europe,  Lord  Wellington  had  only  thirty 
thousand  English,  and  as  many  Portuguese,  regular  troops  ;  exclusive 
of  several  flying  corps  of  Portuguese  militia,  led  by  chiefs  of  their 
own  nation,  or 'by  English  officers;  and  levies  en  masse,  known  by 
the  name  of  Ordenanzas,  to  the  number  of  forty  thousand  more. 

With  an  army  of  so  heterogeneous  a  character.  Lord  Wellington 
C9uld  not  think  of  giving  battle  on  the  plains  of  Salamanca,  where 
his  enemy  presented  a  numerous  and  formidable  body  of  cavalry :  lie, 
therefore,  strictly  confined  himself  to  the  defence  of  Portugal,  and 
would  not  move  a  step  from  the  position  his  troops  now  occupied 
on  the  frontiers  of  that  kingdom,  in  spite  of  all  the  provocations  of 
the  French. 

Early  in  May,  Massena  prepared  for  active  operations,  and  invested 
Ciudad  Ilodrigo,  then  in  possession  of  the  Spaniards;  the  siege 
operations  being  carried  on  by  Junot  with  forty  thousand  men,  while 
Ney  effectually  covered  him  with  thirty  thousand  more.  In  front  of 
this  overwhelming  force,  our  Light  Division  could  of  course  do  no- 
thing, but  closely  observe  the  enemy;  and  though  we  were  reinforced 
by  the  14th  and  16th  Light  Dragoons,  and  also  by  Julian  Sanchez 
and  Can-era's  divisions,  still,  expecting  an  almost  daily  attack,  the 
duty  was  sufficiently  harassing  both  for  men  and  officers. 

This  new  campaign  opened  with  something  of  a  savage  character ; 
for,  during  ^  the  early  part  of  the  siege,  our  respective  pickets  were 
constantly  in  the  habit  of  firing  at  each  other,  which  occasioned  a 
number  of  needless  casualties,  that  could  have  no  possible  influence 
on  the  final  result.  Subsequently,  however,  as  if  by  mutual  consent, 
this  sanguinary  system  was  discontinued,  and  a  better  understanding 
established  with  the  enemy,  which  tended  greatly  to  soften  the 
horrors  of  war. 

Under  the  guarantee  of  this  tacit  agreement,  it  was  by  no  means 
uncommon  to  see  men  and  officers  on  both  sides  conversing  together, 
joking  with  each  other  on  the  events  of  the  campaign,  and  its  pro- 
bable termination ;  or  sharing  freely  with  their  respective  enemies 
little  comforts  and  luxuries  which,  in  ordinary  life,  we  only  bestow 
upon  private  friends.  In  no  instance,  was  this  mutual  confidence 


OUTLYING  PICKET.  149 

betrayed  by  even  a  chance  shot,  though  both  sides  were  at  times 
prepared  for  a  sudden  and  unexpected  resumptipn  of  hostilities. 

Meanwhile,  the  garrison  of  Rodrigo,  consisting  of  four  thousand 
men  under  the  old  governor  Hervasti,  made  a  most  gallant  defence  ; 
and  though  the  fortifications  were  in  very  bad  condition,  they  for  a 
long  time  kept  the  besiegers  at  bay,  in  spite  of  their  numerical  and 
scientific  superiority.  During  this  period,  the  shot  and  shell  practice 
of  both  parties  reminded  me  forcibly  of  the  siege  of  Flushing ;  espe- 
cially at  night,  when  the  star-like  progress  of  the  shells  to  and  from 
the  beleaguered  city,  was  watched  by  us  with  intense  interest ;  as  we 
wiled  away  the  long  hours  on  outlying  picket,  about  three  miles 
from  the  city.  This  latter  we  could  plainly  discern  from  the  rising 
ground  we  occupied,  standing  as  it  did  on  a  gentle  eminence  above 
the  Agueda,  whose  waters  bathed  the  foot  of  its  ramparts. 

"  They're  exactly  like  falling  stars  "  said  Dillon,  one  night  in  the 
early  part  of  July.  "I  wonder  if  tney  have  the  same  virtue  as  the 
stars  m  Ireland." 

"  What  may  that  l^e  ?  "  demanded  one  of  the  companions  of  our 
watch. 

"  Well,  they  say,"  replied  Dillon,  "that  when  you  see  a  star  falling, 
if  you  only  pray  for  the  grace  of  God  you'll  be  sure  to  get  it." 

"  Did  you  ever  try  the  experiment,  Jack  ?  "  demanded  another. 

"  I  did  then,  wanst,"  replied  Dillon  ;  "  and  faith,  I  think  I  have 
been  a  great  deal  more  graceful  ever  since." 

"  Especially,"  I  observed,  "  in  a  fandango  or  a  bolero." 

"  Oh,  trumpery  Moses,"  cried  Dillon,  for  this  was  his  version  of  a 
hackneyed  Latin  phrase  ;  "  you  may  talk  as  you  will  about  fandangoes 
and  bullerows,  but  I  prefer  a  good  supper  and  a  glass  of  toddy  to  the 
whole  biling  of  'em.  So  corne  here,  Conolly,  and  lay  the  tablecloth 
for  us." 

Mr.  Conolly  accordingly  came  forward,  and,  unrolling  a  piece  of 
sail-cloth  on  the  ground  before  us,  it  was  soon  laden  with  the  midniirht 
pic-nic  of  half  a  dozen  officers  of  ^the  picket,  consisting  of  ham,  C9ld 
roast  turkey,  roast  beef,  boiled  ship's  pork,  bread,  cheese,  arid  Spanish 
onions,  with  sundry  canteens  of  brandy,  wine,  and  aguardiente,  though 
the  latter  spirit  was  not  a  favourite  with  any  but  the  most  recent 
arrivals  from  Lisbon. 

Every  man  being  furnished  with  his  own  case  knife  and  fork,  we 
set-to  witli  very  little  ceremony,  and  in  right  good  earnest,  to  make  a 
suitable  transfer  of  the  viands  before  us  :  and  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour  they  were  so  marvellously  diminished,  that  Conolly  and  his 
assistants  were  directed  to  make  themselves  comfortable  with  the 
remnants,  while  we  smoked  our  cigars  and  resumed  our  chat— each 
with  a  horn  or  a  pewter  drinking-cup  in  his  hand,  replenished  with 
Cogniac,  or  the  generous  juice  of  the  Lusitanian  grape. 

The  position  we  occupied  was  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  screened  by 
an  olive-grove,  from  which  we  had  a  very  good  view  of  the  bom- 
bardment, the  night  being  dark,  and  therefore  more  favourable  for 
observation. 

"  The  French  are  going  it,  and  no  mistake,"  said  Dillon.    "  One 


150  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

•would  think  Junot  was  determined  to  blow  up  the  whole  city  to-night, 
that  he  may  march  into  it  paiceably  in  the  morning." 

"  There's  a  volley  of  a  dozen  shells  from  one  battery,"  said  Mark- 
ham,  of  the  95th.  "  See  how  they  seem  to  roll  and  tumble  over  each 
other  in  mazy  circles,  yet  each  keeping  its  own  parabolic  curvature." 

"Oh,  trumpery  Moses,"  cried  Dillon,  "I  never  heard  such  a 
shalabala  of  a  word  as  that  before." 

'•'Nevermind  him,"  said  Middleton,  "he's  fresh  from  Sandhurst, 
and  coins  words  like  winking.  But  tell  me,  Jack,  do  you  remember 
the  day  we  crossed  the  Tagus  at  the  bridge  of  Arzobispo,  after  the 
battle  of  Talavera?" 

"  Don't  I,"  replied  Dillon.  "  Ay,  and  a  mighty  droll  circumstance 
took  place  that  same  night  between  myself  and  one  of  them  triangling 
chaps." 

"  Whom  do  you  call  triangling  chaps  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  One  of  them  engineer  fellows,"  replied  Dillon,  "  that  makes  you 
believe  they  are  always  working  pollyollygrams  and  other  ridclJe- 
merees,  with  the  cute  angles  and  abstruse  angles  of  one  Matthew 
Maddox.  I  wonder  why  the  man  invented  so  much  balderdash  for  my 
own  part,  one  good  bayonet-charge  is  worth  the  whole  biling  of  it." 

An  explosion  of  merriment  from  his  auditors  confirmed  Dillon  in 
the  infallibility  of  his  opinion,  and  he  went  on  with  the  relation  of  his 
adventure. 

"  I  was  on  outlying  picket  that  night,"  said  Dillon,  "  with  nothing 
betune  us  and  the  enemy  but  that  nice  little  trout-strame,  the  Tagus. 
The  evening  had  passed  over  very  quietly,  and  so  had  the  night  too, 
for  the  parley-vous  didn't  seem  inclined  to  have  any  more  of  it  for 
the  present.    So,  towards  morning,  as  everything  promised  to  be  very 
paiceable,  I  threw  myself  down  in  my  old  cloak  to  get  a  bit  of  a 
snooze,  and  was  just  going  off  nicely  in  a  comfortable  doldrum,  when 
I  suddenly  heard  the  sentry  call  out. 
'Who  goes  there?' 
'  Rounds ! '  said  some  one. 
'  What  rounds  ?  '  cried  the  sentry. 
'  Grand  rounds,'  said  the  other. 

'  Stand  grand  rounds,'  said  the  sentry,  '  advance  one  and  give  the 
countersign.    Picket  turn  out.' 

"Up  I  jumped,  and  my  mind  misgave  me;  for,  thinking  the  field 
officer  of  the  day  had  forgotten  me  altogether,  I  had  given  leave  to 
half  a  dozen  men  to  go  and  look  at  a  convent  that  was  close  by  the 
picket-house,  and  I  thought  perhaps  a  dozen  others  might  have 'gone 
with  them,  on  French  leave,  knowing  they  had  an  easy-going  fellow 
to  deal  with  in  me. 

"  So  out  I  sallied  with  the  poker  in  my  hand,  for  I  couldn't  find 
my  sword  in  the  dark,  and  it  was  just  as  I  thought— the  rascals  had 
been  treated  to  all  sorts  of  wine  and  spirits  by  the  jolly  old  padrees, 
and  may  I  never  die  a  sinner  but  every  man  of  the  picket  was  blind 
drunk  except  three  out  of  the  thirty. 

"  I  made  the  most  of  them,  however.  I  drew  them  up  in  a  line, 
and  gave  the  word '  Present  arms '  with  a  thundering  voice ;  but,  fortu- 


OUTLYING  PICKET.  151 

nately  for  me,  it  was  pitch-dark,  and  the  field  officer  of  the  day  was 
old  Spry,  of  the  engineers,  who  couldn't  see  beyond  the  tip  of  his 
nose.  So  he  came  close  up  to  me,  and  I  standing  well  in  front  with 
the  poker  across  my  breast. 

:< '  Anything  new  at  your  post,  Captain  Dillon  ? '  says  he. 

"'  Nothing  at  all,  colonel,'  says  I,  '  but  a  great  shinty  the  French 
tooraloos  are  kicking  up  on  the  other  side.  I'm  thinking  its  firing  a 
fudy-joy  they  are ;  but  its  mighty  little  they  have  to  do  with  their 
powder  and  shot  to  be  wasting  it  in  that  fashion.' 

"'That  we  have  nothing  to  do  with,'  said  the  colonel.  'Your 
business  is  to  keep  a  good  look  out  on  them,  which  I  hope  you  will 
do.  I  myself  am  always  particularly  sharp  in  front  of  an  enemy;' 
and  as  he  said  this  the  poor  little  man's  nose  was  all  but  rubbing 
against  the  poker  I  held  in  my  hand. 

"  'I'll  be  oound,'  says  I,  'that  none  of  'em  shall  come  to  the  blind 
side  of  you,  colonel,  while  I'm  here,  at  all  events.' 

e "  He  chuckled  at  the  idea  of  any  one  coming  to  the  blind  side  of 
him  under  any  circumstances,  and  then  said  I  might  turn  in  my 
picket. 

"I  accordingly  sang  out  as  if  I  was  manosuvring  a  brigade,  'Hear 
rank  take  close  order ! '  and  I  had  only  a  front  rank  of  three  men  all 
the  time.  '  Recover  arms,  lodge  arms.'  For  the  honour  of  the  regi- 
ment the  poor  fellows  made  as  much  noise  as  they  could ;  but,  oh 
trumpery  Moses,  that  was  no  great  shakes,  as  you  may  suppose. 

" '  Tis  singular,'  said  old  Spry,  in  his  pompous  way,  '  how  sounds 
are  deadened  by  the  dense  log  that  prevails  at  this  time  of  the 
morning.  Now  I  could  almost  have  sworn  ypu  had  only  half  a  dozen 
men  in  your  picket  if  I  hadn't  counted  thirty  with  my  own  eyes. 
Pray,  Captain  Dillon— ahem— have  you  ever  studied  the  science  of  a 
cow's  stick  ?  '* 

' '  Yes,  colonel,'  I  replied, '  I  used  to  handle  it  nicely,  and  wallop 
'em  well  with  it  when  I  was  a  boy.' 

"  '  Wallop  whom  ? '  demanded  old  Spry. 

" '  The  cows  to  be  sure,'  I  replied,  '  with  the  stick  you  mentioned, 
when  they  used  to  come  trespassing  on  my  mother's  little  property 
down  at  Ballynahinch.' 

" '  You  are  pleased  to  be  facetious,  Captain  Dillon,'  said  the  old 
fellow,  with  a  toss  of  the  head.  '  Good  morning  to  you,  sir.' " 

"  Capital,  capital !  "  we  all  exclaimed,  "  you  had  the  triangling  chap 
completely  on  the  hip  there,  Jack." 

"Faith,"  said  Dillon,  "he  might  have  fancied  me  a  queer  fellow, 
but  I  think  his  own  conduct  on  the  occasion  was  exceedingly  super- 
flewous." 

This  was  Dillon's  pronunciation  of  a  word,  the  meaning  of  which  he 
also  perverted  into  something  insolent  or  hostile.  It  elicited,  of 
course,  another  burst  of  laughter,  which  resounded  strangely  in  the 
stillness  of  the  night  amongst  the  fantastic  shapes  of  the  olive-trees, 
and  within  pistol-shot  of  the  enemy's  pickets. 

*  Acoustics. 


152  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  XXXI11. 

THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE   COA. 

"THERE'S  a  beautiful  flight  of  rockets/'  some  one  observed,  when  we 
had  recovered  from  our  merriment.  "With  what  intense  fury  they 
rush  through  the  air,  leaving  a  train  of  demoniac  fire  behind  them  in 
their  fiend-like  course." 

"  Woe  betide  the  poor  souls,"  said  another,  "  that  come  within 
their  deadly  influence." 

"  And  hark,"  said  a  third,  "  to  that  shower  of  24-pounders  as  they 
rattle  against  the  old  walls,  tearing  them  to  fragments,  and  pulverizing 
the  very  stones  that  compose  them." 

These  words  were  scarcely  uttered,  when  a  sudden  concussion  of 
the  ground  upon  which  we  were  seated  threw  us  in  confusion  upon 
one  another,  and  we  ail  jumped  upon  our  feet,  exclaiming,  "  An  earth- 
quake !  an  earthquake ! " 

But,  looking  towards  the  unfortunate  city,  we  beheld  a  vivid  column 
of  flame  shoot  up  into  the  air,  accompanied  by  a  tremendous  roaring 
sound,  as  if  the  great  globe  itself  was  suddenly  rent  asunder.  Im- 
mediately after,  a  mass  of  light-coloured  smoke  hovered  over  Rodrigo, 
forming  a  strange  unearthly  contrast  with  the  surrounding  darkness, 
till,  after  several  prismatic  changes,  it  insensibly  mingled  with  the 
sable  aspect  of  the  sky.  A  dismal  silence  fell  upon  the  devoted  city, 
as  if  all  its  inhabitants  had  perished  in  the  fearful  explosion,  while 
three  distinct  hurrahs  resounding  from  the  besieging  enemy  up  the 
high  grounds  we  occupied,  told  but  too  plainly  the  nature  of  the 
disaster. 

"  'Tis  the  principal  magazine,"  said  Middlet&n.  "  Poor  Rodrigo  is 
done  for." 

"  If  that's  the  case,"  said  Dillon,  "  look  out,  gentlemen,  we  shall 
have  some  news  before  morning." 

The  accuracy  9!'  this  prediction  was  evinced  in  half  an  hour  after, 
when  the  clattering  of  a  horse's  feet  up  the  rocky  steep  attracted  our 
attention ;  and  a  German  videfcte,  dashing  forward,  reported  the 
immediate  approach  of  the  enemy.  In  ten  minutes  more  we  were 
engaged,  and  the  whistling  of  some  thousand  rifle-balls  succeeded  our 
after-supper  merriment  in  the  olive-grove. 

Day  at  length  broke,  and  found  us  in  statu  quo  ;  for  we  maintained 
our  position  against  a  very  fierce  attack  by  a  reconnaissance  of  five 
cavalry  regiments,  a  corps  of  infantry,  and  some  field-pieces.  Having 
failed  in  beating  us  up,  their  bugles  sounded,  and  they  retired; 
leaving  a  good  many  killed  and  wounded  on  the  hill,  with  a  compara- 
tively trifling  loss  on  our  side. 

But  the  explosion  of  the  magazine  having  compelled  the  brave  old 
Heryasti  to  capitulate  on  the  10th  of  July,  the  French,  no  longer 
detained  by  the  siege,  now  advanced  in  overwhelming  numbers  j  we 


THE  PASSAGE  OP  THE  COA.  153 

were  consequently  obliged  to  give  up  Gallegos,  and  retire  upon 
the  Coa. 

A  series  of  movements  consequent  on  the  fall  of  Rodrigo,  now 
took  place  between  the  contending  armies ;  for  it  was  impossible  to 
ascertain  in  what  way  Massena  would  follow  up  his  success.  The 
best  arrangements  were,  however,  made  by  Lord  Wellington  to  meet 
every  probable  contingency ;  and,  withdrawing  the  main  body  of  his 
army  a  little  in  rear  of  his  original  position,  the  Light  Division  was 
still  left  in  advance  on  the  right  Dank  of  the  Coa:  but  General 
Crawfurd  was  particularly  directed  to  avoid  a  battle  ;  and  should  the 
French  advance  in  force,  to  give  way  at  once,  and  retire  across  the 
river. 

Retreat,  however,  was  a  word  which  the  gallant  Crawfurd  seems 
to  have  expunged  altogether  from  his  vocabulary :  for,  instead  of 
passing  the  Coa,  as  he  might  easily  have  done  on  the  21st  of  July, 
when  apprised  that  the  French  were  advancing  in  force,  he  drew  up 
the  Light  Division  in  line,  with  the  river  in  his  rear;  determined, 
apparently,  to  resist  with  his  small  body  the  forward  and  overwhelm- 
ing movement  of  the  enemy. 

"This  is  beautiful/'  said  Dillon  to  me  in  a  whisper,  as  he  led  his 
company  into  the  alignment.  "  You  have  now  a  double  chance  of 
promotion,  Percy ;  for  if  I  am  not  shot  by  the  French,  I  shall  be 
drowned  in  the  Coa." 

On  the  night  of  the  23rd  of  July,  I  was  on  outlying  picket ;  and 
as  our  sentries  were  within  pistol-shot  of  the  enemy's,  "ware  hawk" 
was  the  word  and  no  favours  granted.  The  caution  being  given  to  lie 
close,  every  stump  of  a  tree,  or  fragment  of  a  rock  covered  its  man ; 
and  every  forage  cap  that  made  its  appearance,  had  a  musket  or  a 
rifle  ball  through  it  very  speedily. 

Not  having,  of  course,  slept  a  wink  during  the  night,  which  was 
very  sultry,  my  eyes  began  to  get  heavy  towards  morning.  The  pro- 
found silence  that  reigned  in  the  enemy's  lines  having  led  me  to 
imagine  that  all  was  right,  for  I  had  not  yet  learned  to  judge  of 
events  by  the  rule  of  contrary,  I  began  to  "nid,  nid,  nod,"  as  I 
leaned  standing  against  the  trunk  of  an  olive-tree-  when  I  was 
effectually  roused  by  a  sudden  rush,  and  a  French  ''hourrah!" 
accompanied  by  a  roar  of  musketry  which  ran  along  the  whole  front 
of  our  outposts. 

The  appropriate  answer  to  this  early  salute  was  a  thoroughly 
English  "  Huzza ! "  and  a  corresponding  roar  of  musketry,  which 
doubtless  carried  death  to  many  a  stout  heart :  for  the  enemy's 
tirailleurs  advanced  in  the  grey  of  the  naming,  with  all  the  effron- 
tery peculiar  to  the  French,  as  if  determined  to  sweep  us  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  They  were  met,  however,  with  a  boldness  that 
for  a  moment  checked  their  vivacity  :  but  their  numbers  were  over- 
whelming ;  the  centre  of  Crawfurd' s  position  being  attacked  by  an 
entire  corps,  amounting  to  eighteen  thousand  men,  of  whom  three  or 
four  thousand  were  cavalry,  with  a  numerous  and  well-appointed 
artillery. 

They  passed  the  Azava,  a  river  in  our  front,  about  sunrise :  and 


154  THE  YOUNG  MPLEMAN. 

their  cavalry,  driving  in  our  advanced  videttcs,  came  on^vitli  gr 
rapidity;  tnree  regiments  on  tlie  direct  road  from  Gallegos  to 
Almeida,  and  two  by  a  path  to  the  left,  with  the  view  of  turning  our 
right  flank.  They  were  cheeked,  but  for  a  moment,  by  the  fire  of 
our  horse-artillery,  stationed  at  a.  small  brook  in  the  rear  of  Gallegos- 
and  also  by  a  gallant  charge  of  German  hussars  ;  who,  having  sabred 
a  number  of  the  enemy,  and  driven  them  back  across  the  stream, 
were  received  on  their  return  by  the  cheers  of  the  whole  line,  which 
had  witnessed  the  exploit. 

Still,  however,  the  enemy  continued  to  advance  in  numbers  that 
could  not  be  withstood ;  and  our  pickets  between  Villamula  and 
Gallegos  were  driven  back,  skirmishing  in  beautiful  order,  and  dis- 
puting every  inch  of  ground  :  while  the  constant  rattle  of  the  rifles 
among  the  olive-trees,  the  rapid  sounds  of  the  bugles,  and  the  shrill 
whistles  of  the  officers  made  up  a  concert,  which,  if  not  so  harmonious 
as  one  at  Exeter  Hall,  was  at  least  a  thousand  times  more  spirit- 
stirring. 

From  Villamula  to  the  Coa  the  country  consisted  of  an  extensive 
plain,  intersected  by  garden  walls  and  farm  enclosures,  which  offered 
a  fine  field  for  light-infantry  manoeuvres.  _  Of  these  advantages  we 
availed  ourselves  to  the  uttermost :  obstinately  maintaining  every 
house,  wall,  and  fence  that  presented  itself;  and  constantly  checking 
the  advance  of  the  enemy's  light  troops,  whose  ranks  were  evidently 
thinned  by  our  rapid  and  continuous  fire. 

But  the  heavy  masses,  though  excessively  galled  by  our  incessant 
attacks,  still  pushed  on,  and  the  centre  of  our  position  was  seriously 
threatened.  Therefore,  though  the  whole  division,  Portuguese  as 
well  as  English,  fought  gallantly,  they  were  reluctantly  compelled  to 
yield  before  oppressive  numbers ;  till  Crawfurd,  perceiving  that  he 
could  no  longer  hold  his  ground,  determined,  at  last,  when  almost 
too  late,  to  cross  the  river.  He  accordingly  despatched  his  cavalry 
and  artillery  to  the  opposite  bank  ;  leaving  his  infantry,  meanwhile, 
to  cover  the  movement,  and  keep  the  enemy  at  bay. 

If  ever  there  was  a  pang  of  self-reproach  in  the  breast  of  this 
brave  officer  for  an  obstinate  adherence  to  a  wrong  course,  he  must 
have  felt  it  at  this  moment ;  with  an  overwhelming  enemy  in  front, 
and  a  deep  and  rapid  current  in  his  rear,  spanned  by  a  narrow 
bridge,  his  only  means  of  retreat,  and  which  lay  completely  exposed 
to  a  sweeping  fire  from  the  French  artillery.  To  add  to  his  morti- 
fication. General  Picton,  who  had  come  up  alone  from  Pinhel, 
ungenerously  refused  him  the  support  of  the  Third  Division,  which 
occasioned  a  pretty  sharp  altercation  between  these  two  gallant  but 
irascible  men. 

There  being  now  no  alternative  but  a  hasty  and  disadvantageous 
retreat,  the  infantry  accordingly  retired  by_  an  echelon  movement  to 
its  left,  covered  by  the  skirmishers.  The 'irregularity  of  the  ground, 
and  the  frequency  and  height  of  the  enclosures,  rendered  an  orderly 
retreat  almost  impracticable,  but  the  operation  was  boldly  and  coolly 
executed  ;  while,  to  prevent  the  French  from  forcing  the  bridge,  and 
allow  time  for  the  regiments  to  re-form,  the  43rd  and  95th,  as  they 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  COA.  155 

gained  the  opposite  bank,  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  pass,  and 
directed  to  oppose  to  the  last  every  attempt  that  the  enemy  should 
make  to  cross  it.  The  latter,  however,  seemed  equally  determined  ; 
and  being  now  collected  in  imposing  force,  a  fierce  and  well-sustained 
attack  produced  one  of  the  most  desperate  and  sanguinary  encounters 
to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  modern  warfare. 

At  this  critical  moment,  the  left  wing  of  the  52nd,  to  which  my 
company  belonged,  being  tne  last  on  the  field,  was  retiring  in  echelon 
of  companies,  tne  men  loading  as  they  went ;  but  as  the  enemy  were 
pressing  rather  close  upon  the  rear,  the  word  "double !  "  was  given, 
and  we  trotted  on  in  the  direction  of  the  bridge,  which  was  still 
crowded  with  the  passing  troops.  We  at  length  had  got  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  welcome  asylum,  when  we  heard  something 
like  what  the  French  call  a  "  hurricane  of  cavalry  "  behind  us ;  and 
Major  McLeod  of  the  43rd,  turning  his  horse  round,  shouted  in  a 
voice  of  thunder : 

"Flank  company  'bout  face  !  Ready,  present,  fire !  Port  arms  ! 
Charge  bayonets !  Charge  ! " 

These  words,  given  in  rapid  succession,  produced  corresponding 
actions  on  our  siaes,  and  never  was  manoeuvre  more  critical  or  better 
timed :  for  the  "  hurricane "  we  had  heard  was  the  rush  of  five  or 
six  squadrons  of  horse  chasseurs,  who  in  five  minutes  more  would 
have  cut  us  up  like  mouches,  and  behind  our  backs,  too,  as  Jack 
Dillon  remarked. 

Our  volley,  however,  thrown  right  into  the  midst  of  them,  emptied 
a  score  of  saddles,  and  for  a  moment  checked  their  headlong  speed. 
Our  charge,  also,  desperately  made  as  it  was,  amidst  repeated  cheers 
which  were  re-echoea  by  the  enemy,  added  greatly  to  their  astonish- 
ment ;  for  an  infantry  charge  upon  cavalry  is  not  a  thing  of  every- 
day occurrence  :  but  they  speedily  rallied,  and  rode  over  us  in  over- 
whelming numbers;  sabremg  right  and  left,  and  cutting  us  up 
without  mercy. 

A  dashing-looking  officer,  in  a  splendid  uniform,  singled  me  out 
for  his  especial  amusement ;  and  raised  himself  in  his  stirrups,  as  he 
flourished  his  sabre  to  give  me  the  coup  de  grace.  I  threw  up  my 
sword  to  guard  my  head ;  but  a  stray  rifle-ball  from  the  95th  snapped 
it  like  a  bit  of  glass,  at  the  very  hilt,  and  knocked  off  my  cap  at  the 
same  time.  I  was  thus  doubly  at  the  Frenchman's  mercy,  and 
expected  in  another  instant  to  feel  his  sabre  crashing  through  my 
brain ;  but  he  suddenly  exclaimed :  "  Percy !  c'est  done  toi,  cher 
Percy  !  "  Then,  letting  his  sabre  hang  by  the  chain  that  bound  it  to 
his  wrist,  he  threw  his  arms  about  my  neck,  and  kissed  me  on  both 
cheeks. 

It  was  Adolphe  Berton ! 

"Not  a  moment  to  be  lost,"  cried  Adolphe,  as  he  beckoned  a 
chasseur  to  his  side,  and  bade  him  alight ;  "  mount,  and  keep  close 
to  me,  or  you  are  lost." 

I  instantly  sprang  into  the  saddle,  and  kept  closer  to  my  excellent 
friend,  through  all  the  current  of  the  heady  fight,  than  any  aide-de- 
camp ever  did  to  his  general.  This  I  found  was  essentially  neces^ 


156  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

sary  for  we  had  peppered  the  chasseurs  in  a  manner  that  made 
them  quite  savage,  and  many  a  meux  moustache  looked  disagreeably 
anxious  to  have  a  chop  at  my  defenceless  sconce. 

This  scene,  now  doubly  terrible  to  me,  was  happily  soon  at  an  end; 
for  our  artillery  on  the  other  side  of  the  Coa,  having  at  length  got 
the  rano-e  not  only  slaughtered  a  vast  number  of  the  chasseurs  in  a 
vain  attempt  to  cross  the  bridge,  but  was  knocking  them  over  around 
me  like  rows  of  nine-pins.  The  order  to  retire  was  therefore  issued, 
and  we  trotted  off  to  the  shelter  of  the  French  masses,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  sanguinary  scene.  But  my  company,  alas !  my 
cherished  flank  company,  lay  upon  the  field  of  their  glory :  they 
were  sacrificed,  but  the  regiment  was  saved;  and,  of  eighty  tine 
fellows  who  had  composed  it  in  the  morning,  only  thirty-five  rank 
and  file  repassed  the  Coa,  with  two  officers  out  of  five  ! 

It  was  a  deadly  encounter;  but  though  a  needless  expenditure  of 
life  was  incurred,  there  was  not  a  more  brilliant  affair  during  the 
whole  war  than  that  which  crowned,  on  this  memorable  day,  the 
gallant  efforts  of  the  Light  Division. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE  FRENCH  BIVOUAC. 

"  BON  DIEU  !  Bon  Dieu ! "  cried  Adolphe,  as  we  rode  together,  with 
slackened  rein,  into  the  cavalry  lines ;  "  what  a  lucky  shot  it  was, 


indeed,  altogether  unconscious  of  your  victim ;  for  I  should  have 
fallen,  of  course,  unnoticed  and  unknown  in  such  a  melee" 

"But,  after  all,"  said  Berton,  "it  was  a  most  singular  escape,  and 
proves  upon  what  trivial  chances  our  destinies  hang  in  this  miserable 
world." 

"  My  estimable  friend ! "  I  exclaimed ;  "  does  it  not  rather  prove 
the  ever  watchful  care  of  Providence  in  the  most  desperate  ex- 
tremities ?  " 

Berton  willingly  assented  to  what,  in  fact,  could  not  be  contro- 
verted ;  and,  on  arriving  at  the  quarters  of  his  regiment,  the  9th 
chasseurs  a  cheval,  in  which  he  was  a  captain,  he  introduced  me  to 
all  his  brother  officers.  Having  told  them  how  deeply  indebted  he 
had  formerly  been  to  me,  they  shook  hands  with  me  heartily  all  round ; 
seemed  delighted  to  know  me,  and  in  half  an  hour  we  were  like  so 
many  schoolfellows  together. 

"  I  must  now,"  said  Berton,  go  and  report  you  to  the  general  of 
division,  Le  Eeuvre,  who  is  a  friend  and  patron  of  mine,  and  see  if  I 
can't  get  permission  to  have  you  at  my  bivouac  on  parole ;  you'll 
give  jour  parole,  of  course," 


THE  TRENCH  BIVOUAC.  157 

"Certainly,"  I  replied.  "I  am  only  too  happy  to  leave  all 
arrangements  to  so  excellent  a  friend." 

He  went  accordingly;  and  during  his  absence  I  amused  myself 
looking  round  the  bivouac,  accompanied  by  one  of  my  new  friends. 

The  quarters  of  the  9th  were  in  a  small  village  and  an  adjoining 
vineyard :  in  the  latter  of  which  three  or  four  ranges  of  temporary 
huts  were  erected,  in  the  nicest  possible  order ;  and  even  decorated 
with  a  degree  of  taste,  and  an  affectation  of  elegance,  which  an 
English  soldier  would  have  laughed  at,  but  could  not  imitate. 

The  horses  were  all  stabled  on  the  ground  floors  of  the  village 
houses  ;  the  upper  rooms  being  occupied  by  the  officers,  the  staff  of 
the  regiment,  and  the  troop  quartermasters.  Some  of  the  small 
houses  were  appropriated  to  artisans,  handicraftsmen,  suttlers,  and 
other  useful  followers  of  the  camp ;  each  establishment  having  an 
appropriate  sign-board,  painted,  gilt,  and  otherwise  ornamented. 

On  one  of  these  was  "Au  cafe  de  Mille  Colonnes;"  on  another, 
"  Restaurant  a  Vmgt  Sous  ;  "  on  a  third,  "  JBlanchisseuse  de  1'lmpera- 
trice  ; "  on  a  fourth,  "  Marechal  Eerrant  au  Roi  de  Rome ; "  and  on 
a  fifth,  "  Casine  a  la  Venitienne ; "  this  latter  comprising  what  we 
would  call  a  "  Tea  Garden,"  about  forty  feet  square,  and  a  salon  de 
danse  of  half  the  dimensions.  This  place  of  amusement  was  generally 
filled  of  an  evening  with  som-officiers,  sergeants,  corporals,  and 
private  dragoons :  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  their  day's  work, 
amused  themselves  with  coffee,  draughts,  dominoes,  dancing,  and 
playing  the  amiable  to  the  vivandieres,  the  blanchisseuses,  and  other 
ladies  of  the  regiment,  or  division ;  who  also  assembled  there  to  enjoy 
t  hei  r  petit s  delassemens . 

As  we  stood  looking  in  at  this  Peninsular  casino,  we  were  addressed 
by  la  deesse,  who  presided  as  usual  behind  a  gilt  comptoir,  decorated 
with  half  a  dozen  flower-pots,  statuettes,  and  alabaster  vases,  which 
were  multiplied  millefoisoy  two  large  mirrors  with  sundry  cracks  in 
them. 

"  Come  in,  gentlemen  ! "  she  exclaimed,  with  a  bewitching  smile ; 
"  come  in,  and  choose  a  partner  each  for  the  dance." 

We  accepted  the  invitation,  sansfaqon,  and  placed  a  peseta  each  on 
the  comptoir,  the  ordinary  price  of  admission ;  for  which  refresh- 
ments, also,  consisting  of  cafe,  orgeat,  and  eau  sucre,  were  supplied  a 
discretion.  We  then  made  our  bows  respectively  to  a  pretty  blan- 
chisseuse,  and  a  lively  vivandiere,  with  whom  we  trod  a  measure  to 
the  music  of  "  Le  premier  violon  de  1'Empereur  de  Russie,"  who  sat 
alone  in  his  glory;  in  a  showy  orchestra;  rasping  away  those  old 
quadrille  tunes  which  have  since  become  so  fashionable,  as  "  Payne's 
Eirst  and  Second  Sets,"  in  our  English  ball-rooms. 

Erom  the  casino  a  la  Venitienne,  we  passed  on,  to  a  guingueite, 
which  was  pretty  well  filled  with  jovial  troopers,  one  of  whom  called 
out : 

"Ola,  beau  prisonnier !  Aliens!  trinquons,  et  soyez  bon  cama- 
rade ! " 

"  De  tout  mon  coeur !  "  I  replied  ;  "a  ta  sante,  mon  ami !  "  and 
we  clashed  our  glasses  together,  wishing  each  other  all  possible  sue- 


15S  THE  YOtlXfr  IlIFLEtfAX. 

cess  in  love  and  war.  This  little  act  of  civility  I  performed  with  so 
cood  a  grace,  that  it  won  golden  opinions  for  me  ;  and  amidst  cries  of 
"  lion  enfant !  beuu  garcon ! "  1  was  requested  to  sit  down,  and 
listen  to  a  song. 

I  did  so,  accordingly ;  and  as  the  composition  was  a  curiosity,  m 
its  way,  I  here  present  the  reader  with  the  only  two  stanzas  that  still 
cling  to  my  memory,  and  in  the  chorus  of  which  I  joined  with  all 
present. 

CHANSON  A  3JOIRE. 

I. 

Voulez-vous  suivre  un  bon  conseil, 
Buvez  avant  que  de  vous  battre  : 
A  jeune  je  vaux  bien  mon  pareil, 
Mais  quand  j'ai  bien  bu,  j'en  vaux  quatre. 
Verse/  done,  mes  amis,  versez  ! 

Je  n'en  puis  jamais  assez  boirc  ; 
Versez  done,  mes  amis,  versez  ! 
Je  n'en  puis  jamais  boire  assez  ! 

II. 

S'il  n'a  pas  fait  un  element 
De  cette  liqueur  feconde, 
Le  Seigneur  s'est  montre  prudent, 
Nous  eussions  desseche  le  moride ! 
Versez  done,  mes  amis,  versez  ! 

Je  n'en  puis  jamais  assez  boire; 
Versez  clone,  mes  amis,  versez ! 
Je  n'en  puis  jamais  boire  assez ! 

My  tour  of  inspection,  which  amused  and  interested  me  exceed- 
ingly, was  just  finished,  when  supper  was  announced,  and  I  was 
ushered  into  the  mess-room  of  the  regiment,  which  made  me  blush 
for  our  own  humble  doings  at  Gallegos. 

The  table  of  the  9th  chasseurs  exhibited  nothing  whatever  intthe 
shape  of  crockery— no  huge  pans  or  pucheros—iiQ  horn  or  tin  drink- 
ing-cups— 119  iron  forks,  or  pewter  spoons,  such  as  we  were  content 
to  put  up  with.  Everything  was  served  on  plate  or  china ;  though, 
it  must  be  confessed,  there  was  an  occasional  discrepancy  in  the 
articles,  that  gave  the  whole  rather  a  motley  appearance :  for  instance, 
a  massive  silver  tureen  filled  with  soupe  a  la  Julienne,  occupied  the 
top  of  the  table,  but  the  soup-ladle  was  of  china :  this  arose  from  the 
fact  that  the_  two  articles  had  been  borrowed  from  the  quintas,  or 
country  mansions,  of  different  Spanish  noblemen  on  the  line  of  march. 
At  the  bottom  was  a  richly  chased  silver  dish,  supporting  a  gigot  de 
mouton  en  papillotes,  the  spoons  and  forks  attached  to  which  were 
gold :  and  so  on  of  the  other  dishes  and  covers,  which  were  all  either 
gold  or  silver  plate,  or  costly  china,  with  silver  forks  and  spoons ;  all 
too,  apparently,  of  broken  sets  and  different  patterns. 

The  drinking-cups  were  generally  gold  or  silver  chalices,  originally 
consecrated  to  the  service  of  that  religion  which  my  new  friends  pro- 
fessed; while  several  silver  branch-candlesticks,  of  different  sizes 
and  patterns,  occupied  the  centre  of  the  table;  the  room  being 


THE  BEAT-UP.  Io9 

brilliantly  illuminated  with  consecrated  wax  caudles,  transferred  from 
the  altar  to  the  supper-table  with  as  little  ceremony  as  the  rest. 
This  was  all  very  well  for  the  French,  who  considered  themselves  f  in 
an  enemy's  country ;  but  such  a  display  at  the  mess  of  an  English 
regiment  would  have  justly  forfeited  the  commissions  of  all  concerned. 

Before  we  sat  down,  my  friend  Berton  congratulated  me  on  having 
succeeded  iu  his  mission.  To  my  great  delight,  1  was  allowed  to 
remain  with  the  9th  chasseurs,  as  a  prisoner  on  parole;  instead  of 
being  sent  off  with  others  to  the  north  of  Spain,  or  over  the  frontiers 
perhaps— a  fate  I  most  particularly  dreaded. 

I  continued  with  these  pleasant  fellows  for  several  weeks,  during 
which  I  had  the  misery  to  witness  some  skirmishes  as  an  idle  specta- 
tor, but  never  once  contemplated  the  possibility  of  escaping;  as, 
independent  of  the  disgrace  I  should  thereby  myself  incur,  such  a 
step  would  most  seriously  compromise  my  generous  friend  and  pre- 
server. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  BEAT-UP. 

MEANWHILE,  the  movements  of  the  two  armies  had  assumed  a  com- 
plicated and  serious  character.  The  French  having  passed  the  Coa, 
Lord  Wellington  fell  back  to  the  gorges  of  the  Estrella,  where  he 
could  command  a  strong  position,  should  Massena  attempt  to  force 
an  engagement.  The  Light  Division  was,  therefore,  marched  to 
Celorico  as  I  learned  by  a  note  from  Dillon,  who,  I  was  delighted  to 
find,  had  escaped  the  slaughter  on  the  Coa ;  and  the  other  divisions 
were  quartered  in  the  neighbouring  towns  of  Alberca,  Penhancas, 
Carapentra,  Guarda,  &c. 

The  French  then  invested  Almeida,  which  fortress  capitulated  on 
the  27th  of  August ;  partly  owing  to  the  explosion  of  a  magazine, 
and  partly  to  the  treachery  of  the  Portuguese  garrison.  This  event 
compelled  Lord  Wellington  to  place  the  Mondego  between  himself 
and  the  overwhelming  force  of  Massena;  and  both  armies  manoeuvred 
for  some  time  on  the  opposite  banks  of  this  river. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  the  vanguard  of  the  French,  consisting 
principally  of  the  9th  chasseurs,  to  which  I  was  so  unwillingly 
attached,  arrived  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Dao ;  the  opposite  one 
being  occupied  by  the  English  pickets,  which,  I  could  perceive  with 
a  glass,  consisted,  as  usual,  of  the  Light  Division.  Oh !  how  my  heart 
beat  at  sight  of  those  well-known  uniforms !  How  my  ears  tingled  with 
delight  at  the  inspiring  sounds  of  those  admirable  bugles !  How  I  sighed 
for  a  cheerful  night  once  more  with  my  old  companions,  when  I  heard 
them  summoned  to  their  unsophisticated  dinner-table  by  the  dear  old 
glee  of  "  Here's  a  health  to  all  good  lasses ! "  Silent  and  sad  at 
the  wretched  position  I  then  occupied,  I  retired  from  the  more  gor- 
geous table  of  my  French  entertainers,  and  threw  myself  on  a  bundle 


160  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAN. 

of  fresh  straw,  supplied  for  my  bed,  in  a  hut  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
encampment. 

The  only  bridge  over  the  T)ao  not  yet  destroyed  being  m  posses- 
sion of  a  strong-  guard  of  British  and  Portuguese  troops,  with  several 
field-pieces  in  position  on  the  opposite  bank,  Massena's  vanguard 
halted  here  for  a  day  or  two,  till  the  infantry  and  artillery,  which 
were  detained  by  the  badness  of  the  roads,  should  come  up  to  force 
the  passage. 

Our  camp  was  laid  out  in  a  species  of  quadrangle,  as  tar  as  the 
nature  of  the  ground  would  permit,  the  horses  being  picketed  in  the 
centre;  for,  though  the  chasseurs  a  cheval  had  the  character  of  being 
hard  drinkers  and  reckless  plunderers,  the  aifection  they  bore  to  their 
horses  was  remarkable,  and  seemed,  indeed,  to  produce  a  correspond- 
ing affinity  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  animal.  Quarter  and  rear 
guards,  of  dismounted  dragoons  and  some  tirailleurs,  who  had  been 
pushed  forward  on  the  horses'  cruppers,  were  then  established,  and  a 
few  videttes  thrown  out  in  the  direction  of  the  bridge. 

The  over-weening  confidence,  however,  with  which  the  invading 
and  invincible  army  of  Massena  was  proceeding  to  "drown  the 
leopards,"  had  rendered  their  guards,  I  thought,  rather  careless  in 
their  watch.  Some  were  sauntering  about  idly:  others  lying  asleep 
upon  the  fragrant  bed  of  gum-cistus  that  covered  the  ground  in  all 
directions ;  but  the  majority  were  talking,  singing,  and  quaffing  large 
goblets  of  Bucellas,  and  other  rich  Lusitanian  wines. 

It  was,  of  course,  no  business  of  mine ;  but  I  said  to  myself,  "  I 
know  what  I  should  do  were  I  in  command  of  yonder  picket  at  the 
bridge,  and  only  suspected  how  idly  you  keep  watch  in  the  very 
teeth  of  an  active  enemy." 

The  night  was  very  close  and  sultry,  and  it  was  long  before  I  could 
shut  my  eyes  ;  once  or  twice  1  was  disturbed  by  the  neighing  of  the 
horses,  who  seemed  as  restless  as  myself,  being  kept  awake,  doubt- 
less, by  the  gad-flies,  which  are  numerous  and  tormenting  at  this 
season  of  the  year. 

1  fell  into  a  slumber  at  length  ;  but  my  sleep  was  disturbed  by 
dreams  of  battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death.  I  must  have  been 
lying  on  my  back,  for  a  nightmare  oppressed  me,  and  as  the  demon 
hag  played  her  fantastic  tricks,  I  fancied  myself,  by  turns,  pursued 
by  a  fiend  from  which  I  had  not  the  power  to  fly,  and  struggling 
under  the  lifted  sabre  of  a  French  dragoon,  while  a  "  hurricane  of 
cavalry"  was  thundering  in  my  rear. 

And  loudly,  too,  did  it  seem  to  thunder,  increasing  every  instant  in 
velocity  and  fury,  while  rattling  peals  of  musketry,  intermingled 
with  the  crackling  of  flames,  the  shouts  of  victory,  and  the  groans  of 
the  dying. 

By  an  immense  effort,  as  I  fancied,  I  burst  the  bonds  of  sleep,  to 
escape  from  my  horrid  vision,  and,  to  my  utter  amazement,  found 
myself  enveloped  in  dense  masses  of  suffocating  smoke,  the  horizon 
all  around  reflecting  a  lurid  glare,  as  eager  and  consuming  flames 
rushed  like  wildfire  from  hut  to  hut.  These  being  all  made  of  highly 
inflammable  materials,  were  ignited  by  the  slightest  spark,  and  con- 


THE  BEAT-UP.  161 

tributed  their  columns  of  mingled  fire  and  smoke  to  the  conflagra- 
ti9n,  while  the  long  grass  in  which  we  were  encamped,  dried  up  and 
withered  by  the  summer  sun,  added  to  the  fearful  blaze,  and  repeated 
explosions  of  cartridge-boxes  and  loaded  rifles  and  carbines,  increased 
the  general  uproar. 

"  Aux  armes !  aux  armes !  Sacre  Jean  foutres ! "  shouted  the 
French,  amidst  volleys  of  musketry,  which  were  doing  execution 
amongst  the  confused  masses  that  hurried  bewildered  from  the 
burning  huts. 

"  Les  chevaux !  les  chevaux ! "  cried  others ;  and  in  fact  it  was 
high  time,  for  the  poor  animals  were  already  half  roasted  in  the 
centre  of  the  burning  camp,  and  were  plunging  and  kicking  violently 
to  get  free  from  their  pickets. 

They  were  at  length  released,  rapidly  bridled  and  saddled,  and 
mounted  dragoons  might  then  be  seen  in  all  directions  issuing  from 
the  flames,  leaping  their  horses  over  the  burning  huts,  and  dashing 
with  lightning  speed  to  the  rendezvous  to  repel  the  sudden  attack ; 
while  the  trumpeters,  on  their  motionless  chargers,  poured  fortli 
inspiring  bursts  of  brazen  harmony,  and  pistols  and  carbines  began 
to  flash  and  rattle  on  the  as  yet  invisible  foe. 

I  thus  found  mysejf,  as  it  were,  between  two  fires,  uncertain  which 
way  to  turn  me,  and  expecting  a  salute  equally  from  friend  and 
enemy  •  when  a  loud  and  thrilling  cheer  from  English  throats  pealed 
up  to  heaven,  while  a  formidable  division  of  the  52nd,  with  their 
bayonets  at  the  charge,  broke  through  the  dense  mass  of  smoke 
which  had  hitherto  concealed  them  from  my  view,  and  rushed  past, 
led  by  an  officer  in  front,  who  waved  his  sword  frantically,  as  he 
roared  in  a  voice  of  thunder, — 

"  Skiver  the  villains,  my  boys !    Remember  the  Coa ! " 

"  Jack  Dillon ! "  I  shouted.    "  Jack  Dillon ! " 

But  on  he  swept,  with  his  gallant  followers,  amidst  deafening 
cheers,  which  at  last  terminated  in  the  short  but  terrific  cry  that 
precedes  the  plunge  of  the  British  bayonet. 

The  sound  of  a  confused  melee  and  death-struggle  was  audible  for 
a  few  moments,  succeeded  by  another  truly  British  cheer ;  and  then 
the  measured  tramp  of  many  footsteps  was  heard  approaching  the 
spot  where  I  stood.  It  was  Dillon's  party,  returning  in  triumph 
from  their  successful  charge,  their  bayonets  dyed  with  Gallic  blood 
from  the  point  to  the  socket. 

The  moment  Dillon  saw  me,  he  gave  a  shout  of  joy,  and,  clasping 
me  in  his  arms,  he  cried, — 

"  Blessed  St.  Patrick  and  the  Virgin  Mary  be  praised !  I  have 
found  him  at  last ! " 

e  A  cheer  from  the  men  also  greeted  my  appearance,  and  Jack  con- 
tinued,— 

"  Come  on,  Percy,  my  boy ;  we  must  get  over  the  bridge,  or  the 
parley-vous  will  be  down  upon  us,  like  shoals  of  herrings  in  Lough 
Swilly." 

"  My  dear  Dillon,"  I  replied,  "  you  seem  to  forget  that  I  am  a 
prisoner  on  parole," 


162  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"Ob,  trumpery  Moses!  what  has  that  to  do  with  it?"  asked 
Dillon,  with  a  stare. 

"For  my  own  honour,  and  the  honour  of  my  friend,"  I  said,  "I 
cannot  go  with  you." 

"  Haw !  haw !  haw ! "  cried  Dillon,  with  a  tremendous  horse-laugh ; 
"I'll  soon  settle  that  matter:"  then,  taking  me  by  the  arm,  he 
placed  me  in  the  centre  of  the  leading  subdivision,  exclaiming, — 

"  Sergeant  O'Keefe,  here's  a  Trench  prisoner  for  you ;  if  he  at- 
tempts to  escape,  you  only  shoot  him,  that's  all." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  sergeant ;  "  we  know  how  to  take  care 
of  him." 

The  party  now  again  moved  on  towards  the  bridge^  our  bugles 
sounding-  merrily  in  front,  and  all  keeping  a  steady,  quick  step,  till 
we  got  within  two  or  three  hundred  yards;  then  an  officer  of  artillery, 
whose  battery  was  planted  on  a  rising  ground  facing  the  bridge,  on 
the  opposite  side,  shouted  through  a  speaking-trumpet, — 

"  Double  !  double  !  the  French  are  upon  you." 

"  Double ! "  cried  Dillon  •  and  off  we  set  across  the  bridge,  amidst 
the  whistling  of  carbine-balls  in  our  rear,  which  did  little  or  no  mis- 
chief. 

We  had  scarcely  crossed  the  bridge  and  wheeled  into  line  on  our 
side  of  the  river,  when  the  French  squadrons  carne  thundering  down 
in  great  force,  and  the  front  sections,  gallantly  led,  dashed  forward 
upon  the  fatal  barrier,  not  a  shot  being  fired  by  us  to  check  their 
ardour. 

"Is  the  fuse  all  right,  Sergeant  Roberts?"  demanded  Captain 
Shackleton,  of  the  artillery,  whose  formidable  battery  maintained  an 
ominous  silence. 

"All  right,  sir,  and  all  ready,"  was  the  reply. 

" Fire,  then !"  exclaimed  Shackleton;  and  the  words  had  scarcely 
passed  his  lips,  when  a  fearful  explosion  took  jplace.  The  farthest 
arch  of  the  bridge  was  lifted  bodily  into  the  air,  with  a  shook  like 
an  earthquake,  and  scattered  in  ten  thousand  fragments,  with  every 
living  thing  upon  it ;  men  and  horses  falling  in  adismal  shower  of 
mangled  limbs  and  bodies  into  the  deep  and  sullen  current  that  rolled 
beneath. 

Then  pealed  the  musketry  across  the  Dao,  while  the  batteries 
opened  with  the  rapidity  and  precision  for  which  the  British  artillery 
is  renowned ;  and  before  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  there  was  not  a 
Frenchman  visible  on  the  opposite  bank,  but  those  tnat  lay  groaning, 
or  silent  and  motionless,  upon  the  ground. 

This  was  what  Massena,  in  his  report  of  the  occurrence,  called 
driving  the  English  pickets  over  the  Dao. 


BUSACO.  163 


CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

BUSACO. 

GREAT  was  the  jubilation  in  the  Light  Division  at  the  successful 
result  of  this  chivy,  as  Dillon  called  it;  and  congratulations  to  myself, 
in  particular,  flowed  in  from  every  quarter,  on  my  singular  escape- 
from  captivity :  this  was  the  more  unexpected,  as  a  report  had  pre- 
vailed that,  owing  to  the  advance  of  the  French  troops,  all  their 
prisoners  had  been  sent  off  to  the  frontier. 

Every  one  came,  of  course,  to  hear  my  description  of  the  French 
bivouac;  and  all  were  equally  astonished  and  amused  at  the  borrowed 
splendours  of  the  Chasseurs'  mess. 

I  had  the  honour,  also,  of  being  closeted  with  the  gallant  com- 
mander of  the  division,  who  questioned  me  very  closely  on  the  nu- 
merical strength,  movements,  and  possible  intentions  of  the  enemy. 
Apparently  satisfied  with  my  replies  on  these  subjects,  as  well  as  my 
capability  as  a  linguist,  he  even  hinted  that  he  had  a  vacancy  on  his 
staff  at  my  service. 

But  I  hastily,  and  indeed  foolishly,  declined  the  honour ;  for,  inde- 
pendent of  the  attachment  I  really  felt  for  my  brave  companions,  I 
was  accustomed,  like  too  many  of  the  line,  to  look  upon  staff  employ 
as  specious  idleness,  and  an  aide-de-camp  as  little  better  than  a  head- 
lackey.  Moreover,  military  glory  won  in  the  field,  not  in  the  cabinet, 
was  the  star  I  worshipped.  I  therefore  stammered  out,  as  an  excuse 
for  not  gratefully  accepting  so  distinguished  an  honour,  that  I  had 
never  yet  been  in  general  action,  and  was  anxious  to  take  an  active 
part  in  a  pitched  battle. 

"Then  join  your  regiment,  sir,"  said  the  general,  with  flashing  eyes, 
and  in  his  usual  quick  and  fiery  manner :  "  you'll  soon  be  gratified." 

But,  in  spite  of  all  this,  I  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  my  own 
part  in  this  brilliant  affair.  I  was  apprehensive  that  it  would  be 
called  a  breach  of  parole,  and  that  it  might  entail  unpleasant  conse- 
quences on  my  noble  friend  Berton.  I,  therefore,  wrote  him  a  note, 
fully  explanatory  of  all  the  circumstances ;  and  stating  that,  if  these 
did  not  appear  sufficient  to  justify  my  conduct  in  his  own  eyes  and 
those  of  Ins  superior  officers,  I  would  return,  coute  qui  coiite,  and 
again  become  his  prisoner. 

I  despatched  this  note  by  a  bugler  of  the  French  advance,  their 
Light  Infantry  having  now  come  up ;  and  was  gratified  next  day  with 
the  following  answer,  which  relieved  my  mind  from  all  further  anxiety 
on  the  subject: — 

"  C'est  la  fortune  de  guerre,  cher  Percy !  You  are  all  the  better 
for  it,  and  I  none  the  worse,  except  in  the  loss  of  your  agreeable 
society.  No  blame  can  attach  to  either  of  us ;  therefore,  set  your 


164-  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

mind  at  rest.    I  trust,  however,  we  shall  meet  again,  under  happier 
circumstances,  until  when, 

"  Believe  me  ever  faithfully  yours, 

"ADOLPHE  BERTON." 

From  the  movements  which  now  took  place  between  the  contend- 
ing armies,  it  was  evident  that  a  general  action  could  no  longer  be 
avoided.  The  army  of  Massena.  which  he  had  concentrated  at 
Vizeu,  haying  advanced  in  force,  that  of  the  allies  retired  from  their 
position  in  the  finest  order,  and  fell  back  upon  the  heights  of 
JBusaco. 

This  mountain  range  was  about  eight  miles  long,  its  right  abutting 
on  the  river  Mondego,  and  the  left  stretching  over  very  difficult  grouna 
to  the  Sierra  de  Caramula.  On  the  summit  stood  a  convent  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  woods ;  and  this  point  was  nearly  three  hundred 
feet  high,  though  its  elevation  varied  in  different  places.  Such,  in  a 
few  words,  was  the  position  occupied  by  fifty  thousand  British  and 
Portuguese  troops  on  the  26th  of  September,  1810 ;  while  sixty-five 
thousand  French  infantry,  covered  by  a  mass  of  voltigeurs,  bivouacked 
at  the  fo9t  of  the  mountain. 

Our  Light  Division  was  posted  in  advance,  in  front  of  the  left  and 
left  centre  of  the  line,  formed  by  the  divisions  of  Sir  Brent  Spencer, 
and  of  Generals  Picton,  Leith,  Hill,  and  Lowry  Cole ;  while  the 
cavalry,  under  Sir  Stapleton  Cotton,  was  posted  in  the  rear.  General 
Crawfurd  had  judiciously  drawn  up  the  main  body  of  his  line  in  a  dip 
of  the  ground  behind  the  steep  crest  of  his  position ;  while  the  rocks 
in  front,  and  the  whole  face  of  the  sierra,  were  crowded  with  our 
riflemen  and  cacadores. 

It  was  evident  that  Massena  intended  to  attack  us  on  the  following 
day,  and  nothing  could  have  given  us  greater  pleasure,  for  our  position 
was  all  but  impregnable :  it  occupied  the  summit  of  a  steep  and  lofty 
mountain,  whose  rugged  sides  were  exposed  like  the  glacis  of  a  fortress 
to  the  fire  of  its  defenders,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  wooded  dells 
and  hollows  towards  its  base. 

To  facilitate  the  intended  attack,  the  enemy's  light  troops  were 
sent  forward  on  the  night  of  the  26th,  by  twos  and  threes,  down  the 
lowest  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Mondego,  to  establish  themselves 
unseen  close  to  the  pickets  of  the  3rd  and  Light  Divisions  ;  but  our 
rifle  companies  ana  some  ca?adores  being  thrown  forward,  soon 
checked  their  insidious  approaches. 

Dillon's  company,  especially,  was  far  in  advance'  that  night,  more 
than  half-way  down  the  mountain :  where  we  had  made  up  as  snug 
a  bivouac  for  ourselves,  in  a  deserted  posada,  as  circumstances  would 
permit. 

The  upper  part  of  this  house  had  been  knocked  to  pieces  by  a 
heavy  cannonade  during  the  day;  but  the  ground-floor,  or  stable, 
which  was  built  of  very  solid  mason  work,  with  an  arched  roofing,  as 
is  common  in  the  Peninsula,  stood  as  firm  as  a  rock.  Here  we  nad 
ensconced  ourselves  •  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  on  the  enemy  through 
the  loopholes  we  had  made  iu  the  wall;  and  laughing  at  their  futile 


BTTSACO.  165 

efforts  to  dislodge  us,  as  we  enjoyed  our  cigars  and  toddy  round  a 
blazing  fire,  manufactured  from  the  ruins  of  a  staircase. 

But  though  we  were  cozy  enough  in  our  sheltered  nook,  the  night 
was  bitterly  cold  on  the  summit  of  our  position ;  exposed,  as  it  was, 
to  the  north-west  wind,  which  swept  in  fitful  blasts  over  the  moun- 
tain, and  drove  our  troops  to  every  sort  of  shelter  which  ingenuity 
could  invent,  or  the  most  rigid  watchfulness  permit.  Meanwhile  the 
radical  heat  of  canteens  and  pocket-pistols,  as  the  gentle  reader  may 
conceive,  was  freely  had  recourse  to,  amongst  other  expedients,  to 
expel  the  radical  moisture,  and  enable  our  men  to  pass  the  night  with 
some  small  degree  of  comparative  comfort. 

But  these  resources  were,  it  seems,  inadequate  in  all  cases :  for, 
while  we  were  enjoying  ourselves  sociably  in  our  bomb-proof  bivouac, 

in  bounced  upon  us  suddenly  three  or  four  officers  of  Colonel  E, 's 

regiment ;  wno,  unable  to  stand  the  cold  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  had  ventured  to  quit  the  ranks,  for  the  troops  bivouacked  in 
order  of  battle,  and  stole  down  shivering  and  shaking  to  warm  their 
noses  at  our  guard-fire. 

Right  welcome  did  we  make  the  poor  souls ;  and  Dillon  being  a 
proverbially  hospitable  fellow,  the  glass  circulated  freely,  while  jovial 
toasts  and  merry  jests  went  round,  as  if  peace  and  plenty  were  smiling 
on  the  outside  of  our  cozy  retreat.  The  natural  thirst,  to  which  we 
were  all  rather  subject,  being  greatly  enhanced  by  some  delicate 
morsels  of  Estremadura  wild  hog  fresh  from  the  woods,  and  broiled 
upon  the  embers,  we  passed  a  very  merry  evening,  as  may  be  imagined; 
till  at  length  our  weary  guests,  leaving  us  to  our  vigils,  plunged  into 
a  huge  mass  of  beautiful  clean  straw ;  where,  covering  themselves  all 
over,  they  were  speedily  in  the  "  land  of  nod." 

Long  and  sound  was  that  delicious  sleep,  the  last  that  some  of  them 
were  destined  to  enjoy ;  and  longer  it  might  have  continued,  for  we 
were  coming  to  long  shots  with  the  enemy's  advancing  tirailleurs, 
and  had  quite  forgotten  our  guests  in  the  hurry  of  our  own  affairs  ; 
but  an  immense  clash  of  fixing  bayonets  suddenly  roused  them  all  at 
the  same  instant ;  when,  conceiving  that  the  enemy  were  upon  them, 
they  sprang  nimbly  up  the  rugged  side  of  the  mountain,  to  regain 
their  respective  posts. 

The  general  order  was,  that  the  whole  force  should  be  under  arms 
one  hour  before  daybreak ;  but,  to  their  confusion,  it  was  now  quite 
light,  and  the  line  was  formed  to  receive  the  enemy. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  truants  endeavoured  to  fall  in  unobserved : 
the  practised  eye  of  their  commanding  officer  was  upon  them,  and  he 
ordered  them  to  the  front.  I  must  here  inform  my  gentle  readers, 

that  Colonel  E, was  one  of  those  rigid  disciplinarians  who  arc 

facetiously  said  to  drill  their  troops  on  the  graves  of  the  enemy ;  and 
his  rebuke  on  parade  was  infinitely  more  dreaded  by  his  officers  than 
the  dangers  of  the  field. 

"  So,  gentlemen,"  he  began  with  an  ominous  scowl,  "  this  is  pretty 
conduct  in  the  face  of  an  enemy !  A  nice  example  you  set  to  the 
soldiers,  of  discipline  and  obedience !  From  Mr.  Tyler  and  Mr. 
Ouseley,  I  couldn't,  perhaps,  expect  much,  as  they  are  young  and 


166  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

foolish !  and  Mr.  Macpherson  is  a  shatter-brained  wild-goose :  but 
for  you,  Captain  Urquhart— an  officer  of  some  rank  and  standing  in 
the  army— there  is  no  excuse.  To  quit  your  ranks,  on  any  pretence 
whatever,  when  in  front  of  the  enemy,  is  downright  desertion.  lou 
may  now  join  your  companies,  gentlemen ;  but  rest  assured  that  I 
shall  forward  charges  against  you  immediately  after  the  action." 

The  culprits  accordingly  fell  in,  and  soon  forgot  the  colonel's 
threats  in  the  excitement  of  the  battle. 

Meanwhile,  we  were  sharply  engaged  with  the  enemy;  for, 
shrouded  by  the  grey  mist  that  still  was  lingering  on  the  sierra, 
Ney,  with  three  columns  moved  forward  in  front  of  the  convent.,  to 
where  our  Light  Division  was  posted,  in  advance  of  the  British  line. 
The  brigade  of  General  Simon  led  the  attack ;  and,  reckless  of  the 
constant  fusillade  of  our  skirmishers,  and  the  plunging  fire  of  our 
artillery,  which  ploughed  the  advancing  column  from  its  leading  sec- 
tion to  its  last,  the  enemy  came  steadily  and  quickly  on,  till  their 
breathless  tirailleurs  reached  the  crest  of  our  position.  The  British 
guns  were  then  instantly  retired,  our  skirmishers  closed  to  their 
respective  flanks,  and  in  double  quick  time  took  up  their  post  in  line : 
the  French  cheers  arose,  and  in  another  second  their  column  topped 
the  height. 

Then,  if  ever,  was  manifest  the  real  superiority  of  British  troops 
in  close  combat ;  for  Crawfurd,  who  was  coolly  watching  the  advance 
of  the  enemy,  having  given  the  word  "  Charge !  "  to  his  line,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder,  we  rushed  forward  with  a  cheer  that  pealed  for 
miles  over  the  sierra ;  and,  in  the  graphic  language  of  Napier, 
"  Eighteen  hundred  British  bayonets  went  sparkling  over  the  brow  of 
the  hill.  The  head  of  the  French  column  was  overwhelmed  in  an 
instant,  and  both  its  flanks  were  overlapped  by  the  English  wings," 
while  volley  after  vollev,  at  close  distance,  completed  its  destruction ; 
and  marked,  with  hundreds  of  its  dead  and  dying,  prostrate  on  the 
face  of  the  sierra,  the  course  of  its  murderous  discomfiture. 

The  other  two  columns  of  Ney's  attack,  under  Generals  Ilegnier 
and  Marchand,  were  equally  unsuccessful  against  the  other  divisions 
of  the  allied  army ;  when,  finding  his  efforts  fruitless,  and  his  troops 
sinking  under  an  unprofitable  slaughter,  he  withdrew  them  under 
cover  of  his  artillery,  and  the  roar  of  battle  ceased. 

I  must  now  return  to  our  visitors  of  the  preceding  evening,  who 
had  entirely  forgotten  their  colonel's  threatened  vengeance,  in  the 
glory  of  crushing  the  French  on  the  sierra,  and  the  triumph  of 
driving  them  down  its  rugged  side  in  ruinous  defeat  and  irre- 
trievable confusion. 

Colonel  11 ,  however,  did  not  forget  the  duty  he  had  to  perform 

towards  the  deserters.  Immediately  after  the  action,  he  was  on  his 
way  to  the  division  head-quarters,  to  report  their  conduct ;  when  he 
met  Lieutenant  Macpherson,  all  begrimed  with  dust,  perspiration, 
and  gunpowder. 

"  Well,  sir ! "  exclaimed  the  colonel ;  "  I  am  going  to  acquaint  Sir 
Thomas  Picton  with  your  conduct  last  night.  Where  are  your  com- 
panions ?  Where  is  Captain  Urqnhart  ? " 


TUB   GOLDEN   VIRGIN.  167 

"  He  is  killed,  sir,"  answered  Macpherson. 

"  Oh,  indeed !  "  said  the  colonel  with  great  sangfroid.  "  Where  is 
Lieutenant  Ouseley  ?  " 

"  He  is  also  killed,"  was  the  reply. 

"The  devil  he  is ! "  exclaimed  the  colonel,  in  a  tone  of  vexation,  at 
the  loss  of  another  victim.  "  Where  is  Ensign  Tyler,  then  ?  " 

•"He  is  mortally  wounded,  sir,"  said  Macpherson,  with  his  eyes 
brimful  of  tears. 

"  Confound  it  all ! "  said  the  colonel,  as  if  everything  had  been 
done  solely  to  thwart  and  torment  him. 

"Ah!  yes,"  exclaimed  Macpherson,  with  a  heavy  sigh;  "poor 
fellows !  They^re  all  gone !  " 

"  And  a  devilish  lucky  escape  they  have  had,  sir ! "  cried  the 
colonel,  with  a  frown,  as  he  rode  off  grumbling  at  his  disappoint- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  GOLDEN  VIRGIN. 

THE  result  of  this  battle  having  defeated  Massena's  object  of  turning 
the  British  right,  he  changed  his  plan ;  and  during  the  action  detached 
a  large  body  of  cavalry,  under  the  guidance  of  a  ^Portuguese  peasant, 
across  the  mountains  towards  Oporto,  with  the  view  of  turning  the 
left  9f  the  British  position. 

His  intention  being  accurately  divined  by  Lord  Wellington,  Colonel 
Trant  was  despatched  to  occupy  the  pass  of  Sardao,  by  which  the 
French  were  to  proceed ;  but,  being  misdirected  in  the  road,  he  did 
not  arrive  there  till  they  were  in  possession  of  the  ground.  Thus, 
after  losing  the  battle  of  Busaco,  Massena  was  enabled,  by  a  Portu- 
guese traitor,  to  push  forward  his  whole  army  towards  Coimbra,  by 
the  high  road,  to  Oporto. 

This  manoeuvre,  by  which  the  position  of  the  allies  was  turned, 
necessarily  compelled*  Lord  Wellington,  though  in  possession  of  the 
field  of  battle,  to  fall  back  upon  the  reinforcements  in  his  rear : 
orders  were  accordingly  issued  to  abandon  the  sierra,  and  retire  upon 
the  lines  of  Torres  Vedras.  In  doing  this,  his  lordship  was  compelled, 
not  only  for  the  safety  of  the  people  themselves,  but  to  deprive  the 
enemy  of  all  supplies,  to  order  the  inhabitants  of  Coirnbra  and  the 
adjacent  country  to  destroy  everything  they  could  not  bring  with 
them,  and  accompany  the  troops  in  their  retreat.  They  accordingly 
followed,  or  preceded,  the  army  on  its  march ;  abandoning  their 
dwellings,  driving  off  their  cattle,  burning  or  burying  provisions  and 
forage,  leaving  the  town  and  villages  deserted,  and  deprived  of  every- 
thing which  could  be  serviceable  to  the  invaders. 

During  this  memorable  retreat  of  an  army  and  a  nation,  our  regi- 
ment was  much  scattered ;  being  apportioned,  in  independent  com- 
panies, to  bring  up  the  rear  of  the  heavy  battalions,  and  prevent 


168  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

stragglers  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  This  was  an 
arduous  and  harassing  duty;  for,  exclusive  of  our  military  proteges, 
we  had  also  to  extend  our  assistance  to  the  crowds  of  flying  Portu- 
guese who  encumbered  the  flanks  of  our  columns,  all  eager  to  reach 
the  lines  of  Torres  Vedras,  behind  which  they  felt  assured  of  safety 
and  protection. 

To  mend  the  matter,  we  were  overwhelmed  with  a  deluge  of  ram 
for  several  days,  which  cut  up  the  roads  dreadfully,  and  made  our 
whipper-in  duty  more  severe  than  ever  ;  for  we  had  not  only  to 
keep  the  stragglers  up  in  front,  but  also  to  make  head  against  the 
^French  light  troops,  who  were  now  pressing  pretty  close  upon  our 
rear. 

We  at  length  reached  Alenquer,  about  nine  leagues  from  Lisbon; 
and,  as  this  town,  like  all  the  rest,  was  deserted  by  its  inhabitants,  a 
scene  of  immense  confusion  took  place  amongst  the  stragglers,  camp- 
followers,  and  habitual  plunderers,  always  found  in  the  wake  of  the 
best  disciplined  armies. 

.For  three  whole  hours,  amidst  mud  and  rain,  which  was  falling  in 
torrents,  we  were  incessantly  employed  in  turning  these  wretches 
out  of  the  houses ;  where  they  were  grasping  at  everything  they  saw, 
and  drinking  everything  in  the  shape  ot  wines  or  spirits  they  could 
lay  their  hands  on.  No  sooner  was  one  house  emptied  than  another 
would  fill ;  and  so  on,  from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the  other ;  gangs 
of  men  and  women  in  a  beastly  state  of  intoxication,  running  up  and 
down  the  lanes  and  alleys,  as  if  playing  at  hide-and-seek  with  us,  and 
utterly  regardless  of  their  own  safety. 

At  last  we  succeeded  in  getting  the  great  mass  of  them  to  the 
extremity  of  the  town,  and  Dillon  said  to  me, — 

"  Now,  Percy,  while  I  drive  these  devils  on  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  you  just  cover  our  retreat ;  for  I  hear  the  parley-Tons  hurra- 
ing not  far  off,  and  you'll  have  to  exchange  shots  wiih  them,  I'm 
thinking." 

I  accordingly  lingered  with  the  last  section  soitif  djstance  behind 
Dillon;  but  as  the  enemy  made  no  appearanceAjjgave  the  word 
"forward  ! "  which  was  gladly  obeyed  by  my  worn^ijlljightBobs. 

It  was  now  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  the  rain  w&  beginning  to 
abate  a  little;  but  the  mud  was  knee-deep,  and  half  savage  with 
fatigue  and  hunger,  I  trudged  on  through  it,  some  fifty  or  sixty  paces 
in  rear  of  the  last  section. 

While  labouring  on  in  this  manner,  I  heard  some  one  in  front  sing- 
ing to  himself,  in  a  sort  of  doleful  attempt  at  cheerfulness,  as  well  as 
I  can  recollect,  the  following  curious  stanza — 

"  Barney  Bodkin  broke  his  nose ; 

Want  of  money  makes  us  sad ; 

Without  feet  we  can't  have  toes ; 

Crazy  folks  are  always  mad ! " 

"  Surely  this  must  be  Conolly,"  I  said,  as  I  came  up  with  a  soldier, 
who  was  staggering  onwards,  bent  double  with  the  united  weight  of 
musket  and  accoutrements,  knapsack,  blanket,  mess-tin,  havresack, 
and  canteen ;  in  addition  to  which,  and  above  all,  was  strapped  a  huge 


THIS  GOLDEN  VIRGIN.  169 

nondescript  bundle,  that  might  be  taken  for  a  human  figure,  if  such  a 
thins  were  at  all  likely. 

"Faix,  then,  it's  my  own  four  bones,  Master  Percy,"  replied 
Conolly.  '  '  And  it's  tired  enough  I  am  of  this  day's  journey,  any 
how." 

"  No  wonder,"  I  said,  with  such  a  mountain  of  luggage  as  you  have 
got  upon  your  back.  I  hope  you  have  not  been  plundering  amongst 
those  drunken  scoundrels,  Mr.  Conolly. 

"  May  be  I  have,  and  may  be  I  haven't,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  with  a 
verv  mysterious  air. 

'  If  you  have,"  I  said,  excessively  provoked,  "  I  shall  hand  you 
over  at  once  to  the  provost  marshal,  and  have  done  with  you." 

"  Naboclish  !  "  exclaimed  Conolly,  in  the  same  tone  as  before. 

"  You  are  running  on  destruction  like  an  idiot,"  I  said,  "  with  your 
eyes  open." 

;'  Bathershin,"  said  Conolly. 

"You  insolent  dog  !  "  I  cned,  for  my  temper  had  been  sorely  tried 
during  the  day,  "  if  you  give  me  any  of  your  slang,  I'll  kick  you  into 
the  mud." 

"  Then  you  wouldn't  do  that,  Master  Percy,"  replied  Conolly,  in 
humbler  accents,  "if  you  only  knew  what  I  have  got  upon  my  back." 

"  What  have  you  g9t  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"I  have  got  a  vargin?  sir  "  he  replied. 

"A  virgin  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  have  got  a 
woman  on  your  back?" 

"God  forbid,  sir  !  "  replied  Conolly,  "'tis  no  woman,  but  a  virgin, 
sir,  barrin'  she's  alive  in  heavenly  glory  with  the  blessed  saints  and 
the  Holy  Saint  Patrick  at  this  present." 

"What  can  you  mean  by  this  gibberish  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"I  mane  the  blessed  Vargin  Mary  herself,  and  devil  a  less,"  replied 
Conolly." 

"  Pshaw  !  "  I  exclaimed.    "  You  are  drunk,  you  sot  !  " 

"Then  sorrow  a  dhrop  has  passed  my  lips  this  blessed  day,  sir," 
replied  Conolly,  "  but  rain  wather.  Signs  on  id,  whin  all  them  other 
fools  were  hunting  after  wines  and  sperrits,  in  the  houses  beyant,  I 
went  to  the  ould  ancient  abbey  church,  that  stands  formnt  the 
market-place  ;  and  'twas  there,  your  honour,  I  got  the  lob." 

"What  lob?"  I  demanded. 

"  Why  then,"  said  Conolly,  "to  tell  God's  truth,  I  was  looking  out 
for  some  of  them  goold  and  silver  cups,  that  your  honour  was  afthcr 
drinking  out  of  at  the  French  cavalry  mess;  when  at,  last,  and  long 
run,  after  rummaging  up  and  down  amongst  nooks  and  crannies,  that 
were  full  of  ghosts,  if  I  could  only  see  'em,  I  kem  to  a  dark-looking 
hole  under  a  staircase  ;  and  may  I  never  die  a  sinner,  but  'twas  there 
I  found  it!" 


what?"  I  asked. 
"  A  goolden  vargin  !  "  replied  Conolly,  "  lying  there  amongst  a  hape 
of  goolden  saints,  and  angels,  and  doves,  and  lambs,  wid  the  fine 
ould  ancient  cobwebs  hanging  about  'em,  your  honour  ;  but,  as  she 
was  the  freshest,  I  brought  her  away  first." 


170  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  ! "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Oh,  be  the  blessed  cross  ! "  said  Cpnolly,  "  I'm  not  tellin'  your 
honour  a  word  of  a  lie.  From  the  tip  of  her  wings,  to  the  ball  of  her 
great  toe,  she's  one  solid  lump  of  pure  goold ;  that  will  be  the  makin3 
of  us  all,  every  mother's  sowl,  in  the  Light  Brigade." 

"  Oh ! "  I  said,  "  if  that's  your  prize,  Conolly,  I  wish  you  joy  of  it ; 
but  step  out,  for  I  shall  want  a  dry  change  of  everything." 

"  Yis,  sir,"  said  Conolly,  with  a  grunt,  as  he  laboured  on  under  his 
burthen. 

"  And,  Conolly,"  I  said,  "  bring  your  virgin  to  the  bivouac-fire. 
Unless  I  greatly  mistake,  we  shall  find  some  use  for  her  there." 

"Yis,  sir,"  said  Conolly. 

We  soon  after  arrived  at  our  ground  for  the  night ;  and  being  relieved 
by  a  fresh  party  of  the  95th,  who  took  all  the  outpost  duty,  I  hastened 
to  our  company's  fire,  which  was  blazing  up  cheerfully ;  while  Dillon 
and  my  two  brother  subalterns  were  roasting  their  shins,  and  taking 
a  drop  of  comfort  before  supper. 

The  rain  had  now  entirely  ceased,  the  moon  shone  out  brightly,  and 
the  ground  all  round  the  fire  was  drying  very  fast ;  so  were  also  the 
men's  clothes,  great  coats,  and  blankets,  which,  having  been 
thoroughly  saturated  during  the  day's  march,  were  now  sending  up- 
wards a  vapoury  column  of  steam.  Seated  each  upon  a  knapsack, 
we  looked  on  with  great  complacency,  while  one  of  our  mess  cooks 
was  frying  pork-chops,  mutton-chops,  beef-steaks,  and  sausages 
before  us ;  the  hissing,  sputtering,  and  savoury  odour  of  which  equally 
gratified^ the  olfactories  and  stimulated  the  appetites  of  all. 

At  this  interesting  moment  came  up  Mr.  Conolly,  sinking  with 
fatigue  under  his  unconscionable  load.  Having  relieved  him  from  his 
"  Vargin,"  which  I  laid  with  all  due  decorum  on  the  grourfd  before 
Dillon,  enveloped  as  it  was  in  a  green  serge  window-blind,  I  desired 
Mr.  Conolly  to  tell  his  own  story. 

This  he  did  with  many  circumlocutions,  and  the  addition  of  many 
marvellous  accessories,  such  as  flying  angels  flapping  their  wings 
while  he  brought  it  away  from  its  hiding  place ;  and  a  fine  ould 
saint,  that  he  took  for  St.  Patrick,  giving  him  his  blessing,  and 
foretelling  great  luck  to  him  and  his  ancestors  to  the  end  of  the 
world. 

I  then  withdrew  the  covering,  and  displayed  a  very  golden-looking 
figure  of  St.  Michael,  the  size  of  life,  to  the  wondering  eyes  of  the 
whole  company,  "who  had  listened  in  crowds  to  Conolly's  tale,  and  the 
great  mass  of  whom  actually  believed  the  image  to  be  gold  •  even 
Dillon  himself  looked  more  than  half  convinced  of  the  agreeable  and 
astounding  fact. 

"  Now,  Conolly,"  I  said,  "  you  don't,  of  course,  mean  to  keep  all 
this  lob  of  gold  to  yourself?  " 

"Not  by  no  manner  of  means,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "I  never 
was  a  greedy-gut,  thank  goodness  and  the  blessed  Yargin !  " 

"  Let  me  know,  therefore,"  I  continued,  "  how  you  wish  it  to  be 
divided." 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  "I  wish  to  give  one  half  to  you  and 


SAVING  THE  COLOURS.  171 

the  captain,  another  half  to  myself,  and  a  third  half  to  the  rest  of  the 
company." 

This  generous  decision  was  received  with  plaudits.  A  pioneer  was 
speedily  found,  who  as  speedily  sawed  the  Virgin  Mary  into  three 
halves,  which  were  instantly  pronounced,  with  a  groan  of  disappoint- 
ment, succeeded  by  a  general  burst  of  laughter,  to  be  very  fair 
specimens  of  the  cork-tree ! 

"Agh,  sweet  Vargin,"  cried  Conolly,  "'tis  ould  Nick  that's  always 
playing  me  them  tricks  ;  jest  the  same  as  when  he  turned  a  dozen 
iresh  eggs  into  a  fiery  sarpent,  and  then  into  a  batch  of  chickens, 
in  the  island  of  Walchereen."^ 

"  I  have  a  muckle  suspeecion,  on  the  contraire,"  said  the  provost 
marshal,  who  just  then  came  up  to  see  what  the  matter  was ;  "I 
have  a  muckle  suspeecion,  Conolly,  that  'tis  a  second  edeetion  of  the 
cuckoo  clock,  mon." 

This  created  an  immense  laugh  at  the  expense  of  poor  Conolly, 
who  fled  and  hid  himself  in  dismay  and  mortification.  The  blessed 
Vargin  being  pitched  into  the  fire,  very  much  increased  the  volume 
thereof;  while  we  ate  an  excellent  supper,  and  imbibed  a  reasonable 
quantity  of  cognac,  adultrified,  as  Dillon  said,  with  water. 

We  then  lay  down  upon  the  sod,  gazing  on  the  chaste,  cold  moon, 
with  our  feet  in  the  ashes,  and  looking  very  much  like  weary  soldiers 
taking  our  rest, — 

"  With  our  martial  cloaks  around  us." 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

SAVING  THE  COLOURS. 

THE  proclamations  which  had  been  issued,  requiring  the  inhabitants 
to  abandon  their  homes,  as  we  fell  back  upon  Torres  Vedras,  were  so 
generally  attended  to,  that  crowds  of  men,  women,  and  children,  the 
sick,  the  aged,  and  the  infirm,  covered  the  roads  and  fields  in  every 
direction.  Mothers  might  be  seen  with  infants  at  their  breasts, 
hurrying  towards  the  capital ;  old  men,  scarcely  able  to  totter  along, 
made  progress,  chiefly  by  the  aid  of  their  children ;  whilst  the  whole 
wayside  soon  became  strewed  with  bedding,  blankets,  and  other 
household  furniture,  which  the  weary  fugitives  were  unable  to  carry 
any  farther.  Troops  of  all  arms,  attended  by  numerous  army  fol- 
lowers ;  peasantry  with  their  families ;  the  higher  prders  of  society 
travelling  comformably  to  their  rank ;  furniture,  grain,  and  the  cattle 
of  an  extensive  line  of  country,  all  combined,  pressed  forward  in  one 
varied,  confused,  and  apparently  interminable  mass. 

By  the  rigid  enforcement  of  this  system  during  the  retreat  from 
Busaco,  so  well  planned  and  so  ably  executed,  the  whole  population 
of  this  extensive  district  found  safety  and  shelter  in  and  about 
Lisbon ;  and  the  allied  forces  took  up  their  position  without  the  loss 
of  a  straggler,  or  a  baggage-waggon ;  in  those  famous  lines,  before 


172  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

whose  impregnable  front  even  Massena  himself  recoiled  in  astonish- 
ment, though  but  a  week  before  he  had  boasted  that  in  a  few  days  he 
woula  "  drown  the  leopard."  Indeed,  so  confident  were  the  French 
of  the  speedy  termination  of  the  campaign,  that  numerous  engage- 
ments were  made  amongst  them  for  parties  to  be  given  in  Lisbon; 
which,  however,  none  of  them  were  even  again  destined  to  see,  except 
as  hospital  patients  or  prisoners  of  war. 

Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  retreat,  however,  the  movements  of 
the  troops  were  sadly  impeded  by  the  panic-struck  inhabitants  of 
Coimbra,  who  had  so  long  delayed  their  flight  towards  Lisbon,  that 
the  roads  were  at  last  literally  blocked  up  with  carts,  waggons,  mules, 
horses,  bullocks,  and  human  beings ;  all  striving  to  be  first  in  some 
place  of  safety,  from  the  dreaded  French,  who  were  now  in  close 
pursuit. 

In  the  midst  of  this  terrible  confusion,  Colonel  M 's  regiment, 

to  which  Dillon's  company  was  attached,  became  accidentally 
separated  from  the  brigade  to  which  it  belonged ;  and  was  even,  as 
the  C9lonel  thought,  in  some  danger  of  being  cut  off  by  the  enemy. 
In  this  predicament,  his  first  idea  was  the  disgrace  that  must  attach 
to  the  regiment  if  the  colours  were  taken;  the  preservation  of  these 
cherished  symbols  being,  as  my  fair  readers  doubtless  know,  an 
especial  point  of  honour  in  the  military  breast. 

To  prevent  so  fatal  a  disaster,  the  colonel  one  evening  assembled 
a  council  of  war,  at  which  he  stated  his  apprehension ;  requesting  his 
officers  to  deliberate  maturely  on  the  subject,  and  to  give  him  their 
opinions  on  the  following  morning,  as  to  the  best  mode  of  disposing 
of  these  darling  objects. 

Accordingly,  when  the  council  reassembled  at  daybreak  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  previous  to  commencing  the  day's  march,  many 
suggestions  were  offered  with  the  view  of  saving  the  colours :  one 
officer,  amongst  others,  hinting  that  they  might  be  taken  off  the 
staffs,  and  concealed  under  the  clothing  of  the  colour-sergeants ;  but 
this  was  objected  to  as  peculiarly  liable  to  discovery. 

A  young  ensign,  who  had  recently  joined  from  Sandhurst,  then 
said  he  recollected  having  read  of  a  similar  circumstanpe,  at  the  battle 
of  Sempach,  where  the  Austrians  were  defeated  by  tlielSwiss ;  where 
one  Nicholas  Dut,  or  Dot,  a  gallant  mountaineer,  who  bore  the 
colours  of  his  canton,  finding  himself  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  tore 
the  colours  in  pieces  and  crammed  them  into  his  capacious  mouth, 
where  they  were  found  after  his  death,  and  carried  back  in  triumph 
to  the  Town  House.  Some  such  expedient  as  this,  he  modestly 
suggested,  might  be  adopted;  but,  as  our  English  colours  were 
generally  of  enormous  dimensions,  too  great,  indeed,  for  any  one 
mortal  mouth  to  contain,  they  might,  when  torn  to  pieces,  be  dis- 
tributed amongst  those  supernumerary  and  staff  officers  who  had  no 
occasion  to  open  their  mouths  at  all  during  the  action. 

Every  one  acknowledged  that  the  expedient  was  an  ingenious  one, 
and  worthy  of  consideration ;  but  the  officers  in  general  seemed  to  be 
of  opinion  that,  if  the  regiment  was  actually  cut  off  by  the  enemy,  it 
would  be  of  little  use  to  save  the  colours. 


TORRES  VEDRAS.  173 

Colonel  M — ,  who  had  listened  to  the  discussion  with  an  air  of 
profound  mystery,  now  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  unbounded  self- 
satisfaction, — 

"That  may  be  your  opinion,  gentlemen:  but  I  am  happy  to  inform 
you  that  I  have  put  our  colours  completely  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
enemy." 

"  You  have,  sir ! "  was  the  general  exclamation. 

"  Yes.  gentlemen,"  cried  the  colonel;  "  I  flatter  myself  that  I  have 
effectually  saved  our  honour  from  this  indelible  stain." 

"  But  how,  sir  ?    How  ?  "  demanded  several  voices. 

"Last  night,  gentlemen,"  replied  the  colonel,  in  a  tone  of  triumph, 
"  while  you  were  vainly  ruminating  on  the  best  method  of  saving  our 
beloved  colours,  I— burnt  them  to  ashes  with  my  own  hands  ! " 

The  gallant  colonel's  regiment  was  not,  however,  cut  off,  as  he 
had  anticipated ;  but  great  was  the  surprise  on  seeing  it  march  into 
the  alignment  under  bare  poles,  without  a  single  rag  of  silk  attached 
to  them.  So  novel  a  circumstance  occasioned  an  immediate  inquiry  : 
and  long  and  loud  was  the  merriment  of  the  troops,  when  the  real 
cause  was  discovered.  Lord  Wellington  saw,  at  a  glance,  how  the 
case  stood,  and  very  considerately  gave  the  colonel  leave  of  absence 
to  go  home  on  his  private  affairs ;  but,  being  an  old  officer,  and  a 
worthy,  well-intentioned  man,  the  next  brevet  fortunately  qualified 
him  for  the  command  at  Albany  barracks,  where  I  met  him  again  at 
a  subsequent  period  of  iny  career. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

TORRES  VEDRAS. 

SINGULAR  enough,  after  so  many  hairbreadth  escapes  in  this  harass- 
ing retreat,  the  very  last  shot  fired  by  the  tirailleurs  of  Massena's 
advance,  as  we  retired  into  the  lines,  with  our  faces  to  the  foe, 
did  my  business.  I  was  standing  in  rather  a  prominent  position, 
whistling  the  men  to  close  to  the  centre,  when  I  felt  a  sudden  wrench 
in  my  right  leg,  and  fell  to  the  ground,  frothing  at  the  mouth,  and 
calling  lustily  for  water. 

Four  of  the  men  rushed  to  the  spot  where  I  lay ;  a  blanket  was 
unfolded,  and  1  was  laid  gently  upon  it :  the  men  then  lifting  it  by 
the  corners,  marched  steadily  along  with  me  to  the  rear ;  a  fifth  man 
giving  me,  from  time  to  time,  a  draught  of  nectar,  for  so  I  deemed 
the  dirty  water  out  of  his  canteen.  ^ 

Colonel  Colborne  hastily  ran  up,  and  inquired  kindly  after  my 
wound ;  but  I  was  suffering  too  much  agony  to  reply.  Soon  after, 
there  was  a  clattering  of  horses'  feet;  and  a  well-known  voice 
exclaimed, — 

"  One  of  your  officers,  Colborne  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  was  the  reply,  "and  a  very  promising  one ;  young 
Blake,  a  mere  stripling." 


174  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

"  Is  he  badly  hurt  ?  "  was  the  second  question. 

"1  can't  well  say,  my  lord,"  replied  the  colonel,  in  a  doubtful 
voice ;  "  a  rifle-ball  above  the  right  knee." 

"  If  the  cap  is  not  touched,"  said  his  lordship  as  he  rode  off,  "he'll 
save  his  leg." 

With  instinctive  confidence  in  the  soundness  of  that  judgment 
which  so  rarely  erred,  I  stretched  my  hand  down  and  examined, — 

"  Thank  heaven  !  my  knee-pan  is  unhurt." 

The  agony  I  felt,  however,  was  so  excessive,  and  I  writhed  and 
made  so  many  ugly  faces,  that  one  of  the  men  took  a  cartridge  from 
his  pouch,  bit  off  the  ball,  thrust  it  into  my  mouth,  and  bid  me  chew 
it  like  a  quid  of  tobacco. 

I  did  so,  and  soon  reduced  it  to  shreds,  feeling,  certainly,  mucli 
comfort,  either  real  or  imaginary,  from  the  operation. 

Slowly  and  carefully  I  was  carried  through  those  famous  lines,  upon 
which  the  modern  Eabius  had  bestowed  so  much  time  and  thought,  as 
the  only  means  of  averting  the  entire  conquest  of  the  Peninsula.  I 
shall  not,  however,  attempt  a  description  of  them  from  any  obser- 
vations I  may  have  made  in  my  progress,  from  where  I  received  my 
wound  to  the  village  of _ Santa  Clara,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant, 
where  the  general  hospital  of  the  division  was  situated.  Indeed,  I 
slept,  or  rather  slumbered,  unquietly  the  greater  part  of  the  way,  in 
spite  of  my  sufferings,  and  did  not  wake  to  a  full  consciousness  of 
my  situation  till  effectually  roused  by  an  acute  and  racking  pain,  which 
seemed  to  tear  my  heart  from  my  body. 

Looking  wildly  around,  I  found  myself,  lying  on  a  stretcher  in  a 
lofty  and  elegant  apartment,  being  held  down  by  several  hospital 
attendants,  while  our  regimental  surgeon,  with  probes,  forceps, 
tourniquets,  and  other  diabolical  implements,  was  endeavouring  to 
extract  the  ball  from  the  huge  mass  of  inflamed  and  highly  discoloured 
flesh  and  muscle  in  which  it  was  embedded. 

This  operation  having  been  at  length  happily  performed,  and  the 
customary  dressings  and  bandages  applied,  an  anodyne  was  adminis- 
tered to  me  by  the  doctor,  with  the  aid  of  which  I  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  falling  asleep ;  though  the  operation  of  probing,  and 
cutting,  and  dragging  at  my  unfortunate  limb  seemed  to  oe  still  going 
on.  After  a  long  though  feverish  slumber,  I  awoke  somewhat  easier ; 
and,  looking  round,  contemplated  the  scene  of  suffering  of  which  1 
formed  a  part. 

The  room  in  which  I  lay  was,  as  I  have  said,  lofty  and  elegant,  the 
gilded  cornices  and  crimson  velvet  window-curtains  denoting  a 
structure  of  more  than  ordinary  pretension. 

The  walls  were  divided  into  compartments,  which,  as  well  as  the 
ceiling,  were  beautifully  painted— but  all  with  the  most  rigidly 
scriptural  subjects,  miracles,  conceptions,  crucifixions,  and  apotheoses 
of  saints  and  saintesses,  with  the  usual  accompaniments  of  cherubim 
and  seraphim,  and  winged  angels,  whose  beauty  might  almost  indicate 
them  as  pertaining  to  the  decorations  of  the  JPaphian  bower  rather 
than  a  Christian  temple. 

Among  this  last  class  of  subjects  there  was  one  that  singularly  affected 


TOEBES  VEDBAS.  175 

me.  It  was  the  apotheosis  of  a  female  saint  of  the  most  surpassing 
loveliness,  whose  name  I  could  not  learn,  for  the  hospital  attendants 
gazed  upon  all  these  miracles  of  art  with  apathetic  wonder,  and  utter 
ignorance  of  the  meaning  of  everything  but  the  crucifixion,  of  which 
they  had  some  vague  idea.  Vexed  at  their  stupid  answers  to  my  re- 
peated questions  I  turned  away  from  them,  and  fixed  my  eyes  upon 
this  beau-ideal  of  feminine  grace  and  celestial  beauty,  till  I  became  as 
great  a  fool  as  that  Spaniard  who  fell  madly  in  love  with  a  naked 
Magdalene  in  St.  Peter's,  which  induced  the  Pope  to  give  the  lady  a 
bronze  petticoat. 

But  there  were  other  subjects  to  excite  my  sympathy  besides  these 
inspired  productions  of  the  pencil — these  were  fifty  or  sixty  of  my 
poor  brother  soldiers,  ranged  along  the  gorgeous  walls  on  coarse 
wooden  bedsteads,  and  suffering  from  recent  casualties :  some  with 
amputated  legs  and  arms,  or  wounds  more  desperate  than  mine,  which 
elicited  a  succession  of  groans,  moans,  and  occasionally  wild  shrieks 
of  excruciating  torture,  as  the  knife  was  plunged  into  their  quivering 
flesh,  or  the  saw  grated  against  their  fractured  bones. 

To  relieve  myself  from  the  painful  feelings  excited  by  such  a  variety 
of  human  suffering,  which  I  could  in  no  way  alleviate,  I  always  had 
recourse  to  the  angelic  countenance  of  my  adorable  saint,  till  I  almost 
longed  at  last  for  that  peace  which  the  world  cannot  give,  and  which 
is  nowhere  to  be  found  but  in  those  blest  regions  beyond  the  skies — 
as  indicated  in  a  scroll  at  the  top  of  the  painting,  which  bore  in  gilt 
letters  the  appropriate  motto,  "  in  ccelo  quies." 

While  plunged  one  day.  in  one  of  these  reveries,  I  had  a  visit  from 
Jack  Dillon,  with  whom,  as  usual,  I  had  an  amusing  gossip. 

"But  what  of  these  celebrated  lines,"  I  demanded,  "that  people 
make  such  a  fuss  about  ?  " 

"  Oh,  trumpery  Moses !  but  they're  the  quarest  jigamarees  you  ever 
saw  in  your  life,"  replied  Dillon.  "Only  fancy  Lord  Wellington 
taking  a  baron  of  beet  and  carving  it  in  a  thousand  odd  ways  after 
his  own  janius.  'Tis  for  all  the  world  just  like  that ;  such  pollyolly- 
grams,  roundabout  romboys,  and  'tangular  three  squares,  you  never 
saw  in  your  life." 

E  But  there  must  be  some  design  about  them,"  I  observed. 

"Not  a  bit,"  replied  Dillon,  "any  more  than  about  the  Bog  of 
Allen.  In  one  place  there's  a  ditch  running  up  a  hill ;  in  another,  a 
battery  down  in  a  valley ;  then  old  roads  are  broken  up,  and  new  ones 
made— like  the  industrious  woman  that  cut  a  piece  off  one  end  of  her 
blanket,  and  sewed  it  on  the  other,  that  she  might  be  doing  some- 
thing ;  then  water  is  stopped  in  one  place,  and  let  run  in  another ; 
here's  a  bridge  without  a  river — there  a  river  without  a  bridge ;  with 
lakes,  and  sluices,  and  gulfs,  and  gullies,  till,  at  last,  a  fellow  doesn't 
know  whether  he's  walking  upon  land  or  water." 

'''  How  are  you  off  for  quarters  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Is  it  quarters?"  cried  Dillon.  "There's  only  six  in  the  whole 
country,  and  they're  divided  among  forty  generals,  English  and 
Portuguese.  Why,  man,  we  all  live  in  batteries,  ride-outs,  horn- 
works,  and  half -moons ;  and  you'd  laugh  to  see  the  huts  some  of  'em 


176  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

have.  The  colonel  has  one  that  you  couldn't  swing  a  cat  in ;  and  the 
major,  who  they  say  is  a  Hampshire  squire,  with  three  thousand  a- 
year,  lives  in  an  oven.  One  has  a  water-butt  for  his  palace,  another  a 
mait-safe — for  my  part  I  live  nowhere  at  all,  but  roam  from  one 
bivouac  to  another,  taking  a  bit  here  and  a  sup  there ;  and  giving  'em, 
all  a  go  at  my  larder  in  turn,  when  the  paymaster  books  up,  which  is 
'  like  an  angel's  visit,  seldom  or  never,'  as  Lord  Byron  says." 

"Is  duty  pretty  sharp  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Oh,  as  tight  as  a  drum,"  replied  Dillon.  "We  drill,  as  usual,  ^n 
the  graves  of  the  enemy ;  then  Lord  Wellington  is  always  flying 
about,  and  grabbing  at  every  fellow  he  meets.  'Twas  only  yesterday 
I  took  a  race  up  a  hill  to  get  out  of  his  way,  when  he  shouted  after 
me,  '  Hollo,  you  sir ! '  I  think  he  might  be  more  civil  to  a  gentle- 


you 

artillery  practice,  and  you  might  have  been  blown  to  the  devil  in  three 
minutes,'  and  off  he  galloped.  Between  you  and  I,  Percy,  I  think  his 
lordship's  conduct  is  rather  superflewous  of  late,  and  if  there  was 
such  a  thing  as  calling  out  a  commander-in-chief— oh,  trumpery 
Moses !— but  Jack  Dillon  from  Navan's  the  boy  to  make  him  smell 
powder." 

"  But,  Jack,"  I  said,  "  what  part  of  the  lines  am  I  now  in  ?  What 
building  is  this  ?  " 

"  You  are  now?"  he  replied,  "  about  the  middle  of  the  first  range  of 
batteries,  and  this  is  the  convent  of  Santa  Clara,  with  a  village  to  the 
tail  of  it  of  the  same  name." 

"  And  have  we  turned  this  beautiful  building  into  an  hospital  ? "  I 
demanded. 

"The nuns, bless  the  sweet  craitures,"  replied  Dillon,  "gave  up 
one  half  of  it  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  are  all  huddled  together, 
to  the  number  of  two  or  three  hundred,  in  another  half;  what  they 
have  done  with  the  third  half  I  don't  exactly  know." 

"  It  has  three  halves,  then  ?  "  said  I,  smiling  in  Dillon's  face. 

"To  be  sure,"  he  replied,  with  all  possible  gravity.  "A  middle, 
and  two  side  wings— isn't  that  three  ?  " 

"It  appears  to  be  a  wealthy  establishment,"  I  observed. 

"  Oh,  there  isn't  a  richer  from  this  to  Skibbereen,"  replied  Dillon. 
"  Sure,  'tis  what  they  call  a  royal  foundation ;  though  myself  doesn't 
know  why  all  the  honour  should  be  paid  to  the  foundation,  and  none 
to  the  top  of  the  building." 

"  That  was  an  oversight  of  the  architect,"  I  said. 

"  May  be  so,"  said  Dillon ;  "  but  here  you  are,  anyhow,  in  the  re- 
fractory—*, sort  of  mess-room — where  the  nuns  and  the  ould  mother 
abbess  take  their  mails ;  and  the  best  of  good  living  they  have  too, 
and  the  richest  of  wines,  for  they're  all  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  or 
high  dolgos,  as  they  call  themselves  in  this  country." 

"The  sisters  and  daughters  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  yon 
mean,"  I  observed,  - 


TORRES  VEDRAS.  177 

"  Of  coorse,"  replied  Dillon.  "  Sure,  doesn't  every  fool  know  what 
the  sect  of  a  nun  is  ;  though  I  shouldn't  like  to  swear  to  them  all, 
for  a  few  that  I  have  seen  sport  mighty  purty  mustachios  under  their 
noses." 

"  Where  have  you  seen  them  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Do  they  show  them- 
selves occasionally  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  them  in  the  other  wards/'  replied  Dillon,  "  giving 
physic  and  advice  to  some  of  our  men  that  are  down  again  with  that 
Walcheren  ague,  bad  luck  to  it.  Have  you  not  had  any  of  them  here 
yet  ? " 

"  No,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  seen  nothing  here  in  the  shape  of  a 
petticoat." 

"  Then  you  soon  will,  I  have  no  doubt,"  returned  Dillon ;  "  though 
they  are  not  so  well  up  to  gunshot  wounds  as  to  fevers  and  agues. 
But,  oh,  trumpery  Moses  !  there's  Doctor  White  looking  as  black  as 
thunder  for  making  you  laugh  so,  and  I  must  run  off,  or  he'll  stick 
his  turncoat  into  me." 

"  So  then,"  I  soliloquized  after  Dillon's  departure,  "  yon  picture  is 
the  apotheosis  of  Santa  Clara,  the  f9undress  of  this  noble  institution. 
She  might  have  founded  a  new  religion  instead  of  a  convent,  with 
that  noble  face  of  hers,  and  I  would  have  been  the  most  ardent  of  her 
worshippers." 

In  the  midst  of  my  enthusiasm  I  fell  asleep,  and  dreamt  of  saints 
and  angels,  and  greasy  friars,  and  nuns  with  mustachios  under  their 
noses. 

In  a  few  days  more  I  began  to  feel  somewhat  more  comfortable. 
I  had  Conolly  domiciled  in  the  building  with  me ;  and  his  assiduity 
and  attention,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Walcheren  fever,  very  much  facili- 
tated my  recovery. 

Meanwhile  I  had  learned  from  several  sources  the  present  position 
of  the  two  armies  with  reference  to  each  other,  of  which,  for  obvious 
reasons,  I  had  been  for  some  time  ignorant. 

The  French  having  thus  far  successfully  pursued  us,  imagined  we 
were  going  to  embark  at  once,  as  Sir  John  Moore  did  at  Corunna ; 
and  that  they  would  have  nothing  else  to  do  than  to  take  quiet 
possession  of  Lisbon,  or  perhaps  crush  us  by  their  superior  force  in 
the  hurry  of  bur  departure.  But  they  found  that  our  position  was 
impregnable ;  and  that,  while  the  united  armies  of  Great  Brit  ain  and 
Portugal  were  abundantly  supplied  with  provisions  from  England,  the 
Brazils,  Africa  and  America,  they  themselves  were  solely  dependent 
on  the  ground  they  occupied  for  subsistence. 

How  little,  therefore,  they  had  to  depend  upon  will  be  apparent 
from  the  fact  before  stated,  that  the  entire  population  of  the  valley  of 
the  Mondego  had  accompanied  us  on  our  march — simultaneously 
destroying  their  own  means  of  subsistence  to  put  them  out  of  their 
enemy's  reach.  Of  these  voluntary  exiles  fifty  thousand  were  encamped 
in  rear  of  our  lines,  and  in  the  streets  and  squares  of  Lisbon,  their 
wants  being  supplied  by  liberal  alms,  and  by  the  benevolence  of 
several  convents,  especially  the  wealthy  one  of  Santa  Clara% 

Every  day  now  added  to  the  distress  of  Massena's  "invincible 


178  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

army  of  Portugal,"  which  in  its  progress  to  Torres  Vedras  had  not 
found  sufficient  for  a  single  day's  ration  in  the  whole  country.  They 
were,  consequently,  obliged  t9  subsist  on  their  own  scanty  resources, 
and  chance  discoveries  of  buried  provisions  ;  for  all  supplies  from  the 
rear  were  intercepted  by  the  flying  bands  of  Portuguese  troops, 
under  Generals  Silveira  and  Bacellar,  and  Colonels  Trant,  Miller, 
Wilson,  &c. 

One  good  result,  however,  of  that  kind  of  tacit  convention  which 
usually  exists  between  regular  armies,  and  of  which  several  instances 
had  already  occurred  during  the  war,  was,  that  the  French  and 
English  advanced  posts  had  ceased  to  worry  each  other  with  fruitless 
attacks  and  surprises ;  and  that  the  sentries  and  videttes  had  even 
discontinued  firing  on  each  other.  I  remarked  accordingly,  that  our 
surgery  cases  were  now  few  and  far  between,  and  that  a  great 
diminution  of  personal  suffering  was  the  happy  result. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  NOVICE  OF  SANTA  CLARA. 

As  I  lay,  restlessly  tossing  about  on  my  bed,  one  day,  I  heard  a 
rustling  sound  approaching  the  doorway,  and  I  strained  my  eyes 
towards  the  entrance :  but  my  eyesight  had  become  weak  from  loss 
of  blood,  and  I  could  only  distinguish  two  fej&ale  figures,  one  of 
whom  looked  rather  old,  and  the  other  som^wjia^ounger. 

They  were,  indeed,  altogether  dJ^jmlJTr  m'years  and  appearance. 
The  elder  was  tall,  spare,  and  raw-boned,  with  the  ordinary  costume 
of  black  serge  and  a  long  coarse  white  veil;  which,  though  par- 
ticularly clean  and  neat,  covered,  I  should  say,  a  moustache  of  some 
pretension.  The  younger  sister  was  of  that  medium  size  which  is 
neither  too  short  nor  too  tall ;  but  her  figure  was  full,  plump,  and 
exquisitely  moulded.  Her  dress  consisted  of  the  conventual  habit, 
without  ornament ;  but  it  was  composed  of  the  richest  materials, 
being,  in  fact,  a  splendid  black  Genoa  velvet.  She  wore  no  veil,  not 
being  yet  professed :  but  a  fillet  of  snow-white  linen  bound  her  noble 
forehead,  and  concealed  her  hair ;  while  a  mantilla  thrown  over  her 
head  fell  in  graceful  folds  upon  her  fair,  well-rounded  shoulders. 

They  stopped  at  several  of  the  beds  in  their  mission  of  charity ; 
bestowing  upon  each  of  the  patients,  amidst  a  great  deal  of  ghostly 
advice,  some  little  articles  of  luxury  or  comfort,  which  I  could  per- 
ceive were  gratefully  accepted.  For  this  purpose,  the  elder  nun 
carried  a  basket,  apparently  well  stored  with  the  luscious  fruits  of 
the  country  and  the  season ;  as  well  as  confectionary,  cakes,  and 
conserves,  in  the  manufacture  of  which  the  holy  sisters  are  known  to 
excel,  as  they  do  in  the  production  of  artificial  flowers,  and  every 
other  description  of  fancy  work. 

At  length  they  drew  nigh  to  where  I  lay ;  but,  oh,  heavens !  what 


THE  NOVICE  OF  SANTA  CLAKA.  179 

was  my  astonishment — my  delight— when,  in  the  younger  of  the  two, 
I  beheld  the  very  image  of  the  saint  I  now  worshipped — the  bea- 
tified creature  so  beautifully  painted  in  the  picture  before  me ! 

Unable  to  control  my  emotions,  I  uttered  a  cry  which  I  intended 
for  one  of  joy,  but  which  must  have  sounded  like  one  of  pain ;  for 
she  drew  close  to  my  bedside,  and  exclaimed,  in  the  most  musical 
voice  I  ever  heard : 

'Deh !  poverino !  mi  fa  pieta !  " 

"  Heavens  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  that  is  neither  the  squeaking  Portu- 
guesej  nor  the  sonorous  Castilian.  It  must,  of  course,  be  Italian." 

"  Si,  signore,"  she  replied,  "il  vero  Toscano;  the  language  of  my 
dear,  dear  mother." 

"  And  yonder  is  your  mother  herself,"  I  exclaimed,  extending  my 
arm  towards  the  picture  of  Santa  Clara. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  with  an  angelic  smile,  which  rendered  the 
resemblance  more  striking.  "My  mother  sat  for  that  picture  to  a 
pupil  of  Murillo's,  a  great  many  years  ago." 

"  And  your  father,  I  demanded,  "  what  was  he  ?  " 

"A  Portuguese  nobleman,"  she  replied,  "Dom  Tomao  Pereira  y 
Souza." 

"But  how  comes  it  then,"  I  asked,  "that  you  are  a  nun  ?  " 

"I  am  as  yet  only  in  my  novitiate,"  she  replied. 

"  But  you  surely  never  will  take  the  veil,"  I  eagerly  exclaimed. 

"Why  not,  senor?"  she  demanded,  with  affecting  simplicity. 
"Do  you  think  me  unworthy  to  be  the  bride  of  heaven  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,"  1  cried,  "  if  there  were  ten  millions  of  heavens 
you  are  worth  them  all." 

She  blushed  and  smiled ;  offered  me  some  delicious  confectionary, 
and  was  about  to  pass  on,  but  I  madly  grasped  her  hand  and  cried : 

"Oh !  come  and  see  me  once  again." 

She  said  it  was  her  intention  to  do  so. 

"And  if  you  wish  me  ever  to  rise  from  this  bed  of  sickness,"  I 
exclaimed,  "teach  me,  oh,  teach  me,  that  delicious  language  of  your 
dear,  dear  mother's  :  from  your  sweet  lips  I  know  I  should  speedily 
learn  it.  But  when  will  you  come  again  ?  " 

The  young  novice  addressed  a  few  words  in  Portuguese  to  Sister 
Teresa,  her  attendant,  or  duenna  as  she  seemed  to  be,  and  then 
smilingly  replied : 

"  Forse,  forse  domani." 

"  Good  heaven !  what  does  she  say  ?  "  I  cried,  as  she  glided  on  to 
dispense  her  charities  to  other  patients.  "  'Eorse,  forse,  domani ! ' 
What  can  it  mean  ?  Would  to  neaven  I  had  never  learned  anything 
but  Italian.  That  sweet,  soft,  bastard  Latin  is  worth  all  languages 
that  ever  were  spoken,  living  or  dead.  Conolly ! "  I  shouted. 
Here,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  with  military  precision. 

'  Hire  a  horse,"  I  said ;  "  stay,  can  you  ride  ?  " 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  "except  in  a  cart." 

"Then  take  a  cart,"  I  said,  " or  a  carriage — any  description  of 
vehicle  you  can  first  lay  your  hand  on  :  fly  down  to  Lisbon  and  get 
me  an  Italian  dictionary." 

H  2 


180  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

"What's  that,  sir?"  demanded  Conolly ;  "is  it  anything  in  the 

"Fool ! "  I  exclaimed,  "'tis  a  book— 'forse,  forse,  domani !'  I  shall 
forget  the  words — give  me  pen  and  ink,  and  I'll  write  it  down  for 
you— there— an  Italian  dictionary,  at  some  English  bookseller's 
— there  are  several  in  Lisbon— fly!  not  a  word — 'forse,  forse, 
domani ! ' " 

Conolly  set  off,  firmly  convinced  his  master  was  mad :  but,  with  a 
degree  of  shrewdness  that  often  surprised  me  in  such  an  ignoramus, 
he  accomplished  his  mission,  and  returned  with  the  book  in  four  or 
five  hours;  during  which  little  eternity,  I  went  almost  distracted 
with  the  repetition  of — "forse,  forse,  domani !  " 

I  snatched  the  book,  opened  it,  and  soon  found  the  words ;  "  forse," 
perhaps,  "domani,"  to-morrow. 

"  Eureka !  Eureka ! "  1  exclaimed,  "  I  have  found  it :  to-morrow  ! 
to-morrow !  White,  my  dear  fellow,  give  me  an  opiate  for  a  dozen ; 
I  want  to  sleep  twenty  hours  at  the  least." 

The  doctor,  who  had  been  attracted  by  my  exclamations,  ap- 
proached ;  felt  my  pulse,  gave  me  what  I  wanted,  and  I  was  soon 
asleep. 

The  following  morning  I  shaved,  made  myself  smart,  and  waited 
impatiently  for  the  nuns'  visiting  hour.  It  came  at  length ;  and  my 
heart  throbbed  violently  as  the  fair  vision  approached  with  her 
customary  companion.  They  both  sat  down  by  my  bedside,  and  with 
a  look  of  triumph  I  exhibited  my  dictionary,  begging  at  the  same 
time  to  be  indulged  with  the  name  of  my  fair  visitant. 

It  was  Juliana !  There  was  melody  in  the  sound.  I  soon  learned, 
also,  that  her  father  and  mother  were  both  dead ;  and  that  her 
father's  wealth  having  gone,  as  a  matter  of  course,  with  the  title  to 
her  brother,  she,  according  to  the  custom  too  prevalent  in  the 
Peninsula,  had  embraced  the  resolution  of  devoting  herself  to 
heaven,  rather  than  bestow  a  portionless  hand  on  some  person  who 
might  be  unable  to  appreciate  its  value. 

Juliana  at  length  acceded  to  my  repeated  request,  and  gave  me  a 
lesson  in  Italian.  Oh !  that  first  delightful  lesson !  never  will  it  be 
eradicated  from  the  heart  on  which  it  was  so  indelibly  impressed ! 
She  came  again  the  following  day,  and  the  day  after,  and  for  a  whole 
week  in  succession ;  imparting  her  instructions  with  such  sweetness 
and  intelligence,  that  I  began  to  make  a  rapid  progress;  while 
patient  Sister  Teresa  sat  quietly  by,  evidently  the  obsequious  attend- 
ant of  one  whose  rank  and  family  influence  would,  in  all  probability, 
speedily  place  her  at  the  head  of  the  institution. 

No  poor  scholar,  struggling  for  college  honours,  ever  worked 
harder  than  I  did,  to  acquire  the  power  of  communicating  my  ideas 
in  Italian.  I  read  and  wrote  it  incessantly,  translating  it  backwards 
and  forwards,  and  committing  whole  cantos  of  Tasso  to  memory. 
Goldoni  I  found  too  easy,  and  Dante  by  no  means  too  crabbed.  In 
short,  my  cure  and  my  studies  made  equal  progress  :  my  wound  was 
healed,  my  limb  as  strong  as  ever ;  my  pronunciation,  Juliana  said, 
rivalled  the  "  Bocca  Romana ; "  but  my  neart  was  irretrievably  lost. 


THE  KOVICE  OF  SANTA  CtAUA.  181 

I  believe  poor  Juliana  made  a  similar  discovery  with  respect  to 
herself,  about  the  same  time ;  for  she  became  pensive,  abstracted, 
and  melancholy :  her  lovely  eyes  frequently  filled  with  tears,  and  her 
bosom  heaved  with  sighs,  which  she  could  neither  control  nor 
account  for. 

For  my  part,  the  most  strangely  romantic  schemes  and  speculations 
occupied  rny  mind.  I  was  for  flying  with  her  to  the  wilds  of  America 
—to  the  boundless  prairies — to  the  interminable  lakes ;— there,  with 
my  Juliana,  like  another  Manco  Capac,  to  introduce  civilization  and 
religion  amongst  the  savage  Choctaws,  Ootawas,  and  Micmacs  ;  and 
to  become  to  tnem  deities,  as  it  were,  whose  worship  should  descend 
to  their  grateful  posterity  in  traditional  songs,  from  age  to  age,  to 
the  end  of  time. 

But  still  I  held  it  atrocious  to  seduce  and  run  away  with  the  bride 
of  heaven.  I  who  used  to  pride  myself,  in  my  young  days,  on  being 
a  good  Catholic ;  for  I  could  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  the 
most  accurate  adherence  to  the  cardinal  points  of  the  forehead,  the 
shoulders,  and  the  stomach ;  though  why  the  latter  unworthy 
member  should  be  included  in  the  sacred  formula,  I  never  could 
understand,  unless  it  had  some  mystical  reference  to  transubstantia- 
tion.  Then  I  could  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer,  the  Belief,  the  invoca- 
tion t9  the  Virgin,  in  Latin,  with  tolerable  precision ;  though  a  false 
quantity,  an  i  brevis  or  longa  misapplied  would  occasionally  steal  in, 
owing  to  my  defective  education. 

Amidst  all  these  "thick  coming  fancies,"  I  was  lost  in  a  sea  of 
doubt  and  perplexity,  my  mind  absolutely  verging  on  distraction. 

At  last,  one  day — one  eventful  day— I  had  the  ward  entirely  to 
myself;  for  the  few  patients  who  still  remained  were  out  in  their 
flannel  gowns,  enjoying  the  sunshine  in  the  splendid  gardens  of  the 
convent.  I  was  walking  up  and  down,  revolving  matter  deep  and 
dangerous  in  my  agitated  thoughts,  when  Juliana  and  her  duenna 
arrived. 

With  a  sudden  thought,  inspired  by  some  supernal  power,  desirous 
of  my  happiness  or  destruction,  1  put  a  gold  cruzado  into  the  hands 
of  the  duenna,  whose  love  of  money  1  had  long  observed,  and  re- 
quested she  would  do  me  the  favour  to  dispense  it  in  charity  amongst 
the  numerous  beggars  who  daily  flocked  round  the  convent  gates. 
"With  much  alacrity  she  hastened  to  accomplish  her  mission ;  and  the 
moment  I  was  alone  with  Juliana,  I  threw  myself  on  my  knees  at 
her  feet,  made  a  passionate  declaration  of  love,  in  that  sweet  Italian 
she  had  taught  me,  and  implored  her  to  crown  my  bliss,  by  abandon- 
ing her  cruel  intention  of  taking  the  veil,  and  by  becoming  my  bride. 

She  was  confused,  silent,  overwhelmed  with  intense  emotion ;  till, 
encouraged  by  her  manner,  I  sprang  up  and  folded  her  in  my  arms. 
She  yielded  to  my  embrace,  and  kissed  me  passionately ;  then,  tear- 
ing herself  from  my  arms,  she  fell  upon  her  knees  before  her  mother's 
picture  ;  raised  her  clasped  hands  and  streaming  eyes  to  heaven,  and 
wept  and  prayed  fervently  till  the  return  of  her  duenna,  who  was 
highly  edified  to  find  her  in  so  devout  an  attitude. 

But  the  ice  was  broken — the  citadel  was  won — heaven  no  lonorer 


182  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

occupied  the  thoughts  of  Juliana,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  mundane 
wishes  and  desires.  We  soon  discovered  a  mode  of  correspondence, 
and  a  means  of  obtaining  secret  interviews.  She  slept  in  one  of  the 
cells  of  the  ground-floor  cloister,  the  small  grated  window  of  which 
opened  on  a  large  space  of  uncultivated  ground,  fruitful  only  in 
rocks,  whin  bushes,  and  the  gum-cistus  plant.  Every  night,  like  a 
skilful  engineer,  I  made  my  approaches  to  the  convent  in  this  direc- 
tion, till  I  arrived  at  the  edge  of  a  deep  wide  fosse,  which  defended 
the  sacred  edifice  all  round  from  the  approach  of  profane  foot- 
steps. 

Having  thus  arrived,  as  it  were,  on  the  crest  of  the  glacis,  if  I  saw 
a  light  in  Juliana's  cell,  I  threw  some  small  gravel  at  the  casement ; 
if  the  light  disappeared,  it  was  a  proof  that  she  could  meet  me  in  the 
garden;  if  not,  it  showed  that  this  would  be  inconvenient.  In  the 
former  case,  I  ran  along  by  the  garden  wall,  till  I  arrived  beneath  a 
lofty  fig-tree,  whose  branches  projected  far  beyond  it.  Then,  taking 
from  a  hole,  which  I  had  cunningly  wrought  in  the  side  of  the  fosse, 
a  rope  prepared  for  the  purpose,  I  threw  one  end  over  the  thickest 
branch,  and  thus  swung  myself  up  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  from 
whence  the  descent  was  easy  enough  into  the  garden. 

In  this  manner  we  enjoyed  many  stolen  interviews  ;  the  result  of 
which  was,  that  Juliana  consented  to  elope  with  me,  and  accompany 
me  to  England,  it  being  impossible  for  her  to  remain  in  Portugal 
after  such  a  step.  I  therefore  set  about  getting  a  medical  certifi- 
cate, for  which  purpose  I  literally  starved  myself  for  a  week,  that  I 
might  appear  suffering  and  sickly.  Dr.  White  being  my  friend,  I 
soon  accomplished  my  object,  which,  indeed,  was  not  very  difficult 
just  then,  as  no  movements  of  any  consequence  were  anticipated 
during  the  winter. 

With  inexpressible  delight  I  announced  my  success  to  Juliana, 
and  started  for  Lisbon  to  procure  a  passage  to  England.  In  this, 
also,  fortune  seemed  to  favour  my  wishes,  the  Fanny,  of  London, 
being  advertised  to  sail  with  the  tide  on  the  following  morning.  I 
took  and  paid  for  our  passage,  marked  our  berths,  and  made  every 
other  arrangement  necessary  to  render  this  first  important  step  in  life 
pleasant  and  prosperous  to  my  beloved. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

EL  GRAN  LOR. 

DELIGHTED  as  I  was  at  having  thus  successfully  transacted  my 
business  at  Lisbon,  and  secured  a  passage  for  Juliana  and  myself; 
but,  above  all,  half  delirious  at  the  near  approach  of  my  happiness, 
when  I  should  be  able  to  release  my  beloved  mistress  from  the  odious 
trammels  of  that  bigotry,  which  was  about  to  sacrifice  her  youth  and 
beauty  for  the  gratification  of  inordinate  and  heartless  ambition,  I 


EL  GRAN  LOtt.  183 

walked,  as  it  were,  upon  air — I  almost  flew  that  1  might  reach  Santa 
Clara  in  time  to  prepare  for  instant  flight,  before  some  unlucky  turn 
of  destiny  should  blast  our  felicity. 

13ut  the  more  haste  the  worse  speed ;  especially  in  the  streets  of 
Lisbon,  which  were  at  that  time  the  filthiest  in  the  world,  except 
those  of  Corfu,  as  they  were  some  twenty  years  back.  No  one,  in 
fact,  could  venture,  with  any  degree  of  safety,  to  walk  those  infernal 
streets  without  the  utmost  circumspection ;  so  encumbered  as  they 
were  with  dunghills,  dead  dogs  and  cats,  and  streams  of  horrible 
filth ;  all  duly  left  there,  accumulating  hourly,  to  be  swept  off  by  the 
next  deluge  of  rain  into  the  Tagus. 

I  was  well  aware,  as  indeed  every  one  with  a  nose  must  necessarily 
be,  of  this  national  pecuh'arity ;  but,  eager  to  communicate  my  hap- 
piness to  the  expecting  Juliana,  I,  in  an  evil  hour,  attempted  to 
make  a  short  cut  across  the  widest  street  in  the  city,  where,  alas ! 
there  was  no  crossing ;  and,  in  the  very  first  step,  sank  to  my  knee 
in  a  horrible  mess,  which  emitted  an  odour  that  must  have  poisoned 
the  atmosphere  for  miles  around.  In  a  desperate  effort  to  release 
myself  from  this  beau  trap,  I  made  another  plunge,  and  with  an  equal 
result,  for  now  neither  of  my  legs  could  laugh  at  the  other. 

The  case  being  hopeless,  I  waded  over  as  I  best  could ;  and  when 
I  did  really  get  on  something  like  terra  firma,  I  began  furiously  to 
stamp  off  the  mud  and  filth,  swearing  like  a  Bedlamite  as  I  did  so, 
while  a  bevy  of  the  "soft  sefioras,"  in  an  opposite  balcony,  abso- 
lutely screamed  with  laughter  at  my  predicament. 

Mortified  as  I  felt  at  this  explosion  of  merriment,  it  was  heaven 
itself  compared  to  what  I  experienced  when  the  clattering  of  horses' 
feet  struck  my  ears,  and  I  saw  at  a  distance  no  less  a  personage  than 
the  commander-in-chief,  dashing  along  the  street  helter-skelter, 
towards  the  spot  where  I  stood,  with  a  score  of  staff  officers  and 
orderly  dragoons  at  his  heels. 

To  meet  his  eagle  eye  in  the  horrible  pickle  in  which  I  was,  I  felt 
to  be  quite  impossible ;  besides,  I  had  my  misgivings  that  he  might 
put  a  stop  to  my  matrimonial  excursion.  Without  waiting,  there- 
fore, to  argue  the  matter  at  much  length,  I  bolted  down  a  narrow 
lane  that  stood  nigh,  with  the  fairest  possible  hopes  of  escape  ;  when, 
just  as  his  lordship  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  lane  I  had  quitted,  my 
evil  genius  threw  an  obstacle  in  my  way. 

This  was  a  small  country  horse,  laden  with  a  huge  pair  of  panniers, 
filled  with  fruit  and  vegetables,  that  was  tied  at  a  doorway,  and  stood 
in  the  most  unaccommodating  manner  right  across  the  lane,  which 
he  entirely  occupied.  To  stop  and  give  myself  up  to  the  laughter  of 
the  whole  party  was  distraction;  nothing  but  escape  could  save  me 
from  mortification,  and  perhaps  worse.  Without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion, therefore,  I  increased  my  speed,  made  a  spring,  and  cleared  the 
obstacle  at  a  flying  leap  :  then,  pursuing  my  course,  I  was  about  to 
issue  from  the  lane  at  the  other  end,  when  a  puppy  of  an  aide-de- 
camp, who  had  cut  off  my  retreat  by  one  of  the  lateral  communica- 
tions, gallopped  at  me,  exclaiming : — 

"Hark  to  Reynard!  wind  him  and  cross  him!    Walk  back,  sir, 


]84  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

if  you  please ;  his  lordship  wishes  to  have  a  little  familiar  chat  with 
you." 

Silent  and  sad  I  marched  back  to  where  El  Gran  Lor,  with  all  his 
attendants,  was  now  waiting  my  approach. 

"Your  name  and  regiment,  sir?"  were  the  first  words  that  saluted 
my  ear. 

"  Blake,  my  lord,  of  the  52nd."  I  replied. 

"  Blake ! "  he  repeated.  "  On,  true ;  you  were  hurt  in  the  knee,  1 
think,  some  weeks  since  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  I  replied. 

"Where  were  you  going  to  in  such  a  hurry,  sir?"  he  sternly 
demanded. 

"  To  England,  my  lord,"  was  my  confused  answer. 

"With  despatches,  I  presume,  to  judge  from  your  agility,"  he  was 
pleased  to  observe,  with  one  of  those  smiles  that  were  so  rare  on  his 
countenance,  though  so  becoming. 

"  I'm  going  home,  my  lord,"  I  said,  "  on  sick  leave." 

"Sick  leave!"  he  repeated  with  an  ominous  frown;  "nonsense, 
sir !  Join  your  regiment  without  delay.  A  man  who  can  jump  over 
a  horse  may  do  very  well  for  Astley's,  but  he  certainly  is  not  fit  for 
the  hospital." 

And  off  he  gallopped  with  his  escort ;  flinging  a  shower  of  mud 
from  the  horses'  heels  that  very  much  added  to  my  unsavoury  con- 
dition. 

"Thus  vanish  all  my  hopes  of  happiness!"  I  exclaimed,  folding 
my  hands,  and  looking  the  very  picture  of  despair.  "  Thus,  my  poor 
Juliana,  all  our  visions  of  bliss  are  scattered  to  the  — 

"  Mr.  Blake,"  shouted  an  aide-de-camp,  dashing  up  to  my  side, 
before  I  was  aware  of  his  approach.  "  You  are  to  proceed  to  the 
head-quarters  of  your  regiment,  immediately,  and  report  yourself  for 
outlying  picket  to-night."  Then,  leaning  over  his  saddle-bow,  he 
proceeded,  in  a  more  familiar  strain : — 

''  Percy,  my  boy,  there  will  be  wigs  on  the  green,  before  long." 

'  Good  heavens ! "  I  exclaimed :  "  William  Galway,  my  old  school- 
fellow!" 

'  The  same,"  he  replied,  grasping  me  warmly  by  the  hand. 

'But,  how — how?"  I  stammered. 

c  I  can't  stop  now  to  tell  you  how,"  he  replied,  smiling ;  "  but,  as 
you  may  perceive,  I'm  roughing  it  on  the  extra  staff.  I'll  come  and 
see  you  to-night,  at  your  bivouac,  and  we'll  have  a  talk  of  old  times. 
Never  think  of  going  home  now,  man,  with  all  your  luck  before  you. 
You  have  the  proverb  in  your  favour,  Percy,  but  rather  too  much  of 
it  at  present." 

And  off  he  set,  with  a  shout  of  laughter  that  disturbed  the  siesta 
of  the  whole  locality. 

With  a  heavy  heart,  I  plodded  back  to  Santa  Clara  on  foot ;  for  I 
couldn't  think  of  intruding,  in  my  present  condition,  on  the  very 
flashy  company  that  generally  filled  the  vehicles  plying  between  the 
lines  and  Lisbon.  I  arrived  at  head-quarters  just  in  time  to  change 
my  dress,  and  report  myself  ready  for  duty  to  Colonel  Colborne; 


EL  GRAN  LOR.  185 

who,  though  surprised  at  my  sudden  change  of  plan,  was  very  glad 
to  see  me  back  again,  as  he  was  getting  slack  of  duty  officers,  from  a 
variety  of  casualties. 

Dillon  just  then  came  into  the  colonel's  hut  for  orders,  being  about 
to  start  lor  the  outposts  with  his  company ;  and  very  glad  he  was  to 
find  I  was  going  with  him.  instead  of  to  England.  In  a  few  minutes 
more,  we  marched  ;  and  after  a  long  detour  we  arrived  at  the  extreme 
advance,  where  we  relieved  a  picket  of  the  95th. 

"Those  French  fellows,"  said  Middleton,  of  the  Rifles,  "are  too 
civil  by  half  to-night :  they  have  been  chatting  and  laughing  with  our 
sentries,  and  treating  them  to  cognac  and  aguardiente.  Besides, 
see  what  a  lot  of  fires  they're  getting  up  all  along  their  lines.  There's 
something  in  the  wind,  depend  upon  it,  so  look  out,  Dillon ;  you 
haven't  old  Spry  to  deal  with  here." 

"  Depend  upon  it,"  replied  Jack,  "  I'll  not  turn  out  with  the  poker 
to  the  tooraloos.  Good-night,  old  fellow  !" 

"Good-night!  good-night!"  said  the  Rifles,  as  they  marched  out 
of  the  trenches. 

"Now,  Percy,"  said  Dillon,  "just  cock  your  chin  over  that  sand- 
bag, and  keep  a  sharp  look-out,  while  I  smoke  a  dhudheen  in  paice 
and  quietness.  Have  you  anything  in  the  canteen,  alanuv  ?  The 
nights  are  getting  bitther  cowld,  though  the  fools  in  Ireland  tould  me 
the  sun  was  always  shining  in  Portiugal,  day  and  night.  I  wondher  if 
it  ever  does  in  any  part  of  the  world,  Percy." 

I  handed  Dillon  my  canteen,  replenished  with  cognac,  and  assured 
him  for  his  comfort  that  if  he  was  ever  lucky  enough  to  get  to  Spits- 
bergen— 

'rWhere  in  the  world  is  Spitvirgin  ?  "  demanded  Dillon. 

"  'Tis  next  door  to  the  North  Pole,"  I  replied ;  "  but  if  you  ever 
get  there,  Jack,  you'll  see  the  sun  going  round  the  horizon — " 

"  The  horizon !"  interrupted  Dillon :  "  is  that  one  of  the  mountains, 
Percy?" 

"  No,"  I  replied,  "  that's  an  imaginary  line  all  round  the  world, 
where  the  sea  and  sky  are  supposed  to  meet ;  and  round  this  line 
vou'll  see  the  sun  going  for  six  mouths  together,  without  any  night 
at  all,  Jack." 

"  The  wonderful  works  of  nathur!"  exclaimed  Dillon,  as  he  sat 
down  by  our  guard-fire  and  folded  his  cloak  about  him  to  enjoy  his 
dhudeen.  repeating  every  now  and  then  to  himself,  as  if  conning  a 
lesson,  Horizon,  North  Pole.  Spitvirgin." 

Meanwhile,  I  kept  a  sharp  look-out,  and  was,  in  fact,  surprised  at 
the  unusual  number  of  bivouac  fires  in  the  enemy's  lines.  The 
sound  of  voices,  also,  and  peals  of  merriment,  came  occasionally  on 
the  breeze,  which  led  me  to  imagine  that  it  was  the  celebration  of 
some  a 
be  not 
we're  a 
three  or  four  of  our  advanced  sentries  evidently  on  the  alert.' 

Satisfied  that  all  was  right,  I  began  to  reflect  on  my  own  untoward 
destiny,  and  bemoaned  my  fate  to  be  thus  baffled  at  the  critical 


186  THE  YOTJXG 

moment  of  my  existence,  when  bliss  unutterable  was  about  to  crown 
my  most  ardent  wishes.  Erom  my  own  sufferings  I  adverted  to  those 
of  Juliana,  who  was  doubtless  at  that  moment  looking  for  my  promised 
visit,  and  expecting  the  happy  tidings  of  release.  "Poor  dear  soul !" 
I  mentally  exclaimed,  "  what  a  disappointment  she  will  suffer  !  And 
how  her  heart  will  be  wrung,  either  by  her  fears  for  my  safety  or 
suspicion  of  my  fidelity !  Would  to  Heaven  I  could  see  her,  if  only 
lor  ten  minutes,  to  relieve  her  mind,  and  bid  her  hope  for  happier 
times." 

In  the  midst  of  my  reveries,  Conolly  rushed  up  to  me,  exclaiming : 

"  Sir,  sir,  here's  Lord  Wellington  coming  to  see  you." 

"Nonsence,  man,  you're  dreaming!"  I  replied. 

"Oh,  divil  a  cottoner  in  Cork,"  said  Conolly,  "if  it  isn't  true." 

Thinking  that  his  lordship  might  be  making  a  tour  of  the  outposts, 
I  was  on  the  point  of  waking  Dillon,  who  was  snoring  by  the  guard- 
fire  with  his  dhudheenin  his  mouth,  when  Galway  rode  up. 

"  Oh,  it's  you  William,"  I  exclaimed,  greatly  relieved.  "  Conolly, 
take  the  horse." 

"  Walk  him  about,  my  man,"  said  Galway,  "  I  have  had  a  pretty 
sharp  ride." 

"Hurpan  dhoul!"  exclaimed  Conolly  sotto  voce,  as  he  walked  off 
with  the  horse ;  "  it's  only  an  edge-acong  after  all !" 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE   CALL  OP  HONOUR. 

MY  old  schoolfellow  and  I  now  sat  down  by  the  guard-fire,  each  with 
a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  a  horn  of  stiff  grog  in  his  hand ;  and  a 
delightful  chat  we  had  together  for  a  full  hour  at  least,  mutually 
relating  our  adventures  and  fighting  our  school-boy  battles  over  again : 
the  only  interruption  we  experienced  being  an  occasional  snort  from 
Dillon,  or  an  exclamation  of  "  North  Pole !  horizon !  Spitvirgin !  oh 
trumpery  Moses ! " 

But  though  I  found  Galway  extremely  amusing,  and  highly  improved 
by  his  staff  discipline,  unhappy  thoughts  frequently  marred  my 
enjoyment,  owing  to  the  vexatious  turn  my  affairs  had  taken,  and  the 
threatening  aspect  of  my  amorous  planet.  I  began  to  ruminate  on 
future  plans,  till  at  length  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  I  might 
pay  a  flying  visit  to  poor  Juliana,  to  relieve  her  mind  from  the  load 
of  anxiety  which  I  knew  would  oppress  it.  I  therefore  begged 
Galway,  who  had  always  been  a  great  crony  of  mine,  to  lend  me  his 
horse  and  staff  coat  and  hat,  to  pay  a  short  visit  at  Santa  Clara,  on 
which  the  life  or  death  of  a  very  dear  friend  depended,  and  to  take 
my  post  and  don  my  regimentals  in  the  interim. 

The  request  at  first  startled  him ;  but  on  my  repeated  solicitation 
he  consented ;  proposing,  however,  that  we  should  wake  Dillon,  and 
get  him  to  acquiesce  in  the  arrangement. 


THE  CALL  01?  HONOUR.  187 

"No,  no,"  I  replied,  "he'll  sleep  there  sound  enough  till  reveillee, 
and  I  shall  be  back  long  before.  Besides,  Jack  is  sometimes  such  a 
confounded  martinet,  that  he  would  object  at  once ;  but  when  the 
thing  is  done,  he'll  never  blab." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Galway,  "  go,  in  God's  name.  You  were  always 
a  lucky  fellow,  and  I  depend  upon  that :  but  if  I  should  be  picked  off 
in  a  long  shot,  as  Sir  Lucius  says,  won't  the  great  lord  wonder  at 
losing  one  of  his  aide-de-camps  in  a  dog-kennel  like  this." 

"Don't  alarm  yourself,"  I  replied;  "we  are  on  such  excellent  terms 
with  the  parlez-vous,  that  long  shots  are  even  more  scarce  than  long 
commons  on  both  sides." 

" Then  give  me  the  carte  du pays"  said  Galway. 

"You  see  where  my  captain  lies,"  I  replied,  "down  among  the 
dead  men:  but  yonder  are  all  my  non-commissioned,  looking  out 
sharp  over  the  breastwork ;  and  from  this  point  you  can  take  in  a 
range  of  four  advanced  sentries  at  one  glance." 

"I  twig  them,"  said  Galway ;  "now then  be  off,  and  don't  be  there 
before  you're  back  again." 

I  sprang  into  the  saddle  and  dashed  forward  over  the  broken 
ground  in  top  speed,  in  spite  of  the  darkness  that  prevailed;  while 
the  countersign  and  my  staff  uniform  smoothed  all  difficulties  in  my 
progress  through  the  fines  :  it  being  naturally  concluded  that  I  must 
be  the  bearer  of  important  orders  from  head-quarters,  or  1  wouldn't 
ride  in  that  dare-devil  fashion.  At  length  I  reached  Santa  Clara  as 
the  convent  clock  struck  twelve. 

The  village  was  silent  as  the  grave  :  the  troops  who  occupied  it, 
with  the  few  of  its  inhabitants  who  still  remained,  were  equally  sunk 
in  sleep,  and  nothing  was  heard  but  the  regular  footfall  01  the  sentry 
at  the  main-guard,  who  ported  arms  as  I  passed  and  gave  him  the 
countersign.  I  alighted,  fastened  my  horse  to  a  post  within  his 
walk,  and  requesting  he  would  keep  an  eye  upon  him,  I  passed  on 
towards  the  convent  of  Santa  Clara. 

My  heart  beat  with  anticipated  joy  as  I  approached  the  sacred 
edifice,  within  whose  walls  I  riad  passed  so  many  happy  hours  with 
my  Juliana.  Avoiding  the  wing  appropriated  as  an  hospital,  to 
prevent  recognition,  I  crept  silently  along  under  the  lofty  building 
towards  the  cells  of  the  novices,  so  well  known  to  me  that  I  could 
have  found  my  way  blindfold :  but,  before  I  had  reached  the  little 
window  of  Juliana's  cell,  a  low  and  mournful  strain  of  such  exquisite 
melody  stole  upon  my  ear,  that  for  a  moment  I  was  utterly  bewildered, 
and  knew  not  where  I  was  or  what  I  was  about. 

The  well-remembered  words  and  music  of  Pergolesi's  Stabat  Mater, 
or,  Hymn  to  the  Virgin,  at  length  restored  me  to  consciousness.  It 
was  the  matin  service  of  the  nuns  and  novices ;  and  as  the  swell  of 
vocal  harmony  rose  on  the  air  in  the  inflammatus,  I  thought  I  could 
discern  my  Juliana's  voice,  purer,  more  brilliant,  and  more  heavenly 
than  those  of  her  companions.  My  agitated  soul  was  calmed  by  this 
affecting  appeal  to  more  poignant  woes  than  my  own ;  the_  grosser 
passions  ot  my  nature  were  purified  and  refined  by  the  celestial  spirit 
of  the  melody,  and  with  something  like  a  feeling  of  holy  awe,  I 


188  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

awaited  the  termination  of  the  service  before  I  approached  the  window 
of  my  beloved. 

A  light  shone  through  it  at  that  very  instant,  and  I  was  aware  that 
Juliana  had  just  returned  from  the  chapel.  I  therefore  took  up  a  few 
small  pebbles  and  threw  them  across  the  moat  at  the  casement.  The 
light  instantly  disappeared,  and  I  rushed  along  the  garden  wall  till 
I  came  under  the  fig  tree.  Taking  the  coil  of  rope  from  its  hiding 
place,  I  pitched  one  end  of  it  over  the  well-known  branch,  and  soon 
swung  myself  to  the  top  of  the  wall ;  jumping  down  from  which,  I 
was  just  in  time  to  receive  the  panting  Juliana  in  my  arms. 

"Alma  mia ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  you  cannot  imagine  how  unhappy  I 
have  been  at  your  absence.  What  has  delayed  you  so  long  ?" 

I  related  to  her  my  day's  adventure,  which  terribly  depressed  her 
spirits.  Her  unhappy  destiny,  she  said,  was  now  beginning  to  unfold 
itself;  and  the  sudden  termination  of  her  felicity  must  assuredly 
be  a  judgment  from  heaven  for  the  breach  of  her  anticipated 
vows. 

I  said  everything  I  could  to  reassure  and  comfort  her :  I  told  her 
that  I  would  still  be  near  her.  always  within  call,  and  ready  to  defend 
her  from  every  evil  •  but  with  a  melancholy  voice,  she  said,  that  the 
period  was  approacning  when  she  must  either  irrevocably  take  the 
veil,  or  decline  it :  that  the  latter  proceeding  would  disgrace  her-  in 
the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  estrange  from  her  for  ever  her  justly- 
incensed  family ;  while  to  take  the  veil  would,  on  the  other  hand,  still 
more  effectually  crown  her  wretchedness. 

In  short,  nothing  could  assuage  the  misery  of  my  poor  Juliana  : 
she  had  so  firmly  fixed  her  mind  on  flying  with  me  from  the  hated 
walls  of  her  prison,  on  becoming  my  wife,  and  living  with  me  con- 
tented and  happy  in  a  new  land,  and  surrounded  by  a  new  circle  of 
admiring  friends  and  relatives — that  every  effort  of  mine  was  fruit- 
less to  counteract  the  misery  of  her  disappointment. 

I,  myself,  was  plunged  in  the  deepest  wretchedness.  My  heart 
was  torn,  not  only  with  my  own  sufferings,  but  with  those  of  the 
woman  I  loved  more  dearly  than  all  the  world ;  and  my  brain  was 
racked  with  schemes  and  stratagems  to  elude,  or  escape  from,  the 
impending  evil.  At  length,  will  it  be  believed  that  I  was  mad  enough 
to  propose  instant  flight  ?  I  urged  Juliana  to  mount  behind  me,  on 
my  friend  Galway's  horse  •  to  gallop  off  to  Lisbon,  embark  on  board 
the  Fanny,  which  was  positively  to  sail  at  six  in  the  morning ;  and 
before  our  flight  could  be  discovered,  we  should  be  ploughing  the 
broad  waves  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay ;  to  live  in  some  sequestered  nook, 
of  some  far  distant  land,  all  in  all  to  each  other,— 

"  The  world  forgetting,  by  the  world  forgot." 

Yes  !  the  reader  may  smile  at  my  folly,  or  pity  my  madness  ;  but 
such  was  the  distracted  frame  of  mind  into  which  Juliana's  tears  and 
lamentations  had  thrown  me,  that  I  was  ready  to  sacrifice  name,  and 
fame,  and  honour,  and  every  good  this  world  contains,  to  soothe  the 
misery  of  the  woman  1  adored ! 

It  is  true,  I  laid  the  flattering  unction  to  my  soul,  that  I  had  really 


THE  CALL  OP  HONOUU.  ISO 

got  niy  leave  and  sick  certificate  in  my  pocket :  that  the  army  was 
now  in  a  state  of  total  inaction,  and  likely  to  continue  so  during  the 
winter,  at  least ;  and  that  before  the  opening  of  the  campaign  in 
spring  I  might  return,  after  placing  Juliana  in  the  bosom  of  my 
family,  and  resume  my  duties  before  a  trigger  had  been  pulled.  As 
regarded  my  interview  that  day  with  Lord  Wellington,  I  made  no 
account  of  it.  His  lordship  would,  doubtless,  forget  the  whole  occur- 
rence in  the  multiplicity  of  more  important  aifairs,  and  I  knew  that 
Galway  would  not  betray  me ;  while  in  Dillon  and  Colonel  Colborne 
I  had  two  staunch  friends,  who  would  smooth  over  any  difficulty  that 
might  obstruct  my  return  to  my  regiment. 

Such  was  the  false  and  baseless  train  of  reasoning  by  which  I 
endeavoured  to  gloss  over  the  fatal  error  I  was  about  to  commit, 
while  poor  Juliana,  equally  deceived  as  myself  by  such  specious 
arguments,  but  still  more  excusable  from  her  ignorance  of  what  I 
was  really  about  to  sacrifice,  clung  round  my  neck,  wild  with  joy,  and 
urged  me  to  hasten  our  departure. 

So  great,  in  fact,  was  my  infatuation,  that  I  was  on  the  point  of 
assisting  her  to  climb  the  fig-tree  for  that  purpose,  when  a  distant 
roar  of  musketry  broke  upon  the  silence  of  the  night,  or  rather  of 
the  morning,  for  it  was  then  about  two  o'clock. 

"  Oh  heavens !"  I  exclaimed,  "  what  is  that  ?" 

I  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words?  when  another  roar  of  running 
fire  was  heard  along  the  line,  intermingled  with  the  sound  of  cannon; 
at  first  single  guns,  and  then  whole  volleys  of  heavy  metal  from  the 
batteries. 

"The  lines  are  attacked!"  I  cried,  gnashing  my  teeth  in  agony, 
"  and  I  am  absent  from  my  post !  Tool !  Idiot !  Madman  that 
lam!" 

I  pressed  the  poor  trembling  girl  in  my  arms,  the  last,  last  sad 
embrace ;  and  kissed  her  with  intense  fondness,  as  I  exclaimed,  in 
Italian, — 

"  Finq  al  domani,  carissima  mia !" 

"Addio  per  sempre!"  she  replied,  with  a  heavy  sigh, — the  last 
prophetic  words  I  ever  heard  her  utter. 

Overwhelmed  with  contending  emotions,  I  sprang  up  the  fig-tree, 
leaped  from  the  wall,  a  depth  of  twenty  feet,  and  ran  like  lightning 
to  my  horse.  The  guard  was  under  arms,  and  the  sentry,  as  Tie  held 
my  stirrup,  said  : — 

"  We're  in  for  it,  sir ;  they'll  come  this  way  before  long." 

"  And  I  absent  from  my  post !"  I  mentally  exclaimed.  "  My  brave 
companions  slaughtered  through  my  desertion ! " 

Maddened  at  the  idea,  I  dasned  the  spurs  into  my  spirited  steed, 
which  plunged  forward  at  a  tremendous  pace,  as  if  equally  anxious 
with  myself  to  reach  the  scene  of  action.  While  I  thus  tore  along 
upon  ground  which,  even  in  broad  daylight,  I  should  have  ridden 
over  cautiously,  a  voice  would  occasionally  exclaim, — 

"  There  goes  another  of  the  staff !    They'll  soon  be  here  ! " 

Other  sound  than  this  there  was  none.  The  batteries  were  manned, 
and  gunners  with  port-fires  ready  for  the  word :  the  trenches  were 


190  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

lined  with  pickets,  lying  forward  on  the  breastwork,  with  muzzles 
ready  pointed  towards  the  foe ;  and  the  battalions  on  their  respective 
parades,  with  fixed  bayonets,  standing  at  ease ;  all  with  that  silent, 
steady,  and  unshaken  firmness  that  distinguishes  the  British  soldier 
in  front  of  the  enemy. 

Still,  onward  I  drove,  heedless  of  danger  or  obstruction ;  cutting 
round  batteries,  leaping  over  chevaux-de-f rises,  stumbling  over  broken- 
up  roads,  and  splashing  through  artificial  lakes  and  inundations,  till 
I  reached  my  post,  and  was  joyfully  received  by  Galway. 

"  You  have  just  saved  your  bacon ! "  he  said,  as  we  exchanged 
uniforms.  "  I  told  you  there  would  be  wigs  on  the  green  before  long. 
But,  for  heaven's  sake,  look  at  Dillon." 

Whether  it  was  the  effect  of  the  canteen,  or  the  dhudheen,  or  both, 
Jack  was  awfully  mystified :  he  had  just  been  roused  from  a  deep 
sleep,  and  fancying  that  the  post  was  attacked,  he  ran  about 
flourishing  his  sabre,  and  exclaiming,  at  every  whiff  of  the  trenchant 
blade: — 

"  Down  with  them !  Skiver  the  villains. !  Spit  the  virgins  from  the 
horizon  to  the  North  Pole !" 

"But  what  is  the  row,  after  all  ?"  I  demanded. 

"  You'll  soon  know,"  replied  Galway ;  "for  here  comes  Stanhope, 
with  orders." 

"Advance,  Fifty-second!"  cried  Captain  Stanhope,  of  the  head- 
quarter staff;  "the  enemy  are  in  full  retreat !" 

We  gave  three  cheers  that  made  the  welkin  ring  again;  and 
Dillon,  having  now  come  to  his  recollection,  shouted,  with  stentorian 
lungs,— 

"  Fifty-second— trail  arms  !    Double ! " 

The  vain  and  futile  visions  of  love  and  connubial  happiness  vanished 
from  my  breast ;  and,  impelled  by  the  noble  thirst  of  military  fame — 
the  never-failing  stimulant  of  youth — the  favourite  reminiscence  of 
age— the  all-engrossing  theme  of  the  poet  and  historian— I  sprang 
forward,  at  the  head  of  my  section,  in  our  memorable  pursuit  of 
Massena's  invincible  "Army  of  Portugal,"  hoping  soon  to  fall  in 
the  arms  of  victory,  since  I  could  no  longer  live,  but  dishonoured, 
with  my  lovely  nun. 


CHAPTER  XLIH. 

THE    STOKMING    PARTY. 

THE  French  having  had  a  good  start  of  us,  by  the  silence  and  celerity 
of  their  movements,  we  did  not  come  up  with  their  rear  guard  till 
we  found  them  in  position  between  Santarem  and  Cartaxo,  when 
some  skirmishing  took  place,  with  the  usual  casualties  on  both  sides. 
Lord  Wellington,  believing  that  the  former  place  was  only  occupied 
by  Massena's  rear-guard,  resolved  to  force  it  without  delay ;  but,  on 
a  close  reconnaissance,  it  was  found  that  the  whole  French  army  were 
strongly  posted  in  and  about  Santarem,  their  lines  being  covered 


THE  STORMING  TARTY.  191 

with  such  formidable  field- works  as  rendered  an  attack  not  only 
precarious^  but  exceedingly  hazardous  indeed. 

The  periodical  rains  having  now  set  in,  and  the  weather  becoming 
more  than  usually  boisterous  and  inclement,  both  armies  were  com- 
pelled to  remain  in  a  state  9f  inactivity.  This  continued  for  the 
whole  winter,  during  which  little  of  military  interest  occurred,  ex- 
cept the  constant  harassing  of  the  French  by  the  Portuguese  militia, 
under  their  enterprising  English  officers. 

Lord  Wellington  established  his  head-quarters  at  Cartaxo,  in  which 
small  place  upwards  of  six  thousand  troops  were  stowed  away:  every 
hut,  stable,  and  cow-shed  being  occupied  as  officers'  quarters,  and 
the  soldiers  bivouacking  amongst  the  ruins  left  by  the  Erench ;  while 
the  face  of  the  country  for  many  miles  around  displayed  the  bivouac 
fires  of  our  troops,  encamped,  with  little  or  no  shelter,  under  the 
canopy  of  heaven. 

The  Light  Division  occupied  the  outposts  in  front  of  Cartaxo ; 
our  cantonments  being  established  at  the  village  of  Vallee,  where 
our  regiment  was  distributed  in  companies,  in  some  deserted  farm- 
houses on  both  sides  of  the  road.  Close  in  our  front  ran  the  Rio 
Mayor ;  over  which  and  some  marshy  ground  beyond  lav  the  bridge 
of  Santarem,  nearly  half-a-mile  in  length.  The  arches  of  this  bridge 
were  mined,  and  we  had  double  sentries  upon  it ;  the  French  sentries 
being  posted  ab9ut  two  hundred  yards  beyond  ours,  while  on  a  gentle 
eminence  in  their  rear,  stood  the  French  camp,  hutted  with  all  the 
regularity  and  attention  to  comfort  peculiar  to  that  nation  when  in 
the  field.  Beyond  the  French  camp  rose  the  towers  and  steeples  of 
Santarem,  upon  an  eminence  richly  clothed  on  all  sides  with  olive 
groves. 

Though  the  French  and  English  troops  lay  within  shell,  and  even 
cannon  range,  yet,  as  if  by  tacit  agreement,  they  never  once  molested 
each  other,  for  nearly  five  months  that  we  were  thus  stationed  in 
sight  of  our  respective  encampments ;  a  sort  of  friendly  intercourse 
being,  moreover,  established  between  the  outlying  pickets  and  sentries 
of  both  armies.  During  this  period  we  enjoyed  a  state  of  profound 
repose ;  amusing  ourselves  with  hunting,  shooting,  fishing,  and  card- 
playing,  as  if  we  had  really  nothing  else  in  the  world  to  think  of,  or 
care  about. 

Dillon  and  I  had  taken  up  pur  quarters  in  the  only  habitable  room 
of  a  ruined  farm-house,  within  pistol-shot  of  the  bridge :  and  here 
one  evening,  the  5th  of  March,  1811,  as  well  as  I  can  recollect,  he 
and  I  were  sitting  over  the  embers  of  our  fire,  smoking  our  cigars, 
and  chatting  at  intervals  on  the  actual  posture  of  affairs  and  the 
future  prospects  of  our  gallant  army. 

"Surely,"  said  Dillon,  as  the  shades  of  night  were  thickening 
about  us,  "  that  Conolly  of  yours  must  have  gone  astray,  and  tumbled 
into  the  river.  Here  we  are  in  the  dark,  and  not  a  drop  of  black- 
strap in  the  house  to  wet  our  whistles  with.  1  wonder  what  can 
keep  him  now  ?  " 

"  Heaven  knows ! "  I  replied.  "  Perhaps  he  is  looking  for  another 
cuckoo-clock  amongst  the  ruins." 


192  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

An  hour  passed,  and  no  Conolly  made  his  appearance,  to  get  us  a 
light  and  renew  our  fire,  which  was  gradually  dying  of  inanition  in 
the  capacious  fire-place.  Dillon  began  to  get  impatient,  and  grew 
testy  at  the  continued  absence  of  my  valet,  his  own  servant  being  on 
sentry  at  the  bridge ;  when,  in  the  midst  of  a  long  pause,  a  mustet- 
shot  was  suddenly  heard  in  that  direction.  This  was  a  circumstance 
so  very  unusual,  that  it  attracted  our  immediate  attention,  and  we 
both  rushed  out  to  see  what  the  matter  was. 

The  report  of  the  musket,  however,  was  succeeded  by  a  dead 
silence  ;  and,  instead  of  producing  others  in  return,  the  repose  of  the 
French  outpost  in  our  front  seemed  uninterrupted,  while  the  mo- 
mentary attention  created  on  our  side  speedily  died  away. 

"  Some  drunken  fellow  or  other,"  said  Dillon,  as  we  returned  to 
our  chimney-corner.  "  He'll  catch  it  in  the  morning,  when  his  am- 
munition is  counted." 

Our  fire  was  now  almost  entirely  out;  emitting  a  faint  flicker 
occasionally,  which  gleamed  along  the  smoky  walls  of  our  domicile 
and  then  died  away,  to  be  succeeded  by  another  still  fainter.  Dillon 
threw  himself  upon  our  guard-bed  to  try  and  get  a  snooze ;  and  I  fell 
into  a  rumination  on  heaven  and  earth,  with  all  their  respective 
mysteries ;  when  a  heavy  tramping  was  heard  in  a  long  passage  that 
led  to  our  room,  and,  before  I  could  give  an  alarm,  in  staggered 
Mr.  Conolly,  with  something  upon  his  back. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  "  1  demanded,  somewhat  tartly. 
"  "What  have  you  got  there,  you  great  lout  ?  " 

"  Faith,  I  have  got  a  senthry,  sir,"  replied  Conolly ;  "  I  shot  him  as 
clane  as  a  whistle." 

"Shot  a  sentry!"  we  both  exclaimed;  "not  an  English  sentry, 
you  wretch  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  sir,"  replied  Conolly,  "  but  a  raial  downright 
Frenchman." 

"A  Frenchman !  "  repeated  Dillon. 

"  Yis,  sir,"  said  Conolly ;  "  the  sentry  at  the  other  end  of  the  bridge." 

"Why  did  you  shoot  him,  you  scoundrel?  "  I  demanded,  in  a  rage 
at  such  a  wanton  piece  of  cruelty. 

"Because  he  had  his  gun  presented  at  me,"  replied  Conolly; 
"and  if  I  hadn't  the  first  shot,  he'd  have  settled  my  hash  soon 
enough." 

"  But  why  did  you  bring  the  carrion  in  here  ?  "  demanded  Dillon, 
in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

"  Why,  then,  captain,"  replied  Conolly,  in  a  deprecating  tone,  "  'tis 
because  the  men  are  always  jibing  and  miring  me.  One  says,  '  You're 
a  coward,  Conolly ! '  Another  says,  '  You're  a  poltroon ! J  A  third 
says,  *  You  never  shot  a  Frenchman ! '  and  a  fourth  says,  *  He  shuts 
both  eyes  when  he  pulls  the  trigger.'  So,  to  convince  'em  of  it,  y9ur 
honour,  I  crept  very  quietly  over  the  bridge  jist  now ;  till  finding 
Jack  Doolan,  the  captain's  servant,  taking  a  snooze  on  his  post,  I 
made  bould  with  his  musket ;  and  stalling  up  to  the  Frenchman,  to 
make  a  long  story  short,  I  shot  him  right  between  the  eyes,  yer 
honour." 


THE  STOEMING  PARTY.  193 

"  Strike  a  light,"  said  Dillon,  "  and  let  us  see  if  he's  dead." 

"  Oh,  m  engage  he's  dead  enough,"  said  Conolly.  "  I  think  I 
must  have  shot  the  very  sowl  out  of  him,  for  his  corpse  is  as  light  as 
a  feather." 

A  piece  of  pine-torch  was  now  ignited  at  the  embers ;  and  the  dead 
Frenchman,  on  examination,  proved  to  be  a  man  of  straw  in  regi- 
mentals, to  the  infinite  amusement  of  a  dozen  of  the  picket  who  had 
crowded  in  after  Conolly. 

"  That's  another  trick  of  the  ould  boy ! "  exclaimed  my  crest- 
fallen valet;  "but  if  ever  I  stail  a  vargin  or  shoot  a  sentry 
again " 

"  They're  off ! "  cried  Dillon  with  a  shout,  as  he  sprang  upon  his 
legs ;  "  the  villains  are  off,  and  have  left  us  in  the  lurch  again. 
Bugler,  sound  advance ! " 

Forth  rang  the  cheering  notes  of  the  bugle,  as  the  picket  advanced 
in  order  to  the  bridge,  which  we  passed  unmolested,  and  soon  found 
that  the  bird  had  really  flown :  the  French  camp  was  left  all  standing, 
but  not  a  human  being  was  to  be  seen  except  ourselves. 

The  retreat  of  Massena  being  duly  reported  at  head-quarters, 
orders  were  as  promptly  issued  for  advance;  and,  at  daybreak  on 
the  6th  of  March,  we  resumed  our  pursuit  of  the  "  army  of  Portugal." 
Conolly' s  adventure  was  much  laughed  at,  yet  it  gave  us  a  start  of 
five  or  six  hours  in  our  chase  of  the  enemy. 

But  I  am  not  writing  a  history  of  the  war ;  and  the  exploits  of  the 
Light  Division  do  not  require  the  aid  of  my  feeble  pen  to  transmit 
them  to  posterity.  To  the  luminous  page  of  Napier  I  must  there- 
fore refer  the  reader  for  a  graphic  account  of  that  glorious  campaign 
in  which  we  drove  the  French  out  of  Portugal ;  including  the  bril- 
liant affairs  of  Redinha,  Sabugal.  &c.,  in  which  we  added  largely  to 
our  former  laurels.  Neither  shall  I  attempt  to  describe  the  battle  of 
Fuentes  de  Oiioro,  which  immortalized  the  following  short  campaign, 
ana  finally  drove  Massena,  V enfant  gate  de  la  victoire,  out  of  Spain, 
as  the  saying  is,  with  his  finger  in  his  mouth.  Though  we  had  the 
honour  of  contributing  largely  to  that  splendid  victory,  I  must  leave 
the  details  to  a  more  worthy  historian,  and  hasten  on  to  the  storming 
of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  where  my  adventures  were  very  nearly  brought 
to  a  sudden  termination. 

This  celebrated  city  stands  on  high  ground,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Agueda,  which  is  here  fordable  in  many  places.  Four  divisions 
of  the  army,  of  which  ours  was  one,  were  intrusted  with  the  duties 
of  the  siege ;  and  on  the  8th  of  January,  1812,  the  investment  was 
regularly  commenced,  under  a  heavy  cannonade  from  the  town.  In 
spite  of  this,  however,  an  important  outwork,  the  fortified  convent  of 
Sail  Francisco,  was  gallantly  stormed  and  carried  by  detachments 
from  our  division. 

From  this  period  till  the  19th,  the  siege  was  vigorously  pressed ; 
and  the  fortifications  of  llodrigo,  which  had  been  greatly  strengthened 
by  the  French,  were  battered  in  breach  by  our  heavy  guns.  On  the 
morning  of  the  19th,  two  breaches  being  declared  practicable,  Lord 
Wellington  decided  on  storming  them  that  night. 

o 


194  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAW. 

Accordingly,  at  eight  o'clock  on  Sunday  evening,  the  third,  light, 
and  Portuguese  divisions,  under  Picton,  Crawfurd,  and  Pack— three 
gallant  fellows  as  ever  breathed — moved  from  the  camp,  and  concealed 
themselves  in  the  trenches,  until  the  signal  was  given  for  the  attack. 
The  storming  party  in  which  I  had  enrolled  myself  was  commanded 
by  Major  George  Napier,  of  my  regiment. 

Meanwhile,  the  French  were  not  idle,  The  larger  breach  of  the 
two,  which  was  destined  for  Picton's  division,  exposed  a  shattered 
front  of  one  hundred  feet,  which  had  been  carefully  mined ;  the  base 
of  the  wall  being  strewn  with  shells  and  _  grenades,  and  the  top, 
which  the  troops  might  escalade,  being  similarly  defended,  A  deep 
retrenchment  was  cut  behind,  to  insulate  the  broken  rampart,  in  the 
event  of  its  being  carried  by  storm.  The  lesser  breach  was  narrower 
at  the  top,  and  exceedingly  steep ;  with  a  four-and-twenty  pounder 
turned  sideways,  that  blocked  the  passage  np,  except  an  opening 
between  the  muzzle  and  the  wall,  by  which  two  files  might  enter. 

Darkness  had  no  sooner  closed  over  the  devoted  city,  than  our 
f9rlorn  hope  moved  on  to  the  convent  of  San  Francisco,  then  gar- 
risoned by  the  40th  regiment,  the  walls  of  which  sheltered  us  from 
the  enemy's  fire.  Here  the  men  threw  off  their  packs,  unbuckled 
their  stocks,  and  got  rid  of  all  other  impediments  to  the  most  active 
and  desperate  exertions.  General  Crawfurd,  who  led  us  in  person, 
addressed  a  few  inspiring  words  to  us,  while  we  stood  formed  under 
the  convent  wall,  in  a  clear,  distinct,  and  manly  tone,— the  last  time, 
alas !  we  were  to  hear  the  sound  of  that  voice  which  had  so  often  led 
us  on  to  victory. 

m  With  anxious  hearts  every  one  was  now  eagerly  watching  for  the 
signal,  when  the  sonorous  bell  of  the  town  clock  struck  the  fated 
hour.  Up  went  the  rocket  from  one  of  the  batteries,  and  General 
Crawfurd  calling  out,  "  Now  lads  for  the  breach  ! "  we  rushed  forward 
in  double  quick  from  the  friendly  shelter  which  had  hitherto  con- 
cealed us. 

No  sooner  had  we  cleared  the  convent  wall,  and  were  fairly  exposed 
to  the  enemy,  than  a  storm  of  round,  grape,  and  canister  shot  was 
poured  upon  us  with  destructive  fury  and  deadly  effect ;  our  position 
being  rendered  clearly  visible  by  innumerable  fire-balls,  which  came 
flashing  incessantly  from  the  ramparts.  In  spite,  however,  of  this 
hail-storm  of  multifarious  missiles,  on  we  rushed  with  increasing 
velocity  towards  the  breach,  when  General  Crawfurd,  who  was  only 
two  paces  in  front  of  me,  was  struck  with  several  bullets,  and  fell 
back,  mortally  wounded,  into  my  arms. 

With  indescribable  feelings,  I  laid  my  gallant  and  beloved  leader 
gently  upon  the  ground,  and  bent  over  him  in  speechless  agony ;  but 
with  an  expiring  effort,  he  cried  out,  "  Forward,  sir,  and  leave  me  to 
my  fate!" 

Just  at  that  moment,  the  leading  section  of  our  division  coming 
up,  I  confided  the  general  to  their  care,  and  rushed  madly  on  to 
overtake  the  storming  party  to  which  I  belonged,  with  vows  and 
threats  of  vengeance  on  the  foe. 

But,  rapid  as  the  occurrence  had  been,  my  party  was  already  out 
of  sight ;  and,  in  attempting  to  reach  them  by  a  short  cut,  I  became 


THE  STORMING  PAETY.  195 

entangled  in  some  old  mines,  which  had  been  exploded  in  the  glacis 
during  this  and  the  former  siege.  Frantic  at  the  idea  of  being  thrown 
out  altogether,  while  my  more  fortunate  companions  were  reaping 
glorious  laurels,  I  made  incredible  efforts  to  reach  the  scene  of 
action ;  and  at  length,  by  jumping  down  from  the  crest  of  the  glacis 
into  the  ditch,  at  the  imminent  hazard  of  my  neck,  I  succeeded  in 
joining,  not  my  own  storming  party,  but  that  of  Picton's  division, 
which  was  then  assaulting  the  great  breach. 

Dreadful,  indeed,  was  the  slaughter  occasioned  amongst  the 
assailants  at  this  place,  by  the  explosion  of  mines,  shells,  grenades, 
and  other  combustibles ;  with  the  murderous  fire  kept  up  by  the 
French  from  the  summit  of  the  breach  and  neighbouring  ramparts, 
and  the  houses  which  overtopped  them.  But  up  we  went,  unheeding 
the  terrible  shower  of  lead  and  iron ;  while  I,  waving  my  sword  ana 
shouting  aloud  for  followers,  sprang  up  the  steep  ascent  of  shattered 
fragments,  far  before  the  rest.  So  wonderful,  indeed,  was  the 
activity  inspired  by  the  excitement  of  the  scene,  that  in  another 
minute  or  two  I  should  have  been  on  the  summit  of  the  breach,  when 
a  musket-ball  struck  me  in  the  left  thigh,  and  I  fell  to  the  ground 
with  a  yell  of  anger  and  despair. 


before,  thus  suddenly  wrenched  from  my  grasp,  was  not  to  be  borne. 
I  screamed,  I  wept  like  a  child,  and  tore  my  hair  out  by  handfuls, 
till  at  last,  attracted  by  my  outcries,  which  soared  above  the  infernal 
din  all  round,  a  gigantic  grenadier,  who  was  now  the  leader  of  our 
party,  approached  and  said,  in  atone  of  commiseration,  "  Poor  young 
gentleman,  are  you  badly  hurt,  that  you  sing  out  that  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  curse  the  hurt ! "  I  exclaimed ;  "  I  don't  care  a  straw  about 
it,  if  I  could  only  get  to  the  top  of  the  breach." 

"  Faith,"  said  the  grenadier,  "  you're  one  of  the  right  sort,  any 
how:  but,  heavenly  Mary!"  he  continued,  as  a  fire-ball  came 
blazing  in  between  us,  making  us  visible  to  each  other,  —  "  heavenly 
Mary  !  what  do  I  see  ?  'Tis  my  own  dear  nephew  !  " 

"  Uncle,  uncle  ! "  I  cried,  now  also  recognizing  him ;  "  if  ever  you 
had  a  spark  of  affection  for  my  poor  mother,  help  me  up  to  the  top 
of  the  breach,  and  let  me  die  at  least  in  glory." 

"  That  I  will,  my  boy,"  cried  my  uncle.  *"'  Here,  scramble  up  on 
my  back,  and  I'll  engage  you  shall  be  the  first  man  on  the  top.  Sure 
you're  not  heavier  than  the  knapsack  I  threw  away  down  there  in  the 
ditch.  That's  it — now  hold  fast.  Fogh  volliah  !  clear  the  way,  you 
rascally  frog-eaters !  Here's  a  couple  of  Tipperary  boys  for  you  ! " 

The  scene  which  has  taken  so  long  in  the  narration,  occupied  only 
a  moment ;  and  upwards  again  rushed  my  glorious  uncle  at  the  head 
of  the  storming  party ;  while  I,  waving  my  sword,  shouted  madly, — 
"Forward!  forward!" 

The  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain :  the  stormers  of  the  Fighting 
Division  were  not  to  be  denied,  and  all  went  down  before  the  fury  of 
their  assault.  After  a  short  but  severe  struggle,  the  breach  was  won : 
we  gained  the  summit,  the  gallant  General  Henry  Mackinnon  beine: 


196  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

amongst  the  leading  files  ;  and  we  were  in  the  act  of  cheering  loudly 
for  our  victory,  when  a  fearful  explosion  took  place,  like  a  rumbling 
peal  of  thunder.  I  then  felt  myself  lifted,  as  it  were,  by  some  in- 
visible hand  from  the  broad  shoulders  of  my  uncle,  and  flung  aloft  in 
a  series  of  summersets,  till  at  last  1  fell  upon  something  soft  and  warm, 
and  became  totally  insensible  to  the  cares,  anxieties,  hopes,  and 
wishes  of  this  perishable  world. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  LADY  ABBESS. 

Eon  three  weeks,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  I  remained  in  a  state  of 
insensibility,  varied  at  times  by  violent  paroxysms,  resulting  from  a 
concussion  of  the  brain.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  I  awoke  one  fine 
morning  from  a  deep  slumber,  and  found  mymind  perfectly  settled,  but 
my  body  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and  in  a  deplorable  state  of  exhaustion. 

I  looked  around  me  in  silent  amazement,  such  as  Adam  may  be 
supposed  to  have  felt  when,  at  a  mature  _age,  he  found  himself  sud- 
denly ushered  into  this  best  of  all  possible  worlds,  before  woman, 
"of  all  created  things  the  last  and  best,"  had  as  yet  made  her 
appearance. 

I  was  lying  in  a  comfortable  truckle  bed,  in  a  large  half-furnished 
apartment,  through  the  windows  of  which  the  sun  was  shining  cheer- 
fully. My  servant  Conolly  was  apparently  busied  about  some  house- 
hold arrangements,  and  Jack  Dillon  was  sitting  by  my  side :  between 
these  two  originals  a  dialogue  had  apparently  been  going  on,  of 
which  I  only  caught  the  conclusion. 

"Now,  Conolly/'  said  my  friend,  "I'm  thinking  that  I'll  take  my 
dinner  here  to-day,  and  go  over  to  the  camp  in  the  cool  of  the  evening. 
What  have  you  got  in  the  house  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Conolly,  "  there's  a  fine  lump  of  a  Stramajura* 
ham." 

"That's  not  bad  to  begin  with,"  said  Dillon.  "Them  Stramajura 
pigs  that  feed  upon  acorns,  make  beautiful  bacon,  I  confess.  What 
else  have  you  got  ?  " 

"  Then  I  have  got  a  fine  galina"  replied  Conolly ;  "the  name  these 
Spaniels  give  to  a  capon."  _ 

"  Oh  !  they're  always  miscalling  things  out  of  their  proper  names," 
said  Dillon.     "  Sure,  they  call  a  sword  a  spade,  the  naygurs ;   and  a 
hat  a  sunfairner."    This  was  Jack's  version  of  sombrero. 
^  "  Do  they,  sir  ?  "  said  Conolly.    "  The  Lord  be  praised !    What  a 
fine  thing  it  is  to  have  book -laming  like  your  honour." 

"Well,  I  flatter  myself,"  returned  Dillon,  "that  I'm  not  much  in 
the  background  with  '  Johnson's  Dictionary,'  and  the  f  Elegant  Ex- 
tracts ; '  and  though  I  give  way  to  your  master  sometimes,  as  I  have 
a  regard  for  the  poor  boy,  oh,  trumpery  Moses  !  he's  not  fit  to  hold  a 
candle  to  me  in  Spanish." 

*  Estremadura. 


THE  LADY  ABBESS.  19? 

Here  Jack,  to  show  his  learning,  poured  forth  a  whole  canto  of 
gibberish  in  rhyme ;  an  ollapodrida  of  Spanish,  Portuguese,  French, 
and  Latin ;  a  jumble  of  scraps  learned  by  rote,  without  any  con- 
secutive meaning,  which  Old  Nick  himself,  though  a  great  linguist, 
would  fail  to  decipher. 

"  Glory  be  to  the  Holy  Yargin !"  exclaimed  Conolly ;  "what  a  pity 
you  are  not  a  good  Catholic,  sir." 

"Why  so?"  demanded  Dillon. 

"  Sure,  then,  you'd  make  an  iligant  priest,  sir,"  replied  Conolly. 
"  I'll  be  bound,  'tis  you  that  would  give  'em  the  Padheren  Aves  in 
style,  and  the  credos,  and  the  Dominy-foby-scums" 

"May  be  I  could,  and  may  be  I  couldn't,"  said  Dillon,  with 
affected  modesty.  "  But,  tell  me,  Conolly,  why  do  you  think  I'm  not 
a  good  Catholic,  after  all  ?  " 

"  Sure,  I  seen  you  go  to  church  often  and  often,  amongst  the 
heretics,"  replied  Conolly,  "  before  your  honour  kem  to  these  foreign 
parts." 

"  Oh,  trumpery  Moses ! "  cried  Dillon ;  "  and  what  does  that 
signify  ?  Would  you  call  my  dog  Nep,  there,  a  fish,  because  he  takes 
the  water,  and  dives  like  a  duck  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  I  wouldn't,"  replied  Conolly.  "Divil  a  bit  of  fish  is 
Nep  at  all,  at  all ;  but  as  purty  a  bit  of  flesh  as  ever  worried  a  cat, 
your  honour." 

Nep,  who  was  present,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  culinary  department, 
wagged  his  tail  at  this  complimentary  assertion  of  Conolly 's ;  ana 
Dillon  continued, — 

"  'Tis  the  same  with  me,  Conolly.  If  Nep  goes  into  the  water  for 
his  own  convenience,  and  not  because  he's  a  fish ;  why  shouldn't  I  go 
to  church  for  my  own  convenience,  and  not  because  I'm  a  heretic  ? 
Answer  me  that,  Conolly,"  he  continued,  with  all  the  triumph  of  an 
Oxford  wrangler,  who  has  got  his  opponent  between  the  horns  of  a 
dilemma. 

"  Divil  a  one  of  me  knows,  sir,"  said  Conolly.  "I  can't  understand 
the  rights  of  it,  at  all.  at  all." 

"You'll  understand  it,  my  man,"  said  Dillon,  "when  you  are  senior 
lieutenant  of  your  regiment,  and  can't  get  your  company  for  being  a 
Catholic." 

"Ethen,  sir,  is  that  the  law  ?  "  demanded  Conolly. 

"  Them  is  the  panial  statues,"  replied  Dillon. 

"  What  the  dickens  is  the  pauial  statues  ?  "  asked  Conolly. 

"  Oh,  very  queer  things,"  replied  Dillon ;  "  full  of  law,  and  learn- 
ing, and  Latin,  to  the  oackbone.  Oh,  trumpery  Moses !  if  I  was 
to  explain  'em  to  you,  you'd  know  no  more  about  'em  than  I  do 
myself." 

"Lord  be  praised!"  said  Conolly;  "what  a  fine  thing  book- 
larning  is ! " 

"Now,  there  was  my  brave  ould  commanding  officer,  Colonel 
Stack,"  said  Dillon,  "  who  had  been  thirty  years  in  the  service,  and 
fought  in  ten  pitched  battles,  besides  ever  so  many  skrimmages,  with 
a  matter  of  fifteen  wounds  in  his  body ;  he  couldn't  get  his  promotion 
all  along  of  it,  till  at  last,  one  day  he  said  to  the  Juke,— 


198  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAtf. 

" '  What  is  tlie  raison  of  it,  my  lord  juke  ? '  says  he.  '  Will  your 
royal  highness  tell  me  that  ?  ' 

"  '  Well,  Stack/  said  the  juke,  good-naturedly— for,  let  'em  talk^as 
they  will,  Conolly,  but  he's  a  raial  gentleman — 'there  is  a  raison  for 
it.  Stack/  says  he. 

" '  What  is  it,  my  lord  juke  ? '  says  Stack. 

"'Well,  come  now,  Stack/  says  the  juke,  'tell  me  honestly  what 
religion  you  are  of  ?  ' 

" '  My  lord  juke/  says  Stack,  '  I'm  of  the  religion  of  a  major- 
general.' 

' '  Then,  by  St.  George ! '  says  the  juke,  with  a  hearty  laugh,  'you 
shall  have  your  promotion,  Stack  ! '  And  the  very  next  day  he  was 
gazetted.  Oh,  trumpery  Moses  !  isn't  he  a  jewel  of  a  juke  !  " 

"  Oh,  now  I  begin  to  see/'  said  Conolly.  "  We  must  all  go  to 
heaven  with  head-quarters,  or  not,  at  all." 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Dillon ;  "  and,  now,  Conolly,  let  me  know  if 
you  have  got  any  murphies." 

"  The  sorrow  a  one,  sir,"  replied  Conolly.  "  Sure,  they  say,  in 
this  outlandish  country,  that  they're  only  fit  for  the  pigs." 

"  Bad  luck  to  the  liars ! "  exclaimed  Dillon  ;  "  there's  no  other 
fruit  in  the  world  equal  to  a  maily  potato.  Well  then,  we  must 
rough  it  with  that :  so,  Conolly,  you  just  roast  that  galina,  boil  the 
Stramajura  ham ;  and,  with  a  bottle  of  Val  de  Peiias,  and  a  toothful 
of  Cognac  after,  with  a  dhudheen — 

"By  St.  George,  I'll  be  in  your  mess,  Dillon,"  I  exclaimed, sitting 
bolt  upright  in  my  bed,  "for  I  feel  most  confoundedly  peckish." 

Dillon  sprang  from  his  seat  as  if  electrified,  and  gazed  at  me  for 
some  time  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  and  his  cheeks  as  pale  as  ashes, 
at  last  he  exclaimed — 

"  Then,  by  the  Cross  of  Kilshandra !  them  is  the  most  sensible 
words  you  have  spoken  these  three  weeks ;  and  right  glad  ain  I  to 
hear  them  from  you,  Percy,  my  darling !  " 

Conolly  having  also  expressed  his  delight  with  equal  eloquence,  at 
my  coming  to  my  senses,  and  talking  like  a  Christian  once  more,  it 
was  settled  that  the  galiua  should  be  boiled  ^instead  of  roasted,  as  the 
broth,  for  the  present  at  least,  would  be  quite  'strong  enough  for  my 
weak  stomach. 

"  Oh,  trumpery  Moses] "  cried  Dillon,  while  dinner  was  preparing ; 
"  you  never  saw  such  tricks  and  figaries  as  you  have  been  playing 
for  the  six  weeks  you  were  mad." 

"  Have  I  been  mad  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  As  fifty  cats  in  a  wallet,"  replied  Dillon.    " Hasn't  he,  Conolly?  " 

"  I  never  seen  anything  like  it,  sir,"  said  Conolly.  "  One  night  he 
thought  he  was  a  loaded  24-pounder  going  to  burst,  and  he  kept 
constantly  shouting  '  Stand  out  of  the  way,  or  I'll  blow  you  up.' " 

"  Another  time,"  said  Dillon, "  nothing  would  serve  you  but  calling 
over  the  muster-roll  of  the  company,  which  you  did  for  six  mortal 
hours,  without  stopping  or  missing  a  man." 

"And  every  time  he  came  to  the  end,  sir,"  said  Conolly,  "  he'd 
begin  again,  sir,  as  regular  as  clock-work.  I'm  thinking  there  isn't  a 
paymaster  in  the  sarvice  could  do  the  like." 


THE  LADY  ABBESS.  199 

"Oh,  but  the  night,"  said  Dillon,  "you  thought  you  had  a  hold  of 
the  horns  of  the  moon,  didn't  you  make  a  jolly  row  ?  " 

"  We  had  six  grenadiers  in,  sir,  to  hould  him  that  night,"  added 
Conolly,  "  and  they  couldn't  do  it  till  the  doctor  fleabottomized  him, 
as  he  called  it." 

"But  that  was  cakes  and  ale,"  said  Dillon,  "  to  the  day  he  fancied 
he  was  riding  on  the  say-sarpent  that  the  Yankees  have  discovered. 
That  was  the  time  the  doctor  said  he  had  a  discussion  of  the  brain, 
though  at  first  he  thought  it  was  dilarious  trimmings." 

Many  more  of  my  "figaries"  Dillon  recounted  to  me,  while 
Conolly  was  employed  in  the  culinary  department.  I  then  asked  him 
to  give  me  an  account  of  the  storming,  of  which  I  had  but  a  very 
confused  recollection. 

"  Well,  Percy,"  he  said,  "  you  are  always  getting  into  the  wrong 
box.  First  and  foremost,  you  come  amongst  us  as  if  you  had  dropped 
from  one  of  the  seven  elements,  in  the  dress  of  a  faymale  senpra. 
Then  nothing  would  you  do,  but  you  must  charge  head  foremost  into 
the  very  centre  of  a  column  of  French  dragoons ;  and,  last  of  all, 
instead  of  going  to  the  small  aisy  braich  with  your  own  regiment,  oh, 
trumpery  Moses,  you  must  stick  yourself  at  the  very  head  of  Picton's 
tremendous  attack,  riding  to  the  top  of  the  rampart  on  the  back  of  a 
grenadier." 

"  Ah,  that  grenadier ! "  I  exclaimed ;  "  what  is  become  of  him  ? 
Is  he  dead  or  alive  ?  " 

"  Oh,  divil  a  one  of  that  party  is  alive  but  yourself,"  replied  Dillon. 

"Alas!  my  poor,  dear,  gallant  uncle,"  I  mentally  exclaimed,  "in 
leaving  this  world  like  a  hero,  you  had  not  even  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  your  bravery  was  appreciated." 

"  You  were  all  blown  up  by  the  explosion  of  a  magazine,"  con- 
tinued my  friend,  "  and  General  McKmnon,  with  many  other  fine 
fellows,  are  all  gone  to  kingdom  come.  But  do  you  know  how  you 
escaped,  Percy?" 

"I  haven't  the  slightest  idea,"  I  replied. 

"Luckily  for  you,"  said  Dillon,  "there  was  a  cavalry  barracks  just 
under  the  rampart  where  the  explosion  took  place ;  and  after  you  had 
made  as  many  summersets  as  a  ropedancer  in  a  circus,  you  were 
lodged,  quite  snug  and  easy,  in  a  nice,  soft,  warm  bed  of  stable  litter ; 
and  that's  where  they  found  you,  agrah." 

Dillon  then  entered  into  a  long  detail  of  the  successful  result  of 
the  attack ;  the  triumph  of  which  was  sadly  damped,  however,  by  the 
loss  of  two  such  gallant  leaders  as  Crawfurd  and  McKmnon.  He 
next  launched  into  a  description,  at  once  amusing  and  melancholy,  of 
the  appearance  of  our  camp  for  two  or  three  days  after  the  fall  of 
Kodrigo,  when  the  men,  having  partly  recovered  from  the  drunken- 
ness which  had  immediately  succeeded  it,  came  staggering  from  the 
town  with  their  plunder.  Some  were  dressed  fantastically  as  priests, 
others  as  nuns,  bull-fighters,  bolero-dancers,  &c.  •  but  all  were  selling 
for  trifling  sums  such  articles  of  value  as  they  nad  secured  in  their 
progress  through  the  deserted  houses,  the  principal  purchasers  of  the 
booty  being  the  Spaniards  themselves,  who  flocked  in  vast  numbers  to 
the  camp  for  that  express  purpose. 


200  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

"  But  here  comes  Conolly  with  dinner,"  said  Dillon,  "  and  I'll  tell 
you  no  more  till  you  and  I  have  had  some  food ;  for  talking  is  bad  on 
an  empty  stomach." 

A  basin  of  good  broth,  with  a  wing  of  the  galma,  and  a  glass  of 
wine-and-\vater,  made  me  feel  wonderfully  refreshed,  and  I  almost 
fancied  I  could  get  up ;  but,  in  making  the  attempt,  I  fell  back  again, 
helpless  and  powerless. 

"  See  that,  now  ! "  said  Dillon.  "  You  must  have  patience,  Percy, 
and  two  or  three  weeks  more  will  bring  you  into  statty-co.  But  I 
have  good  news  to  comfort  you,  in  the  mean  time,  my  boy.  You  have 
got  your  lieutenancy— your  name  appeared  in  the  last  Gazette" 

"  But  I  hope,"  I  said,  "  they  won't  remove  me  from  your  company, 
Dillon." 

Poor  Jack  looked  very  blank  at  this  ;  and,  with  all  the  tenderness 
he  could  assume,  informed  me  that  1  was  promoted  into  another 
regiment. 

"What !  what !  "  I  exclaimed,  "into  another  regiment.  And  who 
Jias  got  the  vacancy  in  the  52nd  ?  " 

"  A  Wellington  Overall,"  replied  Dillon. 

"Then  let  them  take  back  their  promotion,"  I  exclaimed,  in  a 
terrible  sulk ;  "  I'll  not  have  it— I'll  not  quit  my  dear  old  regiment, 
in  which  I  have  been  so  happy." 

Dillon  combated  this  idea  with  all  the  power  of  his  eloquence.  He 
said,  and  truly,  "that  I  must  either  take  the  promotion  as  it  was 
given,  or  quit  the  service;  that  I  was  appointed  to  a  crack  regiment, 
which  had,  moreover,  one  battalion  in  India,  where  I  would  very 
soon  become  a  milliner." 

"  A  milliner !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dillon ;  "  one  of  them  nabobs  that  make  millions 
of  rupees,  and  ride  a-horseback  upon  elephants." 

Jack's  eloquence,  however,  was  unavailing,  and  I  railed  against 
destiny  in  unmeasured  terms  for  this  scurvy  trick,  which  at  once  put 
an  end  to  all  my  hopes  of  fame  and  promotion,  the  two  bright  stars 
I  worshipped. 

"But  my  dear  fellow,"  said  Dillon,  "you  must  keep  very  quiet, 
for  the  doctor  says  if  you  go  dilarious  again  he'll  have  to  cut  a  piece 
out  of  your  skull,  and  put  a  silver  plate  over  your  brain-pan." 

But  I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  the  details  of  a  sick  room  : 
suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  three  or  four  weeks  I  was  once  more  upon 
my  legs,  and  daily  gaming  strength :  while  the  calm  reflection  I  had 
enjoyed  during  my  illness  reconciled  me  to  my  fate,  and  1  prepared  to 
bear  my  good  fortune  like  a  man. 

I  was  at  length  ordered  home  to  join  my  new  regiment,  and  took 
an  affectionate  leave  of  my  old  brother-officers.  Dillon  cried  like  a 
child,  and  made  me  promise  to  write  to  him  about  all  the  strange 
sights  I  should  see  in  the  East — especially  the  pagoda-tree,  the 
golden  rock  of  Trichinopoly,  and  the  cantonment  of  Dum-dum. 

"I'll  engage,"  said  Jack,  with  a  sneer  at  the  fair  sex,  "that  the 
soldiers  don't  get  leave  to  marry  at  Dumb-dumb,  as  they  do  amongst 
us." 

Poor  Conolly  howled  and  blubbered  like  an  overgrown  baby ;  and 


THE  LADY  ABBESS.  201 

when  I  put  two  doubloons  into  his  hand,  he  exclaimed,  still  grasping 
them  very  tightly?  however, — 

"  Divil  a  one  of  me  will  take  'em  from  your  honour ;  sure  you  have 
more  than  ped  me  honestly  before." 

"  But  this  is  a  gift,  Conolly,"  I  said ;  "  and  you  know  I  never  take 
back  a  gift." 

"Faix,  that's  true  enough,"  responded  Conolly,  putting  the 
doubloons  in  his  fob.  "  Then,  the  blessing  of  God  be  about  you,  sir, 
and  may  the  world  wondher  at  the  luck  you'll  have !  " 

I  gave  two  more  doubloons  to  the  pay-sergeant  of  my  company,  as 
a  treat  for  the  brave  fellows  with  whom  I  had  led  a  rough-and-tumble 
sort  of  life  so  long ;  and  all  who  were  off  duty  accompanied  me  for  a 
mile  or  two  on  my  journey,  when  they  gave  me  three  hearty  cheers  at 
parting.  I  then  set  off  for  Lisbon,  where  I  found  a  transport  ready 
to  sail  with  invalids,  and  secured  a  berth  on  board. 

Before  I  sailed,  however,  I  determined  to  pay  one  last  visit  to 
Santa  Clara,  a  name  that  still  clung  to  my  heart,  and  recalled  many  a 
scene  of  vanished  happiness.  Though  I  had  experienced  many  a 
rough  vicissitude  since  I  last  beheld  that  peaceful  and  pious  retreat, 
the  souvenirs  connected  with  it  were  still  fresh  and  verdant  in  my 
memory's  waste ;  and,  with  a  mingled  feeling  of  joy  and  sadness,  I 
threw  myself  into  one  of  the  public  vehicles  which  plied  to  and  from 
that  neighbourhood. 

I  shall  not  pretend  to  define  the  precise  object  that  urged  me  to 
this  step :  a  longing  desire  to  see  Juliana  once  more  predominated, 
of  course— and  perhaps  a  lingering  hope  of  still  effecting  her  abduc- 
tion mingled  itself  with  motives  more  worthy  of  her  and  myself ;  for 
I  could  no  longer  be  ignorant  that  she  was  now,  in  reality,  devoted  by 
her  vow  to  heaven,  and  ought  to  be  sacred  from  any  further  attempts 
on  the  peaceful  sanctity  of  her  chosen  mission. 

In  a  state  of  nervous  agitation  and  uncertainty  as  to  my  real  motives 
and  ulterior  views,  I  at  length  arrived  at  the  dear  village,  where, 
folding  my  Spanish  cana  about  me,  pulling  my  Andalusian  sombrero 
over  my  brows,  and  giving  my  moustachios  a  curl  upwards,  I  sauntered 
towards  the  well-known  spot,  every  projecting  ornament  or  lofty 
pinnacle  of  the  splendid  edifice  recalling  some  heavenly  look  or 
treasured  expression  of  my  sainted  Juliana. 

The  bell  of  the  convent  church  was  ringing  loudly  for  service,  and 
crowds  were  flocking  into  the  sacred  edifice,  which  appeared  to  be 
.  decorated  with  more  than  usual  richness  and  magnificence.  I  mingled 
with  the  people,  and  learned,  on  inquiry,  that  the  occasion  was  one  of 
great  pomp  and  splendour,  being  the  inauguration  of  a  lady  abbess,  in 
Heu  ot  the  one  who  had  recently  died.  I  felt,  however,  no  interest 
in  an  event  of  such  ordinary  occurrence ;  the  succession  of  one  old 
woman  to  the  post  of  another  had  nothing  in  it  that  could  possibly 
affect  my  feelings,  intensely  centred  as  they  were  in  an  object  of 
such  supereminent  attraction. 

I  took  my  place  behind  one  of  the  noble  pillars  of  the  church,  as 
near  as  I  could  to  the  grand  altar,  and  thence,  unnoticed  and  unknown. 
I  witnessed  the  gorgeous  ceremony  in  all  its  details.  But  they  had 
no  interest  for  me— not  the  slightest :  my  thoughts  were  solelv  bent 


202  THE  YOUNG  BIEUSHAN. 

upon  Juliana,  and  my  eyes  were  incessantly  directed  from  one  nun  to 

another,  in  a  vain  endeavour  to  penetrate  the  thick  white  veils  which 
effectually  concealed  their  features  from  my  eager  gaze. 

A  feeling  of  blank  disappointment  and  melancholy  b9ding  was  the 
result  of  my  scrutiny :  my  bosom  throbbed  with  the  painful  idea  that 
my  poor  Juliana  was  no  more ;  and,  while  the  mingled  sounds  of  voice 
and  organ  raised  the  soul  to  a  higher  sphere,  by  that  affecting  charm 
peculiar  to  the  service  of  the  Catholic  church,  imagination  drew  her 
sainted  form  in  the  attitude  I  had  so  often  gazed  on  with  delight  in 
the  apotheosis  of  Santa  Clara,  wafted  to  heaven  by  ministering  angels, 
her  hands  uplifted  in  earnest  prayer,  her  eyes  beaming  with  celestial 
hope. 

The  final  rite  of  inauguration  was  at  length  terminated,  and  the 
new  lady  abbess  ascended  the  steps  of  the  altar  to  bestow  her 
benediction  on  the  congregation ;  for  which  purpose,  the  rubric 
permitted  her  for  the  last  time  to  lift  her  veil.  Accustomed,  as  I 
had  always  been,  to  associate  age  and  acerbity  of  expression  with 
the  dignity  of  this  lofty  function,  I  did  not  even  bestow  a  look  upon 
the  lady  abbess ;  till  one  universal  murmur  of  admiration  pervading 
the  assembled  multitude,  my  curiosity  was  excited :  I  looked,  ancL 
in  the  uncovered  countenance  of  Santa  Clara's  successor,  I  beheld 
the  peerless  features  of  my  Juliana  ! 

It  was  with  difficulty  I  suppressed  the  cry  of  joy  that  was  bursting 
from  my  lips,  and  checked  the  powerful  impulse  to  throw  myself  at 
her  feet :  the  strife  of  contending  passions  in  my  breast  was  tearful ; 
my  brain  was  on  fire,  my  eyes  grew  dizzy,  and  had  I  not  grasped  the 
pillar  with  both  arms,  firmly — convulsively — I  should  have  fallen  to 
the  ground. 

The  features  of  Juliana  were  still  of  the  same  lovely  cast ;  but 
they  were  pale  and  thin.  The  same  intellect  illumined  her  counte- 
nance— the  same  celestial  smile  imparted  to  it  that  fascination  which 
never  failed  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  beholders;  but  they  were 
chastened  and  subdued  by  a  look  of  melancholy  resignation  and  a 
gleam  of  exalted  piety,  as  she  gazed  upwards,  which  proved  that, 
whatever  sufferings  the  sacrifice  had  cost  her,  she  was  now  in  reality 
the  bride  of  heaven. 

With  a  powerful  effort,  I  restrained  the  maddening  thoughts  that 
filled  my  breast ;  till  Juliana  let  fall  the  veil  which  now  for  ever  con- 
cealed her  features  from  the  world,  and  retired,  amidst  the  loud 
pealing  of  the  organ,  and  the  rich  choral  strains  of  the  "  Gloria  in 


kcelsis ! "  In  a  state  of  mind  which  baffles  description,  I  then 
rushed  from  the  church ;  and  had  I  not  been  relieved  by  a  violent 
flood  of  tears,  I  must  have  perished  on  the  spot. 

Plying  from  the  crowd  of  worshippers,  who  seemed  greatly  edified 
by  my  emotion,  which,  of  course,  they  ascribed  to  the  pangs  of  a 
suddenly  awakened  conscience,  I  threw  myself  into  the  first  vehicle 
I  could  find,  and  hurried  off  to  Lisbon.  Once  or  twice,  on  my  way 
thither,  the  idea  of  writing  to  Juliana  occurred  to  me,  to  vindicate 
the  fidelity  of  my  affection,  and  bid  her  at  least  farewell;  but  I 
suppressed  the  ungenerous  thought,  and  felt  how  much  more  noble 
it  would  be  to  leave  her,  ignorant  even  of  my  existence,  to  the  calm 


ALBANY  BARKACKS. 


contemplation,  and  peaceful  serenity  of  the  sacred  life  for  which  she 
seemed  predestined  by  Heaven. 

A  few  hours  after,  I  was  floating  on  the  Golden  Tagus,  my  heart 
and  head  both  sick  and  heavy,  and  my  adventurous  prow  directed  for 
the  Land  of  Freedom . 


CHAPTER   XLV. 

ALBANY  BARRACKS. 

AFTER  a  tedious  and  most  melancholy  passage,  we  at  length  arrived 
at  Portsmouth;  when,  having  obtained  three  months'  leave  of 
absence,  I  endeavoured  for  some  time  to  dissipate  my  sad  reflections 
in  the  pleasures  of  the  metropolis.  These  were  indeed  a  treat,  after 
two  years'  sharp  service  in  the  Peninsula;  but,  as  they  did  not 
suffice  for  the  accomplishment  of  my  object,  I  paid  a  visit  to  my 
friends  and  relations  in  Tipperary,  where  the  pleasures  of  the  field, 
and  the  charms  of  unbounded  hospitality,  banished  my  ennui,  and 
prepared  me  to  encounter  the  vicissitudes  of  my  subsequent  career. 

My  father  had  died  during  my  service  in  the  Peninsula,  and  had 
left  me  a  small  estate,  which,  though  not  very  productive,  was  a 
welcome  addition  to  my  pay.  Having,  however,  little  or  no  know- 
ledge of  country  affairs,  apart  from  the  sports  of  the  field,  I  placed 
it  under  the  entire  control  and  management  of  my  brother,  who  had 
always  been  my  warmest  and  most  attached  friend. 

Amongst  other  near  relatives,  I  went  to  see  the  widowed  mother 
of  my  poor  little  cousin  Honoria,  whose  hair  bracelet  still  maintained 
its  position  on  my  wrist ;  and  the  good  lady  received  me  with  tears 
of  mingled  joy  and  sorrow. 

Honoria,  she  said,  had  wept  and  pined  after  me  for  many  months, 
going  about  the  house  in  the  most  disconsolate  mood,  wringing  her 
hands,  and  exclaiming,  "Oh,  Percy  Blake!  Percy  Blake!  What 
shall  1  do  for  my  cousin  Percy  ?  " 

The  child's  health  being  at  length  affected,  she  had  been  sent 
for  change  of  air  and  scene  to  an  elder  sister,  who  was  married  and 
settled  in  the  county  of  Cork.  There  the  countess  of  Kingston,  who 
had  an  estate  in  the  neighbourhood,  took  such  a  fancy  to  Honoria 
that  she  begged  to  have  her  as  a  companion  for  her  own  children : 
with  them  she  had  been  educated,  and  was  now  travelling  with  the 
countess  in  England  and  other  foreign  countries,  as  my  worthy  old 
relative  expressed  herself. 

Having  thus  satisfied  those  yearnings  for  home  and  early  ties 
which  influence  the  hearts  of  all,  however  estranged  by  professional 
duties  or  foreign  travel,  I  bade,  as  I  then  jthought,  a  final  adieu  to 
my  friends  and  relations,  and  proceeded,  via  Cork  and  Bristol,  to  the 
army  depot,  to  embark  for  my  new  regiment  in  India. 

Most  of  my  readers  have  doubtless  heard  of  this  once  celebrated 
army  depot,  at  Albany  Barracks,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  the 
recruiting  companies  of  fifty  or  sixty  regiments  on  foreign  service 


204;  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

were  then  collected ;  and  where  I  once  more  found  myself  immersed 
in  all  the  "pride,  pomp,  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war." 

Albany  Barracks  consisted  of  several  parallel  ranges  of  wooden 
buildings,  all  on  the  ground-floor,  or  rez  de  chaussee,  as  our  Gallic 
neighbours  express  it ;  occupying  a  fine  healthy  slope,  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  insular  capital,  Newport.  These  temporary 
structures  have  long  been  swept  away,  and  replaced  by  waving  fields 
of  corn,  more  suited  to  our  pacific  times ;  but,  at  the  period  I  am 
treating  of,  they  were  occupied  by  some  thousands  of  sentient 
beings,  full  of  life,  animation,  hope,  and  enterprise,  whose  bodies 
have  gone  to  fatten  many  a  foreign  soil,  or,  worn  out  and  mutilated, 
drag  on  a  weary  existence  in  the  new  world  that  has  sprung  up 
around  them  in  their  native  land. 

Being  naturally  of  a  gregarious  and  sociable  disposition,  as  all 
military  men  necessarily  must,  or  ought  to  be,  I  plunged  at  once  "  in 
medias  res,"  as  Horace  says,  and  was  voted  a  trump  card  by  all  the 
lovers,  or  promoters,  of  fun  and  frolic  in  "  the  Island,"  as  sweet 
Vectis  was  called  par  excellence.  It  would  be  altogether  vain  in  such 
a  work  as  the  present  to  attempt  anything  like  a  description  of  our 
various  modes  of  killing  time  at  the  army  depot :  xsuffice  it  to  say 
that  dinners,  balls,  routs,  assemblies,  concerts,  dejeuners,  pic-nics, 
races,  steeple-chases,  billiards,  cricket,  rouge-et-noir,  and  blind- 
hookee,  succeeded  each  other  with  such  incessant  and  untiring 
velocity,  that  no  time  was  allowed  for  study,  thought,  or  reflection ; 
but  all  was  a  maddening  whirl  of  "  fast  life,"  long  before  that  term 
was  invented  to  indicate  the  comparatively  tame  doings  of  the 
present  day. 

In  the  above  catalogue  non  raisonne,  I  have  forgotten  to  mention 
courts-martial,  duels,  arrests,  both  civil  and  military,  nocturnal 
fights  with  the  mob  of  Newport,  &c.  &c. ;  but  these  were  also  pretty 
numerous,  and  diversified  in  adventure  and  result.  In  short,  the 
variety  of  characters  and  incidents  which  the  dailv  occurrences  at 
Albany  Barracks  brought  upon  the  scene,  would  fill  volumes,  both 
amusing  and  instructive,  of  that  railway  literature  so  peculiarly  the 
taste  of  the  present  day ;  but  I  can  now  only  give  a  cursory  glance 
at  occurrences  which  once  were  fraught  with  merriment,  and  scenes 
that  delighted  me  in  the  buoyancy  and  freshness  of  youth— that 
elixir  mice  which  spreads  a  never-failing  banquet  before  the  eyes  of 
its  happy  possessor. 

Our  commandant  was  General  M ;  the  same  ingenious  officer 

whose  original  method  of  saving  the  colours  of  his  regiment  has 
appeared  in  a  former  chapter.  He  was  not,  perhaps,  the  cleverest 
officer  in  the  service;  but  he  was  a  worthy,  good-tempered  man, 
much  beloved  by  all  who  were  under  his  command. 

One  of  the  general's  harmless  hobbies  was  a  fondness  for  lecturing 
the  men  of  the  different  detachments,  in  a  paternal  tone,  on  their 
drunken  and  disorderly  habits ;  assuring  them  that  they  would  be 
excellent  soldiers,  were  it  not  for  their  liquor-ish  propensities. 

"Recollect,  my  men,"  he  would  say,  almost  with  tears  in  his  eyes ; 
"  recollect,  I  tell  you,  that  liquor  is  the  rock  upon  which  you  split  1 " 

Hiding  down  to  Newport,  one  day,  he  encountered  several  soldiers, 


ALBANY  BARRACKS.  205 

who  had  evidently  been  sacrificing  to  the  jolly  god.  Some  were 
laughing,  singing,  and  jostling  against  each  other ;  and  some  were 
making  an  echelon  movement  across  the  road,  without  much  regard 
to  time,  step,  or  dressing. 

Astounded  at  this  monstrous  state  of  affairs,  the  general  rode  up 
to  the  ringleader  of  the  jovial  squad,  who  happened  to  be  an  Irish- 
man, and  demanded,  in  an  angry  tone,  what  he  and  his  companions 
had  been  about. 

Pat  immediately  came  to  a  stand,  and,  raising  his  hand  to  his  cap 
with  military  precision,  replied,  in  a  tone  of  becoming  humility, — 
"  Plaise  your  honor,  we  have  been  splitting  on  the  rock ! " 
Music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  was    much  cultivated  at 
Albany  Barracks ;  where  we  had  a  good  amateur  concert  society,  led 
by  the  depot  paymaster  Knyvet,  a  member  of  a  family  at  that  time 
of  much  musical  celebrity. 

We  had  also  a  "  lyrical  club,"  whose  members  gave  parties  in  turn 
at  their  respective  quarters ;  on  which  occasions  they  were  bound  to 
contribute  songs  of  then:  own  composition  to  the  general  stock. 

These  military  nodes,  though  not  so  famous  as  the  noctes  ambro- 
siana,  were  productive  of  much  fun  and  festivity ;  and  the  numerous 
original  compositions  contributed  by  the  members,  many  of  whom 
are  now  general  officers  in  the  service,  would  fill  a  very  amusing 
volume.  From  these,  I  shall  select  one  contributed  by  myself,  and 
the  introduction  of  which  to  the  club  was  marked  by  a  serio-comic 
incident  that  afforded  many  a  hearty  laugh,  when  the  fright  which  it 
occasioned  was  happily  forgotten. 

It  being  my  turn  to  entertain  the  club,  consisting  of  about  thirty 
officers  of  all  ranks,  the  prime  spirits  of  the  depot,  we  met  at  my 
lodgings  in  Newport,  where  we  sat  down  to  a  comfortable  supper, 
it  being  desirable  to  lay  a  solid  foundation  for  such  orgies  as  might 
be  set  forth  in  the  night's  programme. 

Being  bound  for  the  "Golden  Chersonese,"  I  thought  it  would  be 
characteristic  to  introduce  mullikatauny  and  curry ;  which,  with  the 
ducks  and  green  pease,  the  beefsteaks,  cutlets,  pigeon  pies,  and  all 
the  other  et  ceteras  of  my  bill  of  fare,  were  pronounced  unexception- 
able by  very  competent  judges. 

But  greatly  as  they  enjoyed  these  creature  comforts,  the  eyes  of 
all  seemed  irresistibly  attracted  from  the  good  things  before  them  to 
the  contemplation  of  my  side-board ;  not,  however,  by  the  splendour 
of  my  plate,  with  which  at  all  times  I  have  been  very  scantily 
furnished,  but  by  the  soldier-like  appearance  of  two  dozen  large, 
square-shouldered  Dutch-built  bottles,  drawn  up  in  line  by  Terence 
O'Flinn,  my  new  footman,  with  military  precisiou,  and  admirably 
dressed  from  right  to  left. 

These  very  attractive  magnums  were  full  to  the  stopper  of  most 
excellent  "  moonshine,"  our  poetical  name  for  Hollands,  with  which 
popular  tipple  "the  Island"  was  then  plentifully  supplied  by 
smugglers,  whose  proceedings  courted  more  the  "pale  glimpses  of 
the  moon,"  than  the  "  garish  eye  of  day." 

When  the  rage  of  hunger  was  repressed,  as  Homer  has  it,  and 
Terence  had  divested  the  festal  board  of  the  fragments  of  the  feast, 


206  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

lie  placed  four  of  the  magnums  on  the  table,  at  equal  distances,  with 
the  usual  concomitants  of  hot  and  cold  water,  lemons,  sugar,  &c.,  and 
left  us  to  our  poetical  enjoyments.  There  was,  of  C9urse,  wine  for  all 
who  preferred  it,  but  a  vast  majority  chose  the  Schiedam,  which  was 
pronounced  superexcellent. 

After  a  few  of  our  most  popular  lyrics  had  been  sung  by  their 
respective  composers,  I  was  called  upon  for  my  contribution,  which, 
with  becoming  modesty,  I  gave  as  follows : — 

THE  ARMY  DEPOT.* 

I. 

I  can't  for  my  life  tell  the  cause  of  this  stuff, 

About  marching',  and  fasting,  and  fighting1,  and  glory; 
We  all  have  had  fighting  and  lasting  enough, 
And  shall  nourish,  no  doubt,  in  the  bright  page  of  story. 
Jn  a  snug-  barrack-room 
We  now  banish  gloom, 
As  by  the  fireside  we  belabour  the  foe  ; 
Secure  from  a  scar, 
We  encourage  the  war, 
At  Albany  Barracks,  the  army  depot. 

II. 
Here  we've  music,  and  moonshine,  and  high-foaming  bowls, 

Arid  cards,  and  tea-parties,  and  routs  without  number; 
And  balls,  where  the  ladies  show  off,  pretty  souls  ! 
While  with  gauze  their  fair  bosoms  they  scorn  to  encumber. 
Thus  all  debunnaire, 
We  kick  away  care, 

Each  moment  more  social  and  happy  we  grow  : 
In  your  sleeve  you  may  laugh, 
When  you  set  on  the  staff, 
Of  Albany  Barracks,  the  army  depot. 

III. 

Sweet  Vectis  !  of  England  the  garden  renown'd ' 

Though  always  luxuriant,  thou  never  wert  wild: 
No  man  was  a  hermit  where  no  woman  frown'd; 
No  swain  sigh'd  in  vain  where  the  ladies  all  smiled. 
Thy  daughters  so  fair, 
So  artless,  so  rare, 

So  neat,  smart,  and  graceful,  from  top  to  the  toe  ! 
Good-natured  and  gay, 
Drive  old  Care  far  away 
From  Albany  Barracks,  the  army  dep6t. 

IV. 
Here,  cheerful  and  social,  where  no  one  offends, 

Each  thought,  word,  and  act  will  submit  to  reflection; 
Round  Pleasure's  gay  banner  we  rally  like  friends, 
Drawn  close  by  the  bands  of  esteem  and  affection. 
And  our  good  Commandant 
Every  favour  will  grant, 
To  make  this  fine  current  in  harmony  flow : 
Polite,  mild,  and  kind, 
He  rules  o'er  the  mind, 
At  Albany  Barracks,  the  army  dep6t. 

*  This  song  was  written  by  the  late  Captain  William  Rafter,  of  the  60th,  or 
King's  royal  rifles. 


AXBANY  BABBACRS.  207 

V. 

Whenever  by  duty's  imperious  decree, 

I'm  forced  to  relinquish  this  charming  communion, 
My  body  may  rove,  but  my  heart,  no  more  free, 
I  will  leave  as  a  hostage  of  future  reunion. 
From  the  garden  when  driven, 
I'll  look  back  on  Heaven, 
Like  grandfather  Adam,  reluctant  to  go  ; 
And  part,  with  a  tear, 
From  the  circle  so  dear, 
At  Albany  Barracks,  the  army  dep6t ! 

Three  distinct  rounds  of  applause  repaid  my  willing  labours,  and 
compliments  innumerable  were  showered  on  my  blushing  muse.  My 
health  was  toasted  in  bumpers  of  Schiedam,  and  the  president  de- 
clared I  was  the  most  promising  recruit  that  had  yet  joined  the 
"Albany  Lyrical  Club." 

In  short,  my  gratification  was  unbounded,  and  I  began  already  to 
feel  those  incipient  yearnings  for  poetic  fame  which  so  often  lead 
young  scribblers  into  the  swamps  and  quagmires  that  surround  the 
base  of  Parnassus,  when  a  gentle  knock  was  heard  at  the  door  of  the 
drawing-room  where  we  held  our  symposium. 

"  Come  in !  "  I  cried,  thinking  it  was  my  landlady's  servant,  with 
some  complimentary  message  from  her  mistress,  who  must  have  over- 
heard our  minstrelsy,  and  had,  doubtless,  the  good  taste  to  appreciate 
my  superior  eifusion. 

But  the  door  opened  and  admitted  two  men,  utter  strangers  to  me, 
and  who  might  certainly  be  classed  as  very  queer-looking  fellows. 
They  approached  my  chair  without  ceremony,  and  one  of  them  ad- 
dressed me  as  follows : — 

"Mayhap  you  don't  know  me,  Muster  Blake;  but  my  name  is 
Jeremiah  Snap,  and  I'm  a  hofficer  of  excise,  sir." 

"  Well,"  I  boldly  exclaimed,  though  rather  startled  at  the  announce- 
ment, "  what  have  you  to  do  with  me,  my  good  fellow  ?  " 

"  Not  much  for  the  present  time,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Snap,, with  a 
sardonic  grin ;  "  but  I'm  hobbligated  to  seize  them  there  bottles  of 
Skydam ;  and  'tain't  onlikely  as  how  the  commissioners  may  require 
you  to  account  for  having  urn  in  your  possession.'' 

"  What  d d  impertinence  is  this  ?  "  I  exclaimed,  starting  up  in 

a  very  blustering  mood.  "  How  dare  you,  sir,  come  into  my  house 
without  my  permission  ?  " 

"  I  ou  bid  me  come  in,"  said  Mr.  Snap,  with  a  wink  at  his  respect- 
able companion ;  "  didn't  he,  Jim  ?  " 

"  I'll  take  my  Bible  hoath  of  it ! "  said  Jim. 

"I'll  not  stand  this  nonsense,  by  heavens!"  I  exclaimed;  "quit 
the  room  instantly,  or  I'll  kick  you  downstairs." 

"  Pitch  the  rascals  out  of  the  window  !  "  cried  two  or  three  young 
members  of  the  club ;  and  up  they  jumped,  very  well  inclined  to  put 
their  threat  into  execution. 

"  I  say,  Jim,"  bellowed  Mr.  Snap,  "  you  jest  run  off  for  the  po-lice, 
you'll  find  'em  round  the  corner  at  Snags's ;  and  I'll  stay  to  see  that 
these  here' coves  don't  make  away  with  them  there  bottles." 

"Stop,  stop!"  cried  our  president,  in  a  voice  of  authority;  "let  us 


208  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAtt. 

have  no  violence  in  this  matter.  There  is  no  occasion  whatever  for 
the  police.  I  know  Mr.  Snap  very  well,  and  I'm  quite  sure  he's  a 
gentleman." 

"  Thank  you,  colonel/'  said  Mr.  Jeremiah ;  "  I  knows  you  too,  sir, 
and  I'm  sure  you'll  give  these  young  gen'lemen  good  adwice,  sir." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  president,  "all  shall  be  settled  amicably.  The 
fact  is,  Mr.  Snap,  that  there  is,  as  you  say,  a  small  matter  _of  'moon- 
shine' here  ;  but  only  just  enough  for  this  evening's  drinking;  and  I 
pledge  my  word  there  won't  be  a  vestige  of  it  in  the  morning.  Now, 


attitude  of  virtuous  indignation,  as  his  eye  glanced  from  the  two 
guineas  to  the  four-and-twenty  bottles  all  in  a  row. 

"Well!  but  consider,"  said  the  colonel. 

"  Quite  impossible,  sir,"  persisted  Jeremiah.  "  Never  did  sich  a 
thing  in  all  my  life  •  did  I  ever,  Jim  ?  " 

"Never,  on  my  Bible  hoath,"  replied  Jim. 

The  incorruptible  virtue  of  the  excise  officer  threw  us  all  into  a 
quandary ;  not  for  the  loss  of  the  Schiedam,  which  was  a  trifle,  as  I 
had  wine,  brandy,  and  whisky  in  abundance,  for  the  night's  con- 
sumption ;  but  whispers  now  began  to  circulate  of  the  expense  and 
trouble  of  custom-house  prosecutions,  as  well  as  the  absolute  jeopardy 
in  which^our  commissions  might  be  placed,  if  matters  were  pushed  to 
extremities  against  us.  It  was  said  that  smuggling  had  recently  been 
carried  to  so  daring  a  pitch  in  the  island,  owing  to  the  extraordinary 
demand  for  gin  amongst  the  troops,  that  the  commissioners  were  de- 
termined to  make  a  striking  example  the  very  first  opportunity  that 
offered ;  and,  as  Old  Nick  would  have  it,  there  could  not  be  a  better 
one  than  the  present.  ^ 

Taken,  as  we  were,  mflagrante  delicto,  with  those  damnable  Dutch 
bottles  staring  us  in  the  face,  paraded  with  such  brainless  vanity  by 
Mr.  Terence  O'Flinn,  on  whom  we  vented  "curses  not  loud,  but  deep," 
we  had  no  other  resource  than  bribery  to  relieve  us  from  our  dilemma. 
The  dogged  Mr.  Snap,  however,  was  so  outrageously  true  to  his  trust 
as  to  refuse  all  our  offers,  though  we  trebled'  and  quadrupled  the 
original  figure ;  and,  with  a  stern  virtue  that  would  have  done  honour 
to  an  old  Roman,  he  insisted  on  carrying  off  his  prize.  This,  indeed, 
we  could  now  no  otherwise  prevent  than  by  having  recourse  to 
violence,  and  thus  making  the  matter  a  thousand  times  worse.  _ 

With  heavy  hearts,  therefore,  we  saw  the  virtuous  Jeremiah  and 
his  conscientious  myrmidon  make  preparations  to  transfer  our  four- 
and-twenty  bottles  of  exquisite  Hollands  from  our  supper-room  to 
the  custom-house.  Never  did  the  "  Albany  Lyrical  Club "  suffer 
such  a  heavy  blow  and  great  discouragement.  In  blank  stupidity, 
we  looked  at  one  another ;  the  most  eloquent  amongst  us  as  mute 
as  stock-fish,  in  fearful  anticipation  of  arrests,  courts-martial,  and 
custom-house  prosecutions,  in  secnla  seculorum. 

But  what  vexed  me  more  bitterly  than  all  the  rest,  was  to  see  the 
cause  of  our  calamity — the  military  puppy,  Mr.  Terence  O'Flinn,  who 
had  so  ostentatiously  exposed  his  whole  line  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy, 


ALBANY  BAB.EACKS.  209 

instead  of  exerting  his  wit  to  counteract  that  enemy,  actually  assisting 
him  to  complete  his  conquest.  For  instance,  Mr.  Snap  being  puzzled 
how  to  carry  off  his  seizure  all  at  once,  not  deeming  it  advisable  to 
make  several  trips  for  that  purpose,  the  rascal  Terence  solved  the 
difficulty  in  a  trice,  by  saying, — 

"  Sure,  there's  a  fine  large  clothes-basket  downstairs  that  will  carry 
'em  all  at  wanst  for  you,  Mr.  Snap." 

"Thank  you,  my  good  fellow,"  said  Jeremiah;  "do  bring  it  up, 
and  I'll  give  you  something  for  your  trouble." 

Terence  ran  down,  and  soon  reappeared  with  the  basket ;  but  not 
satisfied  with  this  audacious  piece  of  treachery,  he  actually  assisted 
in  packing  up  the  bottles,  as  if  he  was  doing  the  most  praiseworthy 
action  in  the  world. 

"  That's  the  scoundrel  that  betrayed  you,"  said  one  of  the  young 
fellows  near  me. 

"  Not  a  doubt  of  it,"  I  replied;  "but  I'll  pay  him  out  for  it  before 
long." 

"  Now  then,  Jim,"  said  Mr.  Snap,  when  all  the  bottles  were  stowed 
away,  "take  the  basket  on  your  shoulder  carefully,  and  we'll  wish  the 
gen'lemen  good  night." 

This  was  said  with  an  affectation  of  civility,  and  a  leer  of  vulgar 
triumph  that  drove  me  distracted. 

The  basket  was  accordingly  placed  upon  Jim's  shoulder,  with  the 
assistance  of  my  rascal  Terence,  who  was  so  cursedly  officious,  that  I 
could  have  knocked  his  head  and  the  wall  together. 

"  Take  care  av  yourself,  my  man,"  said  Terence,  "  and  mind  how 
you  go  down ;  the  stairs  is  dark,  and  some  of  the  steps  is  slippery." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  replied  Jim ;  "  I  knows  what  I'm  about.  This  here 
ain't  the  first  time  we've  done  the  swells  out  of  their  Skydam." 

"Stand  away  from  below ! "  shouted  Terence.  " Sure,  af  the  honest 
man  was  to  slip,  he'd  dhrown  ye  all  in  blue  blazes ! " 

"  Thank  you,  my  worthy  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Snap ;  "  I'll  recollect 
your  civility ;  and  if  you  call  on  me  next  week,  you  shall  have  a  drop 
of  beer  for  it." 

Terence  was  duly  grateful  for  this  exuberant  generosity  on  the 
part  of  Jeremiah ;  and  the  latter,  turning  to  us,  exclaimed,  with  a 
smile  of  insolent  triumph, — 

"I  wish  you  all  a  good  evening,  gen'lemeu,  and  hopes  you'll  excuse 
Oh  criki !  what  the  devil  is  that  ?  " 

A  deafening  peal  of  laughter  succeeded  the  horrible  crash  which 
had  caused  Mr.  Jeremiah's  exclamation ;  for  Terence,  watching  his 
opportunity,  had  given  the  basket  a  tip,  and  down  it  went  to  the 
bottom.  The  four-and-twenty  square-shouldered  bottles  were  smashed 
in  a  thousand  fragments  on  the  stone  floor  of  the  passage ;  and  before 
ten  minutes  had  elapsed,  not  a  thimbleful  of  their  contents  could  be 
saved  as  evidence  01  our  smuggling  propensities. 

The  crest-fallen  Jeremiah  sneaked  off  like  a  dog  that  has  stolen  a 
bone  and  expects  to  be  well  kicked  for  it ;  and  we  entered  into  a  sub- 
scription on  the  spot  to  present  Mr.  Terence  O'llinn  with  a  silver 
watch  for  his  ingenuity  and  presence  of  mind. 


210  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

>'ifff!rr;vi:: 
LIFE    IN    AN    1NDIAMAN. 

THE  order  for  embarkation  at  length  appeared,  and  I  made  prepai'a- 
iions  accordingly  for  the  gorgeous  East  ;  laying  in  a  stock  of  seven  or 
eight  dozen  shirts,  with  all  other  articles  of  wearing  apparel  in  pro- 
portion, to  the  great  astounding  of  my  servant,  who  seriously  asked 
me  if  officers  kept  shop  when  they  went  over  there  to  India  to  sell 
shirts,  trousers,  and  all  other  hardware. 

As  the  spring  fleet  of  the  Bombay  and  China  ships  then  lay  at 
Spithead,  1  embarked  from  Ryde  with  a  detachment  of  fifty  men, 
and  soon  found  myself  on  board  the  Cumberland,  a  fine  vessel  of 
1,500  tons  burthen,  mounting  thirty-six  guns,  with  a  miscellaneous 
crew  of  150  men,  including  a  good  many  Chinese  and  Hindoo  Lascars. 
I  was  received  with  every  civility  and  attention  by  the  second  officer, 
who  commanded  pro  tern.,  and  speedily  installed  in  a  fine,  capacious 
cabin,  which  I  shared  with  a  cornet  of  the  17th  Light  Dragoons. 

Our  fleet  consisted  of  five  large  Indiamen,  under  convoy  of  the 
Seringajpatam  frigate  ;  and  as  Blue  Peter  was  flying  at  the  foretop  of 
the  latter,  everything  was  in  a  state  of  bustle  and  preparation  for  a 
long  passage.  The  decks  were  constantly  crowded  with  soldiers  and 
soldiers'  wives,  and  passengers  with  their  servants  and  luggage,  in- 
termingled with  sea-stock,  which  comprised  a  couple  of  cows,  with 
numerous  sheep,  pigs,  geese,  turkeys,  ducks,  &c.  &c.,  the  whole  con- 
tributing their  utmost  efforts  to  the  general  noise  and  confusion  that 
prevailed  in  this  modern  ark  of  all  created  things. 

Two  or  three  days,  however,  sufficed  to  shake  every  one  down  into 
their  proper  places  ;  and  the  commodore,  having  loosed  his  foretop- 
sail  and  nred  a  gun,  the  capstan  was  manned,  the  drums  and  fifes 
mustered  on  the  forecastle,  and,  amidst  the  inspiring  strains  of  the 
"  Girl  I  left  behind  me/'  the  men  gave  way  on  the  bars  with  their 
joyous  circular  tramp  till  the  slack  of  the  cable  was  hove  in.  Then 
the  chief  mate,  or  first  officer,  as  he  is  styled,  who  was  pacing  back- 
wards and  forwards  on  the  poop,  shouted  through  his  speaking- 
trumpet  :  —  • 

"  Belay  all  that  !    Mr.  Ripley,  man  the  whip  there." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Ripley,  second  officer,  who  commanded 
in  the  waist,  and  who  issued  the  necessary  orders  to  his  subordinates. 

The  men  appointed  for  this  particular  duty  having  overhauled  the 
rigging  of  the  whip,  that  comfortable  mode  of  ascent,  manufactured 
out  of  a  rum  puncheon,  and  decorated  with  several  of  the  ship's  flags, 
was  immediately  lowered  into  the  captain's  launch,  which  had  just 
c  ome  alongside. 

We  all  sprang  to  the  hammock-nettings,  to  see  what  Providence 
had  sent  us  in  a  female  form  worth  looking  at,  for  as  yet  we  had 
boen  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  lady  passenger  but  a  couple  of  officers' 


LIFE  IN  AN  INDIAMAN.  211 

wives,  rather  passees,  but  otherwise  chatty  and  agreeable  enough. 
When  I  say  that  we  had  a  passage  of  three  or  four  months  before  us, 
the  reader  will  readily  understand  how  anxiously  we  looked  forward  to 
some  compaanons  de  voyage  of  that  sex  and  age  which  alone  can  dissi- 
pate the  dulness  of  time,  and  gild  even  monotony  itself  with  unwonted 
splendour. 

Captain  Wilkinson,  a  very  gentlemanly,  nice  fellow,  by  the  way, 
having  ascended  the  ship's  side,  stood  ready  to  receive  two  ladies 
who  had  come  with  him.  The  first  of  these  was  the  wife  of  Colonel 
Oddy,  of  the  Company's  service,  a  pleasant,  good-natured,  lady-like 
person,  who  smiled  around  upon  all,  as  if  to  give  assurance  of 
continued  fair  weather  from  that  quarter,  at  least :  but  how  shall  I 
describe  the  second, — a  young  lady  who  was  making  her  first  trip  to 
India  under  Mrs.  Oddy's  protection  ? 

Picture  to  yourself,  gentle  reader,  a  blonde  of  the  purest  and  most 
delicate  tint,  with  a  profusion  of  light  auburn  ringlets,  and  eyes  of 
melting  blue,  the  certain  indications  of  a  tender  and  affectionate 
heart :  an  elegant  figure,  somewhat  inclined  to  embonpoint,  a  graceful 
step  and  carriage,  and  a  charming  affability,  which  won  the  involuntary 
love  of  all.  Picture  this  to  yourself,  and  you  will  have  something 
like  a  semblance  of  Julia  Monson. 

Every  one  who  could  get  a  look  at  this  fair  vision  as  she  passed  on 
to  the  poop  cabins  seemed  pleasingly  struck  with  her  appearance : 
for  my  part,  I  was  fascinated,  entranced,  rapt  in  a  soft  Elysium  of 
admiration  and  delight.  I  know  not  how  it  is,  but  love  seems  to  be 
the  natural  foundation  of  my  character ;  for,  though  I  have  had  a  fair 
share  of  fighting,  I  cannot  say  that  I  ever  felt  so  much  pleasure  in  the 
latter  as  in  the  former ;  or,  perhaps,  I  should  rather  say  that  the  fierce 
excitement  of  the  one  never  yielded  me  the  exquisite  enjoyment  of 
the  other. 

However  this  may  be,  as  I  am  no  splitter  of  metaphysical  hairs, 
or  profound  searcher  into  the  mysterious  idiosyncrasy  of  the 
human  heart,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say,  that  even  this  slight  and 
single  glance  of  Julia  Monson  sealed  my  destiny  for  ever,  as  I  then 
imagined.  But,  though!  shall  possiblv  suffer  in  the  opinion  of  my 
fair  readers  for  the  facility  with  which  I  appear  to  have  transferred 
mv  affections  from  one  to  another,  they  must  do  me  the  justice  to 
admit  that  I  never  made  choice  of  a  new  love  until  the  old  one  was 
irrevocably  lost  to  me  by  some  stern  decree  of  fate,  which  seemed 
determined  that  I  should  never  be  fixed  to  any  one  in  particular,  but 
to  veer  eternally  to  every  point  of  the  female  compass. 

Some  sensualists  there  are  who  excuse  their  versatility  by  the 
distich  of  the  poet,  that 

"  When  we  are  far  from  the  lips  that  we  love, 
We  have  but  to  make  love  to  the  lips  we  are  near." 

I  am,  however,  by  110  means  such  a  materialist  as  to  be  influenced 
by  this  heretical  doctrine.  On  the  contrarv,  so  far  from  wishing  to 
cast >  off  the  chains  I  have  proudly  worn  for  my  early  loves,  I  still 
cherish  their  memories  with  the  most  lively  affection,  and  fancy  that. 
in  every  fresh  phase  of  my  amorous  existence.  I  but  make  a  renewal 


212  THE  YOUNG  llIfLEMAlf. 

of  my  affection  to  the  same  angelic  being,  in  a  new  and  somewhat 
different  form,  that  first  inspired  me  with  the  tender  passion. 

But  the  anchor 's  a-peak,  and  we  are  off  down  Channel.  Sweet 
Vectis  is  melting  in  the  distance,  and  Boreas  is  blustering  in  our 
rigging ;  while  ever  and  anon  he  takes  the  ruffian  billows  by  their 
foamy  tops  and  dashes  them  along  our  reeking  decks  in  showers  of 
spray,  that  send  the  fresh-water  sailors  dripping  to  their  cabins.  I, 
more  accustomed  to  the  rude  element,  with  lorage-cap  strapped  under 
my  chin,  and  Spanish  capa  wrapped  m  many  folds  around  me,  pace 
the  quarter-deck,  backwards  and  forwards,  with  the  officer  of  the 
watch,  spinning  yarn  for  yarn  with  the  sea-going  monster,  and 
peering  curiously  into  the  cuddy  windows,  not  by  any  means  so  much 
attracted  by  the  savoury  preparations  therein  going  forward,  as  by 
a  longing  hope  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  this  new.star  of  my  destiny.  _ 

But  Julia,  lovely,  inexorable  maid  !  was  invisible,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  submit  to  the  succedaneum  of  an  excellent  dinner,  which  was  now 
announced  by  drum  and  fife,  in  the  good  old  fashion. 

Our  table  extended  the  whole  width  of  the  cuddy,  that  is,  of  the 
ship's  beam;  all  but  the  space  allotted  to  a  couple  of  18-pounders 
on  each  side,  their  muzzles  being  presented  to  the  lowering  sea  and 
sky,  and  their  breeches  to  the  company.  The  latter  was  by  no  means 
so  numerous  as  I  expected,  for  several  of  the  passengers,  and  most 
of  the  young  "  soldier  officers/'  writers,  and  cadets,  were  hors  de 
combat ;  while  we,  who  were  callous  to  nautical  calamities,  were  left 
to  the  enjoyment  of  a  banquet  more  than  sufficient  for  thrice  our 
number. 

At  the  head  of  the  table  sat  the  captain,  with  his  pleasant  smiling 
countenance,  and  at  the  bottom,  old  Cole,  the  chief  mate,  or  first 
officer,  with  his  little  cunning  bead-like  eyes,  looking  out  for  a  fresh 
victim  at  chicken-hazard.  Both  did  the  honours  with  much  urbanity 
to  their  new  guests;  though  a  heavy  lurch  would  now  and  then 
upset  a  toureen  of  pea-soup,  or  send  an  avalanche  of  knives,  forks, 
and  shattered  crystal  into  the  lap  of  some  luckless  Griffin. 

It  came  on  to  blow  great  guns  as  we  got  into  the  chops  of  the 
Channel,  and  matters  were  not  much  improved  when  we  found  our- 
selves amidst  the  mountain  billows  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  A  dreary 
silence  meanwhile  pervaded  the  poop  cabins,  whose  inmates  seemed 
to  have  given  up  the  ghost  altogether :  indeed,  I  began  at  last  to 
fancy  that  no  such  person  as  Julia  Monson  really  existed,  but  that 
my  eyes  must  have  been  deceived  by  some  bodiless  creation  of  a 
distempered  brain ;  or  else  that  some  Hitting  sea-nymph  had  been 
amusing  an  idle  moment  at  my  expense. 

I  had  nothing  for  it,  therefore,  but  to  plunge,  as  a  pis-aller,  into 
those  gastronomic  enjoyments  which  seem,  indeed,  to  be  the  sole 
blessings  of  a  long  voyage :  per  esempio,  at  eight  o'clock  A.M.  we  had 
an  excellent  breakfast  of  pork  chops,  mutton  chops,  ham  and  eggs, 
fried  fish,  hot  rolls,  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  &c. ;  at  twelve,'  we  had 
biscuit,  Stilton,  Parmesan,  pale  ale,  and  Madeira ;  at  two,  an  elegant 
and  abundant  dinner,  with  so  many  shore  luxuries  that  no  one  could 
fancy  that  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlantic.  At  six  o'clock,  tea 
was  served,  with  many  of  the  breakfast  accompaniments ;  and  at  nine, 


LIFE  IN  AN  INDIAMA.N.  213 

a  capital  supper  of  cold  meat,  broiled  bones,  devilled  turkeys,  roasted 
potatoes,  malt,  grog,  punch,  &c.  Sancho  himself  never  had  greater 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  wedding  of  Camacho ;  for  the  cuddy 
table  was,  in  short,  one  continuous  scene  of  eating  and  drinking,  one 
meal  being  no  sooner  despatched  than  preparations  were  made  for 
another. 

Julia,  however,  the  sun  of  my  existence,  had  not  yet  illuminated 
our  horizon,  for  the  weather  was  still  rough,  and  the  ship  rolled  and 
plunged  heavily,  keeping  our  decks  in  a  constant  deluge  of  spray, 
while  our  view  was  bounded  by  vapoury  clouds,  through  which  our 
other  ships  looked  like  spectral  edifices  of  ropes  and  spars,  showing 
their  very  keels  occasionally  on  the  crest  of  a  mountain  wave,  as  if  on 
the  very  point  of  toppling  over. 

Even  I,  though  1  always  loved  the  battling  of  the  elements, 
would  often  weary  of  the  sameness,  and  retire  to  my  cabin,  which 
rarely  had  occasion  f9r  dead-lights,  while  others  were  involved  in 
darkness.  There,  while  my  young  companion  of  the  17th  amused 
himself  with  hook  and  line  catching  mackerel,  noddies,  Mother  Gary's 
chickens,  and  other  aquatic  birds  and  fish  that  followed  in  the  wake  of 
the  ship,  I  endeavoured  to  give  expression  to  my  thoughts  and  feelings 
through  the  medium  of  my  flute ;  and  once  or  twice  I  was  gratified 
by  something  like  a  responsive  strain  overhead,  a  light  and  graceful 
touch  on  the  piano,  accompanied  by  a  voice  of  simple  pathos  and 
natural  melody.  Oh,  Julia ! 

We  at  length  got  into  the  latitude  of  the  Western  Islands,  and  the 
St.  Michael's  boats  came  off  with  fruit,  fish,  and  other  insular 
luxuries ;  while,  the  weather  being  warm  and  moderate,  our  lady- 
birds began  to  show  upon  the  quarter-deck.  Then,  indeed,  I  had  my 
fill  of  love  ;  for,  though  Julia  was  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  and  the 
magnet  that  attracted  every  heart,  yet  my  attentions  were  so  incessant, 
my  assiduities  so  marked,  that,  before  we  reached  Madeira,  my  position 
was  pretty  well  defined  as  the  favoured  beau  of  the  lovely  passenger. 

One  great  advantage  I  had  over  my  rivals  was  music,  of  which 
Julia  was  passionately  fond :  and  as  she  played  and  sang  with  taste 
and  expression,  the  accompaniment  of  my  flute  was  always  welcome 
of  an  evening,  when  the  ship  was  going  steadily  with  a  gentle  breeze 
abaft  the  beam ;  while  the  very  air  of  those  balmy  latitudes  was 
redolent  of  all-pervading  love. 

At  Madeira,  as  the  ships  lay-to  for  a  whole  day,  to  take  on  board 
the  usual  stock  of  wine  for  India,  and  the  London  market,  Mrs.  Oddy 
availed  herself  of  the  opportunity  to  make  a  little  party  for  shore, 
and  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  included  in  it ;  for,  though  Mrs. 
Oddy  knew  perfectly  well  that  I  should  be  outbidden  in  the  Indian 
market,  yet  she  had  a  tender  bosom,  that  felt  for  the  yearnings  of 
young  hearts  like  ours.  We  spent  a  delightful  day  at  Funchal  and 
its  lovely  vicinity,  where,  having  visited  several  sequestered  retreats 
of  nuns  and  friars,  from  whom  we  purchased  a  variety  of  nic-nacs, 
pretty  souvenirs,  of  no  intrinsic  value,  we  returned  on  board  in  the 
evening.  The  vessels  then  filled  their  sails,  and  we  stood  our  course, 
due  south,  and  by  east,  easterly ;  the  African  coast,  as  the  reader 
knows,  trending  away  in  that  direction. 


214-  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAN. 

Our  little  excursion  ashore  had  afforded  me  many  opportunities  of 
evincing  the  warmth  of  my  affection  for  Julia,  and  of  receiving  from 
her  a  sweet  encouragement  of  my  suit.  We  soon  became  inseparable ; 
and  getting  into  the  trade-winds,  when  the  ships  went  almost  mo- 
tionless before  the  breeze,  and  for  weeks  together  had  no  occasion  to 
stir  tack  or  sheet,  we  spent  the  long  pleasant  day  on  the  deck 
together,  walking,  chatting,  or  reading  beneath  an  ample  awning, 
vhile  the  evening  closed  in  with  music  and  dancing.  On  these 
occasions,  I  sang  seguidillax  for  Julia,  which  she  accompanied  very 
prettily  on  the  guitar ;  and  I  danced  the  Bolero  and  Fandango  for 
her  with  the  castanets ;— sometimes  burlesquing  those  picturesque 
dances  to  a  degree  that  made  her  laugh  till  she  cried.  Thus,  every 
day  added  to  the  freedom  of  our  intercourse,  and  the  fervency  of  our 
love,  as  we  proceeded  on  our  voyage,  laughing,  singing,  and  dancing ; 
the  captain  pleasant  and  good-humoured,  as  usual ;  the  ship's  officers 
obliging  and  attentive;  the  passengers  becoming  more  amiable  every 
day,  the  more  nearly  we  approached  the  termination  of  our  voyage ; 
and  old  Cole,  the  chief  mate,  pigeoning:  the  young  writers  and  cadets, 
as  usual,  in  his  cabin  at  chicken-hazard. 

But  we  met,  of  course,  with  the  usual  casualties  incidental  to  long 
voyages.  For  instance,  our  maintop  was  struck  with  lightning  one 
day,  and  blazed  out  with  alarming  fury ;  on  another  we  were  deluged 
by  the  bursting  of  a  waterspout,  which  set  us  all  floating  in  our 
cabins.  Then  we  had  several  dreadful  gales  of  wind,  which  put  a 
stop  to  co9king  for  days  together ;  and  as  many  still  more  dreadful 
calms ;  being  forced  to  take  shelter  from  the  one  in  Simon's  Bay, 
and  patiently  to  endure  the  other,  like  "the  Ancient  Mariner." 
Finally,  when  in  the  latitude  of  Bourbon  and  the  Isle  of  France,  we 
had  to  clear  twice  for  action ;  but,  on  both  occasions,  the  Frencli 
cruisers,  which  had  caused  the  alarm,  kept  a  respectful  distance,  and 
showed  each  a  fair  pair  of  heels  when  our  gallant  frigate  bore  down 
upon  them,  under  a  towering  cloud  of  canvas,  gracefully  skimming 
the  surface  of  the  subject  main. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

LONG    CROKEH    OF    OURS. 

AT  length,  after  a  favourable  passage  of  three  months  and  twenty 
days,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  celebrated  dowry  of  the  infanta  Donna 
Catalina,  the  far-famed  island  of  Bombay ;  and  as  we  approached  the 
picturesque  shores  of  the  beautiful  inlet  from  which  it  derives  its 
name,  sailing  by  the  hanging  woods  and  cavern-temples  of  Elephanta. 
and  skirting  the  lofty  mountains  of  the  Mahratta  shore,  we  hailed 
with  delight  this  first  appearance  of  the  gorgeous  East,  and  revelled 
in  fancied  joys  and  golden  anticipations. 

It  was  barely  six  o'clock  A.M.  when  we  neared  the  shore ;  but  all 
was  life  and  bustle.  The  placid  bosom  of  the  bay  was  crowded  with 
vessels  of  every  description,  from  the  lofty  Indiaman  down  to  the 


LONG  CROKER  OF  OURS.  215 

lumbering  patamar  and  the  unsophisticated  fishing-boat ;  while  the 
somewhat  turbid  water,  which  succeeded  the  deep  blue  pi  the  ocean, 
seemed  alive  with  large  snakes  winding  lazily  about,  as  if  basking  in 
the  sunshine.  This  imparted  a  character  to  the  scenery  more  novel 
than  attractive  ;  but  when  the  native  boats  came  alongside,  and  we 
were  boarded  in  every  direction  by  crowds  of  dubashes,  maty-boys, 
durgces,  dobv-wallas,  et  hoc  genus  omne,  all  eagerly  seeking  employ- 
ment, and  soliciting  "master's"  patronage,  we  felt  ourselves  indeed 
in  a  new  world,  that  received  us  with  open  arms,  winning  smiles,  and 
a  profusion  of  luxuries;  altogether  unlike  the  cold  and  churlish 
indifference  we  had  been,  accustomed  to  in  our  own  phlegmatic 
regions. 

Every  preparation  being  made  for  immediate  landing,  our  parti  cle 
voyage  now  bade  each  other  a  friendly  adieu,  and  Julia  and  I  sepa- 
rated with  fervent  vows  of  everlasting  affection.  The  17th  Light 
Dragoons  being  somewhere  in  the  Guzerat,  the  officers  and  men  of 
that  regiment  on  board  were  to  take  up  their  quarters  for  the  present 
in  the  fort ;  the  cadets  were  all  taken  charge  of  by  the  sergeant-major 
of  the  Company's  European  regiment ;  the  young  writers  and  other 
passengers  had  generally  some  confidential  peon,  or  servant  of  their 
friends  on  shore,  to  marshal  them  the  way ;  while  a  quarter-master 
sergeant  of  my  ^  regiment  soon  found  me  out,  and  gave  me  the 
unpleasing  intelligence  that  the  battalion,  having  been  at  the  capture 
of  the  Isle  of  France,  had  sailed  thence  to  Madras,  and  was  soon 
after  included  in  the  expedition  to  Java,  under  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty. 
There  was  now,  he  said,  nothing  but  a  detachment  of  invalids,  with 
all  the  women  of  the  regiment,  left  at  Bombay,  under  the  charge  of  a 
major  and  one  subaltern. 

e  The  sergeant's  intelligence  was  a  considerable  damper  to  my  anti- 
cipated enjovment ;  but  I  lost  no  time  in  getting  my  men  into  the 
boats  provided  for  them,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  bunder,  or  pier- 
head. There  we  had  to  bustle  through  bales  of  merchandise,  piles  of 
teakwpod,  palanquins,  hackeries,  elephants,  camels,  and  various  other 
impediments,  peculiar  to  a  place  of  such  extensive  commerce ;  while 
crowds  of  Parsees,  Arabs,  Hindoo's,  Chinese,  &c.,  stunned  our  ears 
with  their  multifarious  jargons.  Under  the  guidance  of  our  sergeant, 
however,  we  at  length  got  clear  of  all  these  obstacles,  and  proceeded 
without  further  interruption  towards  our  destination. 

This  was  Colabah,  or  Old  Woman's  Island,  the  southern  extremity 
of  what  may  now  be  called  the  peninsula  of  Bombay ;  a  level  piece 
of  arid  rock  and  sandy  soil,  which  is  itself  insulated  at  high  water ; 
and  where  some  regiments  and  detachments  were  cantoned  in  very 
unsophisticated  barracks,  built  of  cocoanut-trees  and  bamboos,  and 
roofed  with  cadjans,  a  species  of  rude  matting  made  of  the  leaves  of 
the  former.  After  an  hour's  march,  nearly,  we  arrived  at  our  can- 
tonment, where,  having  delivered  over  my  detachment  to  the  ser- 
geant-major, I  said  to  my  conductor,— 

"  Well,  Sergeant  Jamieson,  what  is  become  of  your  officers  ?  I 
have  not  seen  one  of  them  yet." 

"  Weel,  sir,"  replied  Jamieson,  "  the  major,  ye  ken,  has  just 
stepped  over  to  Elephanta  with  a  party,  to  see  the  caves,  not  ex- 


216  THE  YOUNG  1UFLEMAN. 

pecting  the  ships  would  come  in  the  day ;  but  the  leeftenant  is  not 

"Then  show  me  to  his  quarters,"  I  said,  "for  I  am  confoundedly 
peckish,  and  shall  be  glad  of  a  good  breakfast." 

"Hech,  sir,"  cried  Jamieson,  with  a  smile,  "ye'll  be  jest  m  time 
then  for  a  bonny  griskin." 

"A  what?"  I  demanded. 

But  the  sergeant  stepped  out,  and  replied  not ;  I  could  see,  how- 
ever, by  his  manner  that  there  was  some  mystery  in  the  case. 

In  two  or  three  minutes  we  arrived  at  the  compound  of  Lieutenant 
Croker ;  a  somewhat  elevated  piece  9f  rocky  soil,  overlooking  the 
sea,  and  crowned  with  a  few  straggling  cocoanut-trees,  the  infini- 
tesimal roots  of  which  seemed  scarcely  connected  with  the  arid  bed 
from  which  they  sprang.  The  compound  was  surrounded  by  a  low 
hedge  of  milk-bush,  which  seemed  rather  destined  to  define  its  limits, 
than  to  defend  it  from  the  incursions  of  sundry  pigs,  pariah-dogs,  and 
naked  black  children  of  both  sexes,  who  ran  backwards  and  forwards 
through  its  numerous  gaps,  shouting,  grunting,  barking,  and  tumbling 
over  each  other,  with  the  most  amusing  hilarity  and  good  fellowship. 

In  the  centre  of  this  Indian  estate  stood  the  lieutenant's  bungalow, 
a  square  building  of  the  most  unpretending  simplicity;  its  walls 
being  formed  of  four  sturdy  cocoanut-trees  at  the  angles,  which 
were  connected  by  diagonal  bamboos  ;  and  these  were  covered  with 
cadjans,  impervious  to  the  sun  at  least,  if  not  to  the  wind  and  rain. 
The  roof  was  formed  in  a  similar  manner,  and  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing was  decorated  with  an  equally  light  and  graceful  verandah ;  while 
the  floor  was  formed  of  chunam,  an  excellent  cement  made  of  burnt 
sea-shells,  and  which,  when  properly  wrought,  bears  a  polish  like 
Parian  marble. 

In  spite  of  its  rude  architecture  and  rough  materials,  there  was  an 
air  of  lightness,  coolness,  and  comfort  about  this  bungalow  that 
struck  me  forcibly;  but  what  still  more  attracted  my  _  observation 
was  a  dead  pig  that  lay  on  a  table  in  front  of  the  building.  It  had 
evidently  just  been  killed ;  the  hair  was  scalded  off,  the  stomach 
opened  and  cleaned,  and  sundry  incisions  made,  secundum  artem,  in 
the  body,  by  a  very  tall,  gaunt  young  man,  who,  with  his  shirt- 
sleeves tucked  up  to  his  shoulder,  stood  by  the  table,  brandishing  a 
huge  butcher's  knife,  which  he  alternately  sharpened  on  his  steel 
and  buried  in  the  body  of  the  pig,  not  only  with  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of,  _ but  an  excessive  enjoyment  in,  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
slaughtering  art. 

"  If  you  please,  Leeftenant  Croker,"  said  my  conductor,  "  here  is 
Leeftenant  Blake  just  arrived  from  England." 

"  Oh,  Jupiter  ! "  exclaimed  the  amateur  butcher,  making  a  rush  at 
me,  as  if  about  to  slaughter  me  also ;  "  I  am  happy  to  see  you,  Percy 
Blake:"  here  he  shook  me  tremendously  by  the  hand.  "I  have 
heard  of  you  from  Jack  Dillon,"  he  continued.  "  I  know  you  of  old 
— blown  up  at  Rodrigo— -capital  shot,  eh ! — duck-gun,  or  rifle— single 
or  double— but  I'll  show  you  the  sport,  my  boy !— I'll  show  you  a 
jungle  that  will  astonish  your  weak  nerves,  and  make  you  wish  your- 
self up  to  your  neck  in  your  father's  horsepond." 


LONG  CHOKER  OP  OUHS.  217 

Thus  he  ran  on,  shaking  me  heartily  by  the  hand  all  the  time,  as  if 
really  glad  to  see  me;  and  occasionally  interrupting  himself  with 
such  exclamations  as  these : — 

"  I  say,  you  Chouree  Mootoo,  wallop  them  pigs  out  of  the  com- 

Cnd,  and  tell  Gungee  and  Paupee,  if  they  don't  keep  their  brats  at 
tie,  I'll  cut  'em  up  like  pork.  By  Jupiter !  there's  Juno  running 
off  with  the  pig's  croobeens !  Knock  her  down,  with  the  mallet, 
Rungapa !— you  thief  of  the  world,  you  have  missed  the  dog,  and 
killed  one  of  the  children ! — Oh,  Jupiter  !  what  a  shinty  we'll  have, 
when  Gungy  hears  you've  squashed  her  brat — there,  gather  him  up, 
and  throw  mm  over  the  milk  hedge,  or  we'll  have  a  court  of  inquiry, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash,  for  manslaughtering  a  little  mack 
bastard!" 

Sergeant  Jamieson  here  dropped  a  hint  that  I  had  not  yet  break- 
fasted. 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  replied  this  original.  "I'll  give  him  a 
griskin  that's  better  than  curry,  pillau,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  balder- 
dash. Oh !  you  haven't  been  to  head-quarters  yet  ?  You  haven't  seen 
PurseramBhow?" 

"Who  is  Purseram  Bhow?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  by  Jupiter ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  don't  know  who  Purse- 
ram Bhow  is  !  You'll  soon  know  enough  of  him,  my  boy ;  won't  he, 
Jamieson?" 

"  Aweel,  sir,"  replied  the  cautious  Scot,  "  I  think  it  vara  likely  he 
may." 

"  Come  along,  then,"  said  Croker;  "breakfast  will  be  ready  in  a 
jiffy.  Chouree  Mootoo,  is  the  table  laid  ?  " 

"  Ho,  sahib,"  replied  Chouree  Mootoo. 

"  Clap  us  down  a  couple  of  nice  griskins,"  said  Croker.  "  I'll 
come  and  give  them  a  touch  of  Cayenne  when  they're  beginning  to 
brown,  lou  Rungapa — ' 

"  Master  please  ?"  said  the  maty-boy. 

"  Go,"  said  Croker,  "  and  sweep  out  all  the  snakes,  scorpions,  and 
centipedes ;  and  get  a  couple  of  chillums  ready  for  after  breakfast." 

"Ho,  sahib,"  said  the  maty-boy,  as  he  scampered  off  to  obey 
orders. 

"  Joe  Ingram,"  said  Croker,  to  a  military  assistant  in  the  slaugh- 
tering department,  "take  that  pig's  head  to  the  major;  and  a  nice 
loin  to  the  quarter-master's  lady,  and  a  hind-quarter  to  Mrs.  Pay- 
master, with  my  salaam;  we'll  com  the  rest.  And,  Ingram,  you 
may  tell  the  sergeant-major  I  have  excused  you  from  knapsack  drill 
for  the  next  fortnight."  ' 

"  He  says  I  must  make  up  my  guards,  sir,"  interrupted  Ingram, 
"  for  them  two  nights  I  was  out  in  the  jungle  with  your  honour." 

"  That's  more  of  the  balderdash,"  replied  Croker.  "  'Tis  Purseram 
Bhow  put  that  in  his  head,  because  he  doesn't  like  me  to  be  absent 
from  quarters ;  but  tell  him  he  must  always  return  you  on  fatigue 
when  you're  with  me.  Tell  the  quarter-master  sergeant  to  give  you 
a  bottle  of  rum  on  my  account ;  and  now  for  breakfast,  Percy,  my 
boy — Rungapa,  let  out  the  dogs — Choreday,  choreday ! "  * 


218  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Then  forth  rushed  a  dozen  dogs  of  all  breeds  and  sizes,  from  an 
outhouse  where  the  noisy  pack  had  hitherto  been  confined ;  and  up 
they  jumped  upon  Croker  and  me  with  devouring  fondness  and 
delight.  I^lygar,  lurcher,  retriever,  pointer,  spaniel,  terrier,  and 
bulldog ;  frisking,  barking,  yelping,  and  coursing  each  other,  in  and 
out  of  the  bungalow,  and  round  the  compound,  like  so  many  mad 
things;  and  thus  accompanied  we  entered  the  salle-a-m anger  of  my 
new  friend. 

The  maty-boy  had  just  swept  out  the  snakes,  scorpions,  and  centi- 
pedes, but  I  still  thought  I  could  detect  a  few  crawling  about  here 
and  there ;  while  an  occasional  rustling  in  the  roof  overhead — for  the 
room  had  no  ceiling— and  a  sparkling  eye  peeping  out  between  the 
cadjans,  indicated  the  presence  of  a  lurking  snake  or  two.  The 
breakfast,  however,  was  excellent ;  for,  besides  the  promised  griskin, 
we  had  a  capital  prawn  curry,  and  some  of  those  dear  little  gelatinous 
fish  called  Dungaree  ducks.  Our  real  China  tea  and  our  Mocha 
coffee  were  sweetened  with  sugar-candy — an  improvement  certainly 
on  our  European  loaf-sugar;  and  nothing  could  be  more  exquisite,  if 
a  large,  green,  flying  bug  dio.  not  occasionally  flounce  into  the  teacup, 
and  render  it  undrmkable. 

"  You  Rungapa,"  said  Croker  to  his  maty-boy,  "  take  a  pellet-bow, 
and  shoot  those  rascals." 


black  bastards  "  were  loomed  to  death ;  when,  swoop'!  through  one 
of  the  windows  rushed  a  crow,  seized  a  fine  thick  slice  of  bread-and- 
butter  which  I  held  in  my  hand,  and  flew  out  of  the  door  like  a  flash 
of  lightning. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!  "  shouted  Croker,  "that  fellow  would  know  a  griffin 
a  mile  off." 

The  sable  felon,  however,  had  not  flown  so  fast,  but  that  a  pellet 
from  Rungapa's  bow  struck  him  right  under  the  wing ;  knocked  a 
shower  of  feathers  from  his  body,  and  the  bread-and-butter  from  his 
bill ;  which  was  caught,  ere  it  touched  the  earth,  by  another  of  the 
fraternity,  who  bore  off  the  prize  in  triumph. 

When  we  had  discussed  enough  of  the  solids  and  fluids,  a  couple  of 
hookahs  were  set  down  on  neat  Persian  carpets  behind  us ;  and  the 
silver  mouth-piece  of  the  long  tube  being  gently  insinuated  into  my 
right  hand  by  Chouree  Mootoo,  who,  in  addition  to  his  many  other 
employments,  was  hookah-burdar  for  the  nonce,  I  then,  for  the  first 
time,  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  chillum  ;  so  superior  in  every  respect 
to  our  barbarous  European  methods  of  inhaling  the  fragrance  of  the 
meditative  leaf. 

"  Oh,  Jupiter !"  my  host  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  here  is  Tom  Tchute. 
Come  on,  you  limping  rascal,  and  shave  me." 

Here  entered  a  little  elderly  native,  who  not  only  limped,  but 
squinted  awfully;  looking,  as  Croker  remarked,  a  dozen  ways  to  cheat 
the  devil.  He  was  attired  in  the  ordinary  Hindoo  costume,  all  per- 
fectly white  and  clean ;  with  large  gold  earrings,  several  silver  rings 
on  his  toes,  and  a  huge  roll  of  white  muslin  round  his  waist,  in 


LONG  CKOKEK  OP  DUES.  219 

which  were  stuck  sundry  razors,  hones,  and  razor-strops,  the  imple- 
ments of  his  calling.  He  entered  with  a  quick  jerking  motion, 
stropping  a  razor  all  the  while,  as  if  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  his 
time  j  and  his  little  sparkling  eyes  shot  rapid  glances  across  his  nose, 
as  if  111  eager  search  of  some  object  he  either  couldn't  find  or  couldn't 
shun.  Croker  said  the  latter  was  the  case ;  for  that  his  contract  with 
Old  Nick  had  nearly  expired,  and  he  was  now  looking  out  for  a  bolt. 

Tom,  who  was  surnamed  Tchute,  from  a  peculiar  branch  of  his 
trade,  lathered  and  shaved  my  friend  Croker  in  a  very  masterly  and 
artistic  manner ;  replying  in  monosyllables,  or  short  caustic  phrases, 
to  all  the  taunts  and  questions  of  his  equally  original  employer.  He 
also  performed  a  similar  operation  on  my  chin,  and  when  he  had 
fin  shed,  Croker  said, — 

'  You  had  better  shampoo  him.  Tom." 

'  Spose  master  like,"  replied  Tom. 

'  What  is  shampooing  ?  "  I  asked. 

'The  most  delightful  operation  vou  can  imagine,"  replied  Croker. 
"Isn't  it,  Tom?" 

"  Some  like,  some  not  like,"  said  Tom.  "  Young  griffin  sahib  not 
know  what  good  for  him." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  proceed  with  your  operation.    I  am  ready." 

Tom  then  began  to  knead  the  upper  part  of  my  body  gently  with 
his  knuckles,  as  if  he  had  so  much  dough  under  his  plastic  hands ; 
this  he  would  every  now  and  then  accompany  with  a  smart  slap  on 
some  muscular  part,  pressing  and  slightly  pinching  the  flesh;  his 
fingers  still  in  rapid  and  perpetual  motion,  flying  from  one  place  to 
another ;  imparting,  not  a  tickling,  but  a  tingling  sensation  to  nerves 
and  fibres  that  was  far  from  unpleasant,  and  producing  a  sleepy  ten- 
dency, which  he  would  suddenly  dispel  by  an  unexpected  cracking  of 
all  my  knuckles.  Then  he  would  resume  the  kneading  process ; 
occasionally  pulling  me  by  the  ears,  and  rubbing  with  his  smooth, 
soft  hand  the  muscles  of  the  neck  and  shoulders,  till  he  found  I  was 
again  subsiding  into  a  dozy  state ;  when  he  gave  my  head  such  a 
sudden  jerk,  that  I  thought  he  had  actually  caused  a  dislocation  of 
the  vertebra. 

"  You  infernal  villain ! "  I  exclaimed,  starting  up  ;  "  you  have 
broken  my  neck ! " 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha !  "  shouted  Croker.    "  By  Jupiter,  that's  beautiful." 

"  Spose  master  lie  down  a  bit,"  said  Tom  very  coolly,  "him  neck 
mend  again." 

I  felt,  indeed,  an  uncommon  propensity  for  sleep  at  the  moment ; 
and,  throwing  myself  on  Croker's  cane-bottomed  couch,  I  fell  into  a 
delicious  slumber,  which  lasted  till  tiffin-time,  when  I  awoke  wonder- 
fully refreshed  from  the  effects  of  this  peculiarly  Oriental  operation. 


220  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

THE  INDIAN  LADY. 

SOON  after  tiffin,  which  only  differed  from  breakfast  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  mulligatawny,  and  the  substitution  of  wine  and  malt  liquor  for 
tea  and  coffee,  I  felt  an  unconquerable  desire  to  see  my  dearly  beloved 
Julia  again ;  for,  although  a  few  short  hours  only  had  elapsed  since 
we  parted,  it  seemed  to  me  like  an  age.  I  therefore  requested 
Croker  to  send  one  of  his  boys  to  get  me  a  palanquin  while  I  dressed. 

"Oh,  Jupiter!  where  are  you  going  to,"  demanded  Croker,  "at 
this  hour  of  the  day,  when  nobody  stirs  out  unless  they  want  a  stroke 
of  the  sun?" 

"  I  am  going  to  the  commissary-general's,"  I  replied. 

"  The  commissary -general !  "  exclaimed  Croker.  "  What  do  you 
want  with  him  ?  " 

"Nothing  at  all  with  him,"  I  replied;  "but  I  want  to  see  his 
niece,  a  charming  girl  with  whom  I  came  out  in  the  Cumberland" 

"  Whew  !  "  exclaimed  Croker,  with  something  between  a  whistle 
and  an  interjection.  "  Is  that  the  way  the  land  lies  ?  Then,  by 
Jupiter,  you  shall  have  the  handsomest  palanquin  in  all  Bombay." 

He  accordingly  despatched  an  emissary  for  one  of  these  vehicles, 
and  I  had  just  completed  rny  toilette  when  it  arrived.  It  was,  in  fact,  a 
very  handsome  specimen  of  an  Oriental  carriage  ;  light  and  graceful 
in  its  form,  painted  and  varnished  with  great  brilliancy,  but  perfect 
taste ;  with  silver  mountings,  pale  green  satin  furniture,  humauls  all 
dressed  in  snow-white  tunics,  trousers,  and  turbans  ;  and  a  couple  of 
chobdars  in  front,  with  ebony  clubs,  and  silver  pine-apple  heads  to 
them.  I  congratulated  Chouree  Mootoo  on  the  good  taste  of  his 
selection ;  and  as  I  extended  myself  in  this  ne  plus  ultra  of  luxurious 
locomotion,  Croker  addressed  the  humauls  : — 

"  You  standy  Burra  Sahib  Commissary-General  in  the  fort  ?  " 

"  Ho,  sahib,"  was  the  reply,  "  we  standy,  we  standy." 

"  Then,"  said  Croker,  "  you  take  the  Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib  to 
say  salaam  to  Commissary-General  Sahib.  You  juldee  jow,  and  you 
shall  have  cherry-merry." 

"  Acha,  sahib,"  replied  the  humanls.  "  Colonel  Sahib  bhote  burra 
Bahauder." 

Off  we  accordingly  set  at  a  very  brisk  pace,  the  humauls  keeping 
step  admirably  with  the  grunting  sort  of  song  peculiar  to  them ;  and 
in  due  time  we  entered  the porte  cocliere  of  a  splendid  mansion  in  the 
fort,  the  chobdars  shouting  at  the  very  top  of  their  lungs,  "  Colonel 
Bahauder  Sahib  !  Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib  !  " 

I  descended  from  the  palanquin  amidst  a  double  row  of  sable 
domestics ;  all  salaaming  as  I  passed,  and  repeating  from  one  to 
another,  "Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib!  Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib!3' 
The  announcement  was  caught  up  as  I  mounted  a  magnificent  flight 
of  stone  steps ;  and  was  echoed  and  re-echoed  through  a  suite  of  lofty 


THE  INDIAN  LADT.  221 

apartments,  gorgeously  furnished,  by  another  double  row  of  domes- 
tics ;  till  the  whole  building  rang  again  with  "  Colonel  Bahauder 
Sahib  !  Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib ! " 

Thus  I  passed  from  one  stately  room  to  another;  walking  upon 
floors  of  such  highly  polished  chunam,  that  the  rich  furniture,  beau- 
tiful paintings,  gold  and  china  vases,  or-moulu  candelabra,  and  all  the 
et  ceteras  of  Oriental  pomp  and  luxury,  were  reflected  in  them  as  in 
the  purest  mirrors.  I  felt,  indeed,  as  if  I  was  an  unwarranted 
intruder  on  such  fairy-like  magnificence,  and  almost  wished  myself 
back  again  amidst  Croker's  snakes,  scorpions,  and  centipedes  :  but  I 
mentally  repeated  to  myself  my  poor  father's  grand  panacea  for  all 
sublunary  trials, — "  a  light  heart  and  a  thin  pair  of  breeches," — and 
boldly  pushed  forward  to  see  the  adventure  out. 

At  length,  to  my  great  relief,  the  chobdars  ceased  announcing 
"  the  Colonel  Bahauder  Sahib,"  and  I  found  myself  alone  in  a  gor- 
geous saloon,  the  furniture  of  which  seemed  to  me  to  be  all  gold : 
sandal-wood  cabinets,  satin-wood  chairs,  sofas,  and  ottomans,  covered 
with  yellow  silk  damask  furniture,  upon  which  I  was  almost  afraid 
to  sit  down :  while  the  broiling  sun  was  carefully  excluded  by  gilt 
Venetians,  that  just  shed  a  golden  haze  over  the  scene  j  and  a 
broad  punkah  overhead  \yas  swayed  gently  to  and  fro  by  invisible 
agency,  diffusing  a  delicious  and  odorous  breeze  throughout  the 
apartment. 

When  I  had  sat  here  for  some  time,  admiring  over  and  over  again 
everything  that  surrounded  me,  and  contrasting  this  Oriental  splen- 
dour with  the  bamboo  shed  of  my  friend  Croker,  I  at  length  heard  a 
rustling  of  silks  and  satins,  and  anticipated  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
my  dear  Julia  in  another  moment.  But  I  was  disappointed  :  instead 
of  the  sylph-like  figure,  and  lively,  confiding  manner  of  my  mistress, 
a  tall,  stout,  and  stately  lady,  of  a  certain  age,  approached,  with  good 
but  coarse  features,  and,  as  I  thought,  an  air  of  vulgarity,  in  spite  of 
her  rich  and  fashionable  Parisian  dress,  and  the  hundred-guinea 
Cashmere  shawl  that  was  thrown  over  her  shoulders  with  studied 
negligence. 

I  made  a  very  low  bow  to  this  somewhat  formidable  figure  ;  but 
she  received  it  with  a  gracious  smile,  and  an  inviting  gesture  to  sit 
beside  her  on  a  very  elegant  vis-a-vis  sofa  ;  when,  as  she  apparently 
expected  me  to  open  the  conference,  I  said, — 

"  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  calling  to  pay  my  respects  to  'Miss 
Monson,  after  her  voyage." 

"My  niece,"  she  replied,  "is  highly  honoured  by  your  attention. 
Your  visit  has  been  announced  to  her,  and  she  will  be  here  pre- 
sently." 

"  This  is  delightful !"  I  mentally  exclaimed.  "  How  utterly  free 
from  pride  these  great  people  are  in  India !  Here  ani  I,  a  poor 
subaltern,  received  into  a  princely  palace,  as  if  I  were  the  qom- 
mander -in-chief  himself." 

I  made  my  acknowledgments  to  the  stately  lady  of  the  mansion, 
and  we  entered  into  familiar  chat  about  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the 
mighty  ones  of  the  earth ;  which  was  maintained  on  my  part  with  all 
the  tact  of  which  I  was  master,  and  no  small  share  of  invention  to 


222  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

supply  my  lack  of  knowledge.  I  was  surprised,  however,  at  the 
facility  with  which  I  imposed  on  my  fair  hostess ;  and  this,  with  a 
few  grammatical  slips  and  other  solecisms  on  her  part,  leu  me  to 
conclude  that,  however  she  came  to  be  enshrined  in  this  golden 
temple,  she  was  not  altogether  racy  of  the  soil,  and  born  to  the 
manner. 

"You  have,  of  course,"  she  observed,  "mixed  a  great  deal  in  the 
high  society  of  the  meiroplus  ?  " 

"A  good  deal,  madam/'  I  replied,  "  during  the  very  short  periods 
that  I  have  not  been  on  foreign  service." 

"  Then  t  suppose  you  have  met  with  some  members  of  our  family 
in  the  bo-munday  ?  "  said  the  lady. 

"I  have  met  Lord  Monson's  family  frequently,"  I  said,  "but  I 
was  not  aware  of  the  relationship." 

"Oh,  yes!"  she  said,  the  commissary-general  of  the  forces" 
(thus  she  was  pleased  to  designate  her  husband)  "  is  first  cousin  to 
his  lordship ;  and,  indeed,  if  his  lordship's  sons  was  to  die,  he  would 
be  next  heir  to  the  title." 

"  This,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  is  indeed  a  remote  contingency,  all  his 
lordship's  sons  being  married,  with  large  families." 

"  You  haven't,"  she  said,  "  fallen  in  promiscuously,  at  Windsor,  or 
Carlton  Palace,  with  my  mamma,  the  dowager  Mrs.  Jenkinson,  of 
Pentonville,  a  distant  relation  of  the  Liverpool  family  ?" 

"  I  cannot  say  I  have  had  that  honour,"  I  replied;  "but  I  certainly 
have  seen  a  very  distinguished  personage  in  the  royal  antechamber, 
on  a  levee  day,  bearing  a  great  resemblance  to  yourself  and  Lord 
Liverpool." 

"  Oh,  you  see  the  family  likeness,  then,"  she  said.  "  You  are 
probably  acquainted  with  his  lordship  ?  " 

"  I  have  had  the  honour,"  I  replied,  "  of  meeting  his  lordship  in 
the  House  of  Peers." 

"  Oh,  indeed ! "  she  responded,  "  that  was  a  great  distinction ;  but 
officers  of  rank,  to  be  sure,  have  many  privileges  that  your  tag-rag- 
and-bobtail  subalterns  can't  pretend  to." 

This  was  a  shot  between  wind  and  water  that  I  was  not  prepared 
for,  and  I  fear  1  looked  foolish ;  but  she  rattled  on : — 

"You  have,  of  course,  attended  the  Prince  Regent's  drawing- 
rooms?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  I  replied,  "frequently;"  for,  like  other  fools,  I  had 
indeed  often  gone  to  see  the  company  in  their  progress  thither. 

"  My  mamma,"  said  the  commissary-general's  lady,  "  was  not  at 
the  last,  being  ill  disposed  with  the  flueuzar.  She  was  to  have  gone 
with  Lord  Islington's  family,  to  whom  she  is  nearly  related.  Do  you 
know  Islington  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  well,"  I  replied,  "especially  the  Angel  Tavern." 

Here,  from  some  cause  or  other,  it  was  the  lady's  turn  to  look 
foolish:  she  started,  blushed?  turned  deadly  pale,  stammered — indeed, 
I  thought  she  was  going  to  taint.  I  couldn't  imagine  what  had  caused 
so  sudden  a  commotion,  but  thought  she  must  have  been  shocked  at 
my  vulgarity  in  mentioning  such  a  place ;  for,  as  it  afterwards  turned 
out,  her  question  had  reference  to  her  relation,  Lord  Islington,  and 


THE  INDIAN  LADY.  223 

not  to  the  snobbish  suburb  so  called.  This  little  incident,  however, 
changed  the  conversation  to  other  topics ;  and,  seeing  me  look  ad- 
miringly on  two  splendid  Chinese  jars,  she  said  they  were  a  present 
from  the  Emperor  Ching  Po  to  the  commissary-general  of  the 
forces.  She  also  pointed  my  attention  to  a  beautiful  little  cabinet 
of  sandal-wood  that  perfumed  the  whole  apartment,  which  was  a 
present  to  herself  from  the  emperor  of  Delhi. 

"  I  must  really  show  you  the  inside  of  it,"  she  said,  plunging  her 
hand  into  her  reticule.  "  But  where  on  earth  is  my  keys  ?" 

I  saw  a  small  bunch  lying  on  the  floor,  which  I  picked  up  and 
handed  to  her;  at  the  same  time  suiting  my  cacology  to  the  standard 
of  her  own,  I  said, — 

"Is  them  they,  madam?" 

"Oh,  thank  you,  colonel,"  she  replied.  "I'm  quite  vexed  at  your 
having  the  trouble." 

"Colonel!"  I  mentally  exclaimed;  "can  it  then  be  possible  that 
Croker's  jest  to  the  humauls  has  passed  current  upon  this  poor  lady's 
credulity,  and  that  I  am  indebted  for  all  her  condescension  to  my 
supposed  military  pre-eminence?" 

This  was  mortifying  to  my  personal  vanity ;  but  I  determined  not 
to  clear  up  the  mistake  until,  at  least.  I  should  see  my  dear  Julia. 
I  therefore  continued  to  bear  my  blushing  honours  as  if  they  really 
belonged  to  me,  and  lauded  to  the  skies  the  house,  furniture,  dress, 
and  ornaments  of  the  commissary-general's  lady,  as  she  eloquently 
described  to  me  every  item  ;  descanting,  with  the  usual  absurdity  of 
parvenus,  not  only  on  the  taste  and  beauty  of  the  different  articles, 
but  also  on  their  pecuniary  value,  and  the  large  sums  they  had  re- 
spectively cost  the  commissary -general  of  the  forces. 

I  was  evidently  making  a  most  favourable  impression  on  my  fair 
hostess,  which  I  did  not  fail  to  improve  by  an  occasional  compliment 
to  her  personal  charms,  such  as  my  countrymen  are  said  to  have  a 
hanpy  knack  at  improvising.  In  short,  she  seemed  on  the  very  point 
of  inviting  me  to  dinner,  wnen  Julia  appeared  at  the  door,  swimming 
in  at  first  in  a  very  stately  manner,  till  she  saw  who  it  was ;  then, 
with  her  .usual  frank  familiarity,  she  ran  up  to  me,  exclaiming, — 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  Percy  Blake  !  I  would  have  come  sooner,  but  they 
told  me  it  was  Colonel  Bothero,  or  some  such  name." 

"  Percy  Blake ! "  cried  the  commissary-general's  lady,  starting 
from  the  sofa  bolt  upright,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  a  galvanic 
battery. 

"  Yes,  aunt,"  replied  the  innocent  Julia ;  "  Mr.  Blake  that  I  told 
you  of,  who  was  so  attentive  to  me  on  board  that  plaguy  Indiaman 
that  was  always  running  into  one  mischief  or  another." 

"Percy  Blake !"  reiterated  the  commissary-general's  lady,  actually 
stamping  her  foot  with  passion.  "  What,  sir.  are  you  not  Colonel 
Bahauder?" 

"  No,  madam,"  I  replied.  "  By  some  mistake,  for  which  I  am  not 
accountable,  I  have  been  announced  here  by  a  rank  to  which  I  have 
no  title ;  but  I  assure  you " 

"  That's  enough,  sir,"  cried  the  commissary-general's  lady,  with  a 
look  of  decided  ferocity;  "  good  morning  to  you.  Come  along,  miss.'* 


224  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Here  she  took  poor  Julia  by  the  arm,  with  as  little  ceremony  as  a 
hawk  would  use  towards  a  pigeon,  and  dragged  her  out  of  the  room, 
exclaiming  as  she  went,  "  Percy  Blake,  indeed !  *  Marry-come-up, 
my  country  cousin ! " 

The  scene  was  altogether  so  ludicrous  that  I  threw  myself  down 
upon  a  sofa  in  a  roar  of  unextinguishable  laughter ;  from  which  I 
was  at  length  roused  by  the  entrance  of  a  very  stately  dubash,  who, 
marching  up  to  me,  said  somewhat  abruptly : — 

"  Your  palkee  wait,  sahib." 

"Very  well,"  I  said,  "that  will  do,  Chouree  Mootoo." 

"My  name  not  Chouree  Mootoo,"  he  replied,  sulkily;  "my  name 
Ramo  Samee.  Chouree  Mootoo  one  Pariah  name — not  proper,  sahib, 
call  me  Chouree  Mootoo." 

I  walked  up  to  Ramo  Samee,  with  a  look  that  boded  him  no  good ; 
of  which  lie  seemed  so  convinced  himself,  that  he  turned  about,  and 
vanished  with  amazing  celerity.  I  then  very  leisurely  retraced  my 
steps  through  the  gorgeous  Apartments  into  which  I  had  so  unwar- 
rantably intruded ;  and,  seating  myself  in  my  palanquin,  was  borne 
back  to  the  stony  desert  of  Colabah,  where  tne  recital  of  my  adven- 
ture elicited  from  Croker  such  a  guffaw  as  must  have  been  heard  at 
Mazagong  and  Malabar  Point. 

Croker  and  I  dined  that  evening  at  the  mess  of  the  65th,  where  we 
heard  the  history  of  Mrs.  Commissary-General  Monson;  the  most 
remarkable  feature  of  which  appeared  to  be,  that  her  mother  had 
been  a  pastrycook;  and  she  herself  was  barmaid  of  the  Angel  at 
Islington,  when  her  poor  husband  fell  in  love  with  her. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 

THE  BOBBERY  HUNT. 

breakfast  the  following  morning,  I  asked  Croker  several 
times  whom  he  meant  by  Purseram  Bhow,  the  mysterious  personage 
he  had  so  frequently  mentioned  the  day  before-  but  he  always  evaded 
my  question,  saying,  with  a  smile,  that  I  would  soon  hear  enough  of 
Purseram  Bhow,  and  of  Hurry  Punt  too,  but  that  he  wouldn't  spoil 
my  pleasure  by  anticipation. 

Croker,  however,  made  up  for  his  reserve  on  this  point  by  his 
loquacity  on  everything  connected  with  sporting,  of  which  he  was  an 
enthusiast ;  and  he  gave  me  such  descriptions  of  the  delights  of  a 
jungle  life,  as  made  me  curious,  if  not  anxious,  to  participate  in  them. 
His  bungalow,  indeed,  was  little  else  than  an  arsenal  of  sylvan 
armoury ;  for  the  walls,  if  they  could  be  so  called,  were  everywhere 
hung  with  guns  of  all  descriptions,  powder-flasks,  shot-belts5>  tiger 
and  boar  spears,  pellet-bows,  &c.  &c. ;  the  whole  being  intermingled 
with  tiger  and  bear  skins,  elk  and  antelope  horns,  and  one  or  two 
enormous  skins  of  the  boa-constrictor.  These  were  all  the  spoils  of 
his  own  hand  in  the  jungles  of  Salsette  and  the  neighbouring  con- 


THE  BOBBERY  HUNT.  225 

tinent ;  to  which  he  was  frequently  invited  by  some  Mahratta  chiefs, 
who  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  the  Eeringhee  junglewalla. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  being  informed  that  Major  Snublev  had  re- 
turned from  Elephanta,  I  got  ready  to  report  my  arrival  to  the  great 
man  in  person.  Croker  also  dressed  to  accompany  and  introduce 
me ;  but,  though  the  uniform  did  somewhat  improve  his  outward  man, 
he  looked  so  tall,  so  gaunt,  and  so  ungainly,  that  I  could  not  forbear 
smiling  as  he  strode  along,  flinging  out  his  legs  and  arms  like  the  sails 
of  a  lunatic  windmill.  He  seemed,  poor  soul,  to  be  sadly  hampered 
by  the  coatee,  sash,  sword,  belt,  and  "  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash," 
as  he  expressed  himself ;  but  he  took  comfort  from  the  reflection  that 
the  commandant  having  returned  from  his  exploring  trip  to  the 
cave  temples,  it  would  now  be  his  turn  to  indulge  in  the  more 
rational  amusement  of  hog-hunting  and  tiger-shooting,  to  which  he 
purposed  introducing  me  without  delay. 

A  walk  of  a  few  minutes  brought  us  to  the  compound  of  Major 
Snubley ;  which,  unlike  Croker's  wilderness,  was  walled  in,  and  kept 
in  the  most  rigid  neatness  and  good  order.  The  parterre,  which 
abounded  with  flowers  and  shrubs,  was  intersected  by  trim  gravel- 
walks,  bordered  by  channels  of  chunam,  for  conveying  water  to  every 
part  of  the  grounds ;  while  several  pomegranate,  custard-apple,  and 
plantain-trees  gratified  at  once  the  eve  and  the  taste ;  and  a  deep 
well,  with  a  palcotta,  or  balance-pole,  for  drawing  the  water,  afforded 
an  abundant  supply  for  irrigation  and  the  bath.  The  bungalow  was 
also  of  more  elaborate  pretensions,  being  built  of  sun-dried  bricks, 
plastered,  ceiled,  and  covered  with  tiles — with  a  good  verandah,  and 
polished  chunam  pillars  ;  while,  at  some  paces'  distance  in  front,  was 
raised  upon  arches  a  sort  of  summer-house,  built  in  a  similar  manner, 
and  commanding  a  view  of  the  barracks  and  adjacent  territory. 

We  found  the  commandant  in  his  hall,  or  central  apartment,  for 
the  bungalow  contained  three  rooms,  seated  at  a  large  table  covered 
with  maps,  and  bundles  of  documents  tied  with  red  tape.  He  was  a 
very  solemn,  dignified-looking  person,  and  seemed,  when  we  entered, 
to  be  absorbed  in  some  very  abstruse  problem  of  civil  or  military 
statistics.  With  a  well-affected  start,  as  if  suddenly  roused  from  the 
deep  profound  of  thought,  he  arose  and  gave  me  a  most  gracious 
reception,  remarking,  old-Indian  like,  the  freshness  of  my  European 
complexion,  and  observing,  with  a  sigh,  that  his  own  was  just  like  it 
in  '92,  when  he  made  his  first  campaign  at  Seringapatam. 

"That  was  a  great  affair,  major,"  said  Croker. 

"  We  shall  never  see  war  on  so  grand  a  scale  again,  sir,"  responded 
the  major.  "  It  is  not  by  such  paltry  expeditions  as  those  to  the  Isle  of 
Erance  and  Batavia  that  a  man  of  talent  and  enterprise  can  hope  to 
rise  to  the  top  of  the  tree.  No,  sir ;  it  requires  such  an  overwhelming 
armament  as  that  of  Lord  Cornwallis— : 

"But  with  all  that,"  said  Croker,  "you  were  compelled  to  retreat 
on  that  occasion." 

"True,  sir,"  replied  the  major,  "but  only  for  want  of  provisions ; 
but  when  we  were  joined  by  our  valued  friends  and  allies,  Hurry 
Punt  and  Purseram  Bhow — " 

Here  Croker's  eye  met  mine,  and  he  indulged  in  a  little  chuckle ; 


226  THE  YOUNG  MFLEMAN. 

while  I  was  taken  so  much  by  surprise,  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
I  could  avoid  laughing  outright. 

"  Something  seems  to  have  tickled  your  fancy,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
major;  "but,  as  I  was  saying,  we  were  falling  back  on  our  resources, 
till  one  morning  a  cloud  "of  cavalry  appeared  on  our  left  flank,  and 
supposing  it  was  that  miscreant  Tippoo,  we  opened  a  dozen  field-pieces 
upon  them,  when,  lo  and  behold,  it  was  our  friend  and  ally  Purseram 
Bhow— Hurry  Punt  on  one  flank,  and  Purseram  Bliow  on  the  other." 

"Apize  on  that  bitch,  Juno!"  exclaimed  Croker,  starting  from 
his  chair ;  "  there  she  is  tearing  up  all  your  bulbous  roots,"  and  out 
he  ran,  unable  any  longer  to  restrain  his  laughter. 

"  A  singular  young  man,  Mr.  Blake,"  observed  the  major ;  "  a  very 
singular  young  man.  The  people  here  call  him  the  Feringhee  jungle- 
walla,  or  European  wild  man  of  the  woods.  We  had  one  exactly 
like  him  at  Seringapatam,  in  '92,  and,  strange  to  say,  Purseram  Bhow 
took  a  great  fancy  to  him." 

"  Pray,  sir,"  I  asked,  "  who  was  Purseram  Bhow  ?  " 

"  He  was  the  commander  of  the  Mahratta  contingent  in  the  war  of 
*92,"  replied  the  major,  delighted  at  finding  himself  astride  of  his 
hobby ;  "and  a  very  great  man,  sir,  in  his  way,  was  Purseram  Bhow. 
Hurry  Punt  \vas  his  second  in  command ;  but  I  always  pinned  my 
faith  on  the  dictum  of  Purseram  Bhow.  The  Punt  was  glorious  in 
the  onslaught,  and  the  Bhow  mighty  in  retreat." 

Thus  the  worthy  major  went  on  during  the  whole  interview,  ringing 
the  changes  on  the  two  Mahratta  warriors,  while  he  favoured  me  with 
an  elaborate  history  of  that  doughty  campaign.  Whatever  point  of 
the  narrative  he  started  from,  he  was  sure  to  wind  it  up  with  Hurry 
Punt  or  Purseram  Bhow,  or  both.  So  mesmeric,  indeed,  was  the 
eifect  this  repetition  had  upon  me,  that  I  actually  dozed  with  my  eyes 
open,  being  utterly  unconscious  for  the  two  mortal  hours  during  which 
lie  kept  me  fascinated,  as  it  were,  of  any  other  words  than  Hurry 
Punt  and  Purseram  Bhow. 

My  docility,  however,  had  this  good  effect,  that  the  worthy  major, 
finding  me  so  patient  a  listener,  invited  me  to  share  his  bungalow,  an 
offer  which  I  gladly  accepted  ;  and  some  additional  furniture  being 
procured  from  Bombay,  I  was  speedily  installed  in  my  new  quarters, 
consisting  of  a  comfortable  bedroom  and  the  aforesaid  summer-house, 
which  I  made  my  study  and  sitting-room.  Here  I  surrounded  myself, 
as  usual,  when  I  had  means  and  leisure,  with  books,  drawings,  ana 
musical  instruments,  very  much  to  the  disgust  of  my  new  friend 
Croker^  who  had  never  read  a  book  in  his  life,  or  played  upon  any 
instrument  but  the  drum. 

"  Oh,  by  Jupiter ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  vou  are  enough  to  drive  a  fellow- 
mad,  with  them  books  and  picters,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash. 
Who  ever  knew  any  good  come  of  fluting  and  fiddling,  and  drawing 
riddle-merees,  and  breaking  one's  head  about  pothery,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  balderdash  ?  Take  a  gun  in  your  fist,  Percy  Blake,  and  let  us 
be  off  to  the  jungle,  or  I'll  give  you  up  for  a  milksop." 

I  pacified  Croker  with  an  assurance  that  I  was  ready  to  go  when- 
ever he  chose,  and  he  accordingly  set  about  making  preparations.  In 
the  mean  time,  he  insisted  on  my  joining  a  well-known  sporting  society, 


THE  BOBBERY  HUNT.  227 

whose  title  has  long  been  a  "  household  word"  in  them  gesfa  of  the 
East. 

Sir  Lionel,  the  distinguished  son  of  the  once  celebrated  Charlotte 
Smith,  who  was  at  that  time  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  65th  regiment, 
was  also  president  of  the  "Bobbery  Hunt."  Under  his  auspices  I 
became  a  member  of  that  famous  sporting  club,  whose  celebrity  has 
long  since  spread  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  hemisphere — though 
whether  it  still  survives  the  chance  and  change  of  time  I  am  unable  to 
inform  the  curious  reader. 

At  that  period  we  had  not  subsidized  the  Mahrattas,  nor  sent  the 
Peishwa  to  keep  company  with  other  ex-potentates  at  Benares,  as 
Voltaire  sent  his  dethroned  kings  to  the  carnival  of  Venice.  Having, 
consequently,  no  territory  on  the  continent,  our  hunting  was  entirely 
confined  to  the  original  donation  which  Charles  II.  made  to  the  Com- 
pany, having  no  use  for  it  himself;  or  rather  to  that  small  portion  pf 
it  called  Colabah.  This  being  a  space  of  not  more  than  five  or  six 
miles  in  circumference,  it  will  be  readily  imagined  that  our  sport  was 
of  a  very  limited  character,  especially  as  the  whole  of  our  hunting-ground 
was  nearly  covered  with  soluiers'  barracks  and  officers'  bungalows. 

We  macle  desperate  attempts,  however,  to  persuade  ourselves  that 
we  were  actually  hunting ;  and  great  was  our  glorification  when  we 
had  the  good  fortune  to  start  a  jackal  for  our  English  foxhounds; 
Then,  indeed,  the  members  turned  out  in  full  score,  attired  in  the 
handsome  uniform  of  the  hunt;  while  crowds  of  the  uninitiated 
followed  in  the  rear,  and  every  description  of  quadruped  appeared 
upon  the  field,  from  the  high-caste  Arab  down  to  the  humble  tattoo. 
Then,  indeed,  we  made  the  welkin  ring  with  our  clamorous  shouts ; 
hunting  the  poor  animal  in  and  out  of  compounds  and  barrack- yards, 
taking  flying  leaps  over  guns  and  tumbrils,  and  scattering  drill  squads 
immersea  in  the  mysteries  of  goose-step.  Sometimes  a  portly  Brah- 
min got  enveloped  in  the  mazes  of  the  chase,  and  invoked  the  wrath 
of  Mahadeo  on  our  sacrilegious  heads ;  sometimes  a  palanquin  was 
upset,  and  its  wealthy  occupant  scattered  about  on  the  dusty  road,  to 
the  uproarious  amusement  of  the  mad  hunters ;  sometimes  a  whole  pack 
of  pariah-dogs  would  fly  before  us,  yelping,  howling,  snapping  at,  and 
biting  bewildered  foot-passengers  in  the  madness  of  their  fright;  while 
lish-wives,pedlars,andotheroldwomen,wouldscattertheir  commodities 
to  the  winds,  to  avoid  being  trampled  to  death,  as  we  swept  along, 
like  the  wild  huntsmen  of  German  romance,  over  fence  and  furrow, 
through  garden  and  flower-plot — riders  tumbling  in  one  direction, 
horses  making  summersaults  in  another— till,  at  last,  weary  and  worn 
t)ut,  panting  with  heat  and  fatigue,  we  retired  to  the  refreshing  bath, 
to  prepare  lor  the  enjoyment  of  the  night.  Then,  after  a  late  dinner, 
in  our  splendid  club-room,  when  the  social  claret-jug  circulated  round 
the  table,  which  was  loaded  with  the  riches  of  the  eastern  Pomona, 
and  the  sea-breeze,  redolent  of  health,  played  refreshingly  through 
open  door  and  window,  we  recounted  our  individual  exploits,  and 
laughed  at  the  mishaps  of  our  neighbours ;  or  else  we  "  woke  the 
night-owl  with  a  catch  that  would  draw  three  souls  out  of  one  weaver," 
cheerfully  welcoming  the  small  hours,  and  thus  bringing  to  a  happy 
close  the  labours  of  the  day,  and  the  glories  of  the  Bobbery  Hunt. 


228  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 


CHAPTER  L. 

A  DAY  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

HAVING  furnished  myself  with  a  stout,  active  country  horse,  about 
fourteen  hands  high,  and  undergone  a  week's  drilling  with  the  boar- 
spear,  under  the  tuition  of  Croker,  during  which  we  slaughtered 
sundry  tame  porkers  that  came  in  our  way,  without  any  remorse  of 
conscience,  we  started  about  four  o'clock  one  morning  for  Salsette, 
to  have  a  day  or  two  in  the  jungle.  Our  train  consisted  of  our 
ghorawallas  and  grass-cutters  for  the  use  and  behoof  of  the  nags,  our 
maty-boys  for  our  own  especial  comfort,  each  with  a  brandy-bottle 
and  a  goglet  of  fresh  water,  three  or  four  coolies  with  spears  and 
rifles,  some  others  with  the  dogs,  and  a  couple  of  bangy-wallas,  with 
basket-boxes,  containing  some  creature  comforts  and  changes  of  linen 
slung  on  bamboos  across  their  shoulders :  our  respective  dubashes  had 
been  sent  on  the  evening  before,  to  prepare  breakfast  for  us. 

As  we  rode  across  the  Esplanade,  the  Parsees  were  already  con- 
gregating to  prostrate  themselves  on  the  first  appearance  of  their  god, 
as  the  glorious  luminary  rose  above  the  horizon ;  but,  though  anxious 
to  witness  this  novel  and  interesting  sight,  we  were  obliged  to  hurry 
on,  for,  as  Croker  remarked,  we  had  eight  or  nine  miles  still  to  cover ; 
and  though  the  scent  lies  well  before  daylight,  it  evaporates  very 
rapidly  after  sunrise. 

We  accordingly  pushed  on  through  Black  Town,  and  past  Byculla 
and  Parel,  the  governor's  residence,  till  in  due  time  we  arrived  at  the 
shallow  strait  that  separates  Bombay  from  Salsette,  across  which 
Governor  Duncan  had  recently  thrown  a  causeway ;  but,  as  we 
cantered  our  nags  over  his  excellency's  road,  we  little  dreamt  that 
some  forty  years  later,  even  while  I  pen  these  lines,  the  same  narrow 
opening  would  be  spanned  by  a  railway,  and  the  crowning  triumph 
of  British  science,  capital,  and  skill  exhibited  for  the  first  time  to 
the  wondering  eyes  of  thousands  upon  thousands  of  our  sable  fellow- 
subjects. 

But  hark  to  cover !  The  sun  is^  just  tipping  the  lofty  pinnacles  of 
the  Western  Ghauts,  whose  magnificent  range  extends  on  our  right 
beyond  the  Tannah  river  •  while  on  our  left  are  the  rocky  ridges  of 
Salsette,  crowned  with  hanging  woods  and  matted  jungle,  inter- 
spersed with  richly-cultivated  fields,  hamlets,  and  cottages ;  the  road, 
as  we  proceed,  becoming  embowered  under  lofty  trees,  and  dis- 
covering many  a  vista  of  some  of  the  most  magnificent  scenery  in 
the  world. 

"We  soon  came  to  a  small  choultry  in  the  wood,  where  we  found  a 
host  of  peons,  shikarees,*  and  beaters,  armed  with  latties,  or  long 
bamboos,  rusty  matchlocks,  hunting-spears,  and  tulwars,  under  the 
command  of  the  jemmadars  of  some  neighbouring  villages,  who  all 
salaamed  profoundly  to  the  great  Croke  Sahib,  as  they  called  him, 

*  Messengers  and  hunters. 


A  DAY  IN  THE  JUNGLE.  229 

by  whose  orders  they  were  assembled.  We  also  found  our  dubashes 
getting  breakfast  ready;  and  as  this  meal  had  to  be  despatched 
before  we  commenced  business,  we  hurried  them  in  their  prepara- 
tions. 

While  these  were  in  progress,  a  horde  of  fifty  or  sixty  wild-looking 
savages,  all  naked  but  the  langooty,  rushed  down  upon  us  from  every 
opening  in  the  jungle ;  and,  drawing  up  in  front  of  the  choultry, 
saluted  Croke  Sahib  as  they  would  have  done  Nimrod,  or  Nadir  Shall, 
or  any  other  mighty  hunter  of  biped  or  quadruped.  These  were 
charcoal-burners,  fellows  that  dwell  entirely  in  the  woods,  and  hold 
no  other  communion  with  their  civilized  brethren  of  Bombay  than  by 
the  silent  interchange  between  their  charcoal  and  such  commodities 
as  they  may  require  from  the  market.  On  the  present  occasion,  it 
seems,  they  volunteered  their  services,  and  those  of  twenty  or  thirty 
pariah  dogs  that  accompanied  them,  to  the  great  Croke  Sahib ;  and 
the  latter,  having  addressed  a  few  sentences  to  them  in  their  own 
dialect,  which  appeared  to  give  general  satisfaction,  they  all  squatted 
down  on  the  greensward,  and  awaited  further  orders  with  the  most 
exemplary  patience. 

Croker  now  held  a  conference  with  the  jemmadars  and  shikarees, 
and  a  plan  of  operations  was  laid  down ;  in  pursuance  of  which  they, 
and  the  beaters  and  charcoal-burners,  with  all  their  pariah  dogs,  who, 
having  excellent  noses,  are  very  useful  on  such  occasions,  set  off  to 
take  up  good  positions  for  beating  an  extensive  sugar-plantation,  in 
which  a  sounder,  or  herd  of  hogs,  had  been  marked  down  by  the 
shikarees  the  evening  before. 

They  were  also  attended  by  several  horn-blowers  and  tomtom - 
beaters,  it  being  necessary  to  muster  on  that  side  of  the  plantation 
as  powerful  a  concert  of  diabolical  sounds  as  possible,  to  interrupt  the 
repose  of  our  swinish  enemies. 

We  then  sat  down  to  an  excellent  breakfast,  at  which,  in  addition 
to  other  good  things,  we  were  regaled  with  the  bumbalo,  a  superior 
sort  of  sand-eel,  served  up  with  kedgeree,  a  dish  consisting  of  boiled 
rice  and  split  pease,  enriched  with  butter,  and  coloured  with  turmeric. 
We  had  also  the  pomfret,  a  flat  fish  that  abounds  at  Bombay,  of  so 
exquisite  a  flavour  that  a  celebrated  gourmand  swore  it  was  worth  a 
voyage  to  India  to  enjoy  it.  In  spite,  however,  of  all  these  viands, 
we  hurried  over  our  morning  meal ;  Croker  from  constitutional 
eagerness  to  be  at  the  sport,  and  I  from  an  ardent  curiosity  to 
witness,  for  the  first  time,  this  boasted  Oriental  pastime. 

Our  horses,  having  been  well  groomed  and  fed  in  the  interim,  were 
also  eager  for  the  field ;  and  as  I  sprang  on  the  back  of  mine,  he 
bounded  forward  as  if  he  actually  shared  in  the  excitement  of  the 
chuso ;  while  I  firmly  grasped  my  spear,  a  bamboo  about  nine  feet 
long,  with  a  glittering  blade  of  eight  inches,  which  Croker  had 
sharpened  on  a  hone  for  me,  till  its  double  edge  was  like  that  of  a 
razor. 

"Now  rein  in  a  little,  Percy,"  said  my  friend,  "and  take  my 
advice:  fair  and  easy  goes  far,  you  know,  and  that  shall  be  my 
motto ;  but  you,  I  see,  are  full  of  tuzzy-muzzy,  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
balderdash." 


230  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"You  wouldn't  have  me  go  to  a  hunt,"  I  said,  "as  I  would  to  a 
funeral." 

"By  no  manner  of  means,"  replied  Croker;  /'but  you'll  have 
occasion  for  all  your  horse's  mettle  when  the  boar  is  at  speed." 

"  Speed !  "  I  exclaimed ;  "  ha,  ha,  ha !  The  speed  of  a  pig ! 
That's  capital ! " 

"Laugh,  and  welcome,"  said  Croker;  "but  take  a  fool's  advice. 
Keep  your  horse  well  in  hand,  and  look  to  your  seat,  which  I  see  is 
that  of  a  foxlmnter ;  but  you'll  find  the  ground  about  here  full  of 
man- traps,  and  now  and  then  a  &owliet*  half  full  of  water,  that  may 


morning   air  has 


bring  you  up  in  spite  of  the  proverb." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!  very  good,"  I  replied;    "the 
sharpened  your  wit.,  Croker." 

"  Now  then  "  he  continued,  "  you  and  I  will  take  our  places  on 
one  side  of  the  sugar-cane  piece  as  silent  as  the  grave,  while  the 
beaters  make  the  devil's  own  row  at  the  other.  Then,  when  the  hog 
bolts  out,  let  us  start  fair  for  the  first  spear  in  him ;  keep  you  to  his 
left  side,  and  when  you  deliver  your  spear  right  behind  the  shoulder, 
file  off  to  jour  left,  to  make  way  for  the  next  comer." 

I  promised  to  observe  all  his  directions,  and  we  proceeded  accord- 
ingly to  take  up  our  ground. 

"But^on't  forget,"  said  Croker,  reining  back,  "that  the  boar's 
tusk  is  six  inches  clear  of  the  jaw,  and  that  if  he  gives  you  or  your 
horse  a  rip,  he  will  fit  you  for  Padre  Burrows's  godown"~\ 

"  I'll  keep  a  steady  eye  on  the  gentleman,"  I  said. 

"  One  word  more,"  said  Croker :  "  the  boar  always  rips,  and  the 
sow  always  bites;  so  take  care  of  your  toes  from  the  female  salute." 

We  at  length  took  up  our  respective  positions,  about  one  hundred 
yards  apart,  on  one  side  of  a  fine  sugar-cane  plantation,  surrounded 
by  fields  of  ^wheat,  barley,  and  other  grain.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  plantation  our  beaters  were  ranged,  about  five  or  six  feet  distant 
from  each  other,  waiting  for  the  signal  to  begin.  This  being  given  by 
Croker,  they  advanced  regularly,  beating  the  canes  with  their  laities, 
or  long  bamboos,  shouting  with  all  their  might,  sounding  horns  and 
beating  tom-toms ;  which,  added  to  the  yelping  and  barking  of  two 
dozen  dogs,  made  such  an  infernal  din  as  might  have  scared  all  the 
boars  in  the  jungle. 

Meanwhile,  we  were  as  silent  as  the  grave,  eagerly  expecting  the 
outburst  of  the  foe ;  while  our  horses,  pricking  their  ears,,  and  occa- 
sionally shuddering,  seemed  to  anticipate  the  advent  of  some  terrific 
monster.  My  own  mind,  I  frankly  confess,  began  to  be  spmewhat 
disturbed  at  being  so  long  kept  on  the  rack  of  expectation;  for, 
though  a  daring  horseman  after  the  hounds,  and  generally  in  at  the 
death  wherever  I  hunted,— in  Ireland,  in  Leicestershire,  and  in  the 
Peninsula, — yet  the  situation  in  which  I  now  stood  was  so  perfectly 
novel,  and  the  nature  of  the  game  was  so  avowedly  savage  and 
ferocious,  that  I  may  well  be  excused  for  not  feeling  quite  at  home, 
any  more  than  Peter  the  Great  himself  did,  in  this  the  first  of  my  fields. 

*  A  well. 

t  The  churchyard,  or  "  storehouse,"  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Burrows,  at  that  time 
rarrison  chaplain  at  Bombay. 


A  DAY  IN  THE  JUNGLE.  231 

My  courage,  however,  had  not  time  to  ooze  out  at  my  fingers' 
ends,  for  the  canes  suddenly  crashed,  and  were  rent  asunder  within 
ten  yards  of  where  I  stood ;  then  forth  rushed,  with  a  horrible  grunt, 
a  huge  black  monster,  larger  than  the  largest  pig  I  had  ever  seen, 
with  long  tusks,  bristles  erect,  and  champing  his  foaming  mouth, 
while  his  fiery  eyes  glared  around  with  unmistakable  fury. 

My  horse  gave  a  sudden  spring,  then  stood  trembling,  as  if  rooted 
to  the  spot,  till  Croker  shouted  "  charge  ! "  when,  driving  the  spurs 
into  his  flanks,  I  dashed  madly  after  the  flying  foe,  followed  by 
Croker,  and  all  the  dogs  in  full  and  glorious  cry. 

But  if  the  size  and  ferocity  of  the  monster  had  surprised  me,  I 
was  perfectly  astonished  at  his  fleetness.  It  was  somewhat  early  in 
the  season;  and  he  had  not  been  feeding  long  enough  on  the  luxuriant 
crop  of  canes,  which  are  so  nutritive  and  fattening,  to  become  indolent 
and  fleshy;  he  therefore  sprang  through  the  wheat  with  a  rapidity 
which  at  one  time  actually  distanced  us  all.  We  had  to  pass  through 
some  paddy-fields,  however,  which,  being  deep  and  muddy,  apparently 
distressed  him,  and  we  evidently  gained  upon  the  chase  ;  till,  at  last, 
as  we  tore  away  over  some  broken  ground,  interspersed  with  rocks 
and  low  jungle,  I  came  within  a  reasonable  distance,  and  delivered 
my  spear  with  all  the  force  and  velocity  of  which  I  was  master. 
Unluckily,  however,  a  large  pariah-dog  had  at  the  moment  seized 
the  boar  by  the  left  ear,  which,  causing  him  to  swerve  a  little  to  the 
right,  my  spear  pinned  the  dog  to  the  earth,  and  the  liberated  savage 
rushed  on  again  with  fresh  rapidity.  _ 

"Way  there!"  shouted  Croker,  just  at  my  horse's  crupper-  and 
spurring  out  of  his  path,  I  turned  off  to  seek  another  spear.  With 
this  I  was  soon  furnished  by  my  ghorawalla,  a  very  active  fellow, 
who  had  nearly  kept  up  with  us ;  and,  resuming  the  chase,  I  went 
full  tilt  after  Croker. 

Being  a  heavy  rider,  from,  his  unwieldy  stature,  my  friend  lacked 
the  speed  with  which  I  had  opened  the  chase,  but  he  made  up  for 
this  by  superior  experience ;  and,  just  as  I  was  coming  up  with  him, 
hand  over  hand,  he  darted  his  spear  right  through  the  body  of  the 
boar.  Not  being  struck  in  a  vital  part,  however,  the  monster  still 
kept  on  his  way  towards  a  jungle  copse  that  would  have  effectually 
screened  him  from  our  pursuit ;  but,  ere  he  had  gained  this  friendly 
shelter,  I  plunged  my  spear  into  him  just  behind  the  left  shoulder, 
and  as  it  pierced  his  heart  he  instantly  fell  dead.  I  had  thus  the 
honour  of  killing  the  first  game ;  though  Croker  had  the  still  greater 
glory  of  delivering  the  first  spear,  and  drawing  the  first  blood. 

Several  of  our  attendants  now  came  up,  and  innumerable  praises 
were  showered  upon  us,  while  the  panting  dogs  and  horses  rested 
after  their  severe  and  heavy  run.  We  then  wended  our  way  back  to 
the  plantation,  which  some  of  our  most  experienced  shikarees  as- 
sured us  still  contained  more  of  the  sounder,  or  herd ;  and  having  sent 
our  beaters  off  to  their  former  post,  we  took  up  our  stations  as  before. 

But  this  time  we  were  left  waiting  a  much  longer  period ;  for  the 
game  kept  so  close,  that  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  voice  or  tomtom 
to  dislodge  it  from  the  dense  and  almost  impervious  cover.  It  was 
in  vain  tnat  the  beaters  thrashed  the  canes  unmercifully :  equally 


232  THE  YOUNG  BIPLEMAN, 

vain  were  the  wild  sounds  of  collary  horn,  the  barking  of  the  dogs, 
and  the  frantic  shouts  of  the  peons,  coolies,  and  charcoal-burners ; 
not  a  stir  was  perceptible  where  the  game  was  supposed  to  lie.  At 
last  the  noise  ceased  altogether,  and  Croker,  calling  to  one  of  the 
shikarees,  asked  him  what  was  the  matter. 

"  Master  please,  Croke  Sahib,"  replied  the  shikaree,  "  coolie-logue 
plenty  'fraid ;  too  much  frightened  come." 

"  That  not  proper  business,"  said  Croke  Sahib.  "  What  for  I  give 
cherry-merry  ?  " 

"No  can  help,"  replied  the  shikaree  with  a  deprecating  look. 
"  Cooly  poor  man,  Sahib ;  spose  him  bite  leg,  spose  him  rip  belly, 
who  can  give  rice  to  him  piccaninny  ?  " 

As  I  could  pretty  well  make  out  this  Anglo-Indian  diatogue,  I 
asked  Crpker  what  the  ordinary  mode  of  proceeding  was  in  such 
cases,  which  I  supposed  were  not  unfrequent  in  hog-hunting. 

"  It  often  happens,"  replied  Croker,  "  that  the  beaters  get  terrified 
in  this  way ;  for  a  sow,  if  she  has  young  ones,  will  frequently  dash 
in  amongst  them,  and  bite  them  dreadfully,  right  and  left.  Our 
only  resource,  therefore,  on  such  an  occasion  as  the  present,  is  to  go 
boldly  into  the  cane-pie^e,  and  call  the  sow  to  account  with  the 
grooved  barrel." 

"  Then  I  claim  the  post  of  honour,"  I  said.  "  You  have  had  the 
first  spear,  let  me  have  the  first  shot." 

"  By  Jupiter,  you  shall  then,"  said  Croker ;  "  but  I'll  be  ready  to 
back  your  tack,  as  we  say  at  Skibbereen." 

The  beaters  were  accordingly  ordered  out  of  the  plantation,  that 
none  of  them  might  get  hit  in  the  melee;  then,  having  ascertained, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  the  direction  in  which  the  game  was  supposed 
to  lie,  we  dismounted,  and  taking  our  rifles,  prepared  to  enter  the 
cane-piece.  Croker  folio  wed  me  by  convention  at  a  distance  of  ten 
paces  ;  and  it  was  also  settled  that  he  was  not,  on  any  account,  to 
take  the  first  shot :  these  preliminaries  being  adjusted,  we  advanced 
towards  the  scene  of  action,  our  peons  and  ghorawallas  calling 
out — 

"Cobberdar,  Blake  Sahib !  Plenty  bad  wild  pig.  Spose  Croke 
Sahib  go  first,  that  proper  business." 

But  I  laughed  at  their  warning ;  and,  determined  to  see  the  adven- 
ture out^  I  stepped  boldly  into  the  cane-piece,  my  rifle  at  the  present, 
and  my  finger  on  the  trigger. 

"  These  breeding  sows,"  observed  Croker,  "  for  I  suppose  this  is 
one,  do  more  mischief  to  the  canes  than  the  boars  themselves ;  for 
they  not  only  devour  them,  but  cut  them  up  for  litter,  and  to  make 
little  huts  like,  to  cover  them  and  their  savage  brood." 

The  canes  were  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  waving  to  and  fro  over  our 
heads,  as  the  light  breeze  played  among  their  silky  tops ;  but  the 
stems  were  so  close  together,  as  to  render  our  progress  slow  and 
difficult.  We  could  see,  however,  pretty  well  some  distance  before 
us ;  and  with  our  rifles  cocked  and  protruded  in  advance,  we  were 
tolerably  well  prepared  for  anything  that  might  happen.  But  it  was, 
I  admit  now,  in  my  old  age,  a  foolhardy  enterprise ;  to  beard,  even  in 
her  very  den,  amidst  the  close  and  almost  impervious  jungle  of 


INTERVIEW  WITH  A  BOA-CONSTRICTOR.  233 

sugar-cane,  the  grisly  monster  whose  mate  had  so  lately  startled 
and  astonished  me  even,  in  the  open  field.  Youth,  however,  and 
animal  spirits  stifled  the  voice  of  prudence  in  our  breasts ;  and  on 
we  went,  wantonly  tempting,  as  it  were,  the  utmost  malice  of  fate. 

We  had  proceeded  in  this  manner  for  some  time  through  the 
wilderness  of  canes ;  our  eyes,  our  ears  on  the  alert,  our  expectation 
on  the  rack,  and  the  profound  silence  that  prevailed  adding  intensely 
to  the  excitement  of  the  scene.  At  length  we  approached  a  spot 
that  was  partially  cleared  of  the  canes,  which  had  been  eaten  away 
by  the  voracious  animals;  a  great  portion  of  half-consumed  frag- 
ments being  heaped  up  in  a  sort  of  mound  in  the  centre.  I  was 
making  my  way  to  this  spot,  the  canes  crashing  at  every  step  I 
took,  when  the  mound  of  rubbish,  as  I  took  it  to  be,  suddenly  burst 
open,  and,  with  a  fearful  grunt,  out  sprang  an  immense  sow. 
followed  by  a  dozen  young  hogs,  her  hopeful  progeny,  squeaking  ana 
tumbling  higgledy-piggledy  over  each  other. 

With  a  deadly  spring,  the  monster  made  at  me ;  but,  though  the 
surprise  was  perfect,  I  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to  receive  her 
with  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle,  which  fortunately  entered  her  open 
mouth,  as  I  pulled  the  trigger,  and  the  balls  from  both  barrels  went 
crashing  down  her  gullet,  putting  a  speedy  period  to  her  marauding 
existence.  The  impetus  of  the  bound,  however,  bore  me  to  the 
earth ;  and  there  I  lay  under  the  dead  body  of  the  enemy,  till  Croker 
came  up,  and  with  some  difficulty  relieved  me  from  the  burden. 
The  peons  and  coolies  were  now  summoned  to  our  aid,  and  speedily 
carried  forth  the  grisly  prey  from  the  cane-piece ;  singing  lo  paeans 
to  the  praise  and  glory  of  Percy  Blake  Sahib,  Gureeb  purwaun  and 
Bahauder  Jung.* 

Meanwhile,  the  young  grunters,  whose  nest  I  had  so  effectually 
broken  up,  having  rushed  in  their  terror  out  of  the  plantation,  were 
speedily  set  upon  by  all  the  dogs  of  high  and  low  degree ;  poligar 
and  pariah,  greyhound  and  bulldog,  and  despatched  with  multitu- 
dinous wounds ;  the  spoil  of  our  morning's  sport  thus  embracing 
every  individual  of  the  whole  family,  whose  depredations  had  long 
been  a  source  of  annoyance  to  the  neighbouring  villages.  Their 
head  men  accordingly  came  and  thanked  us ;  and  hoped  that  Croke 
Sahib  and  Percy  Blake  Sahib  would  often  visit  their  neighb9urhood, 
and  relieve  them  from  more  of  the  savage  monsters  with  which  their 
jungles  abounded. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

INTERVIEW  WITH  A  BOA-CONSTRICTOR. 

TIFFIN  being  now  announced  as  ready,  we  repaired  to  our  choultry, 
where,  after  a  shower-bath  in  the  ordinary  manner  from  a  chatty, 
and  a  change  of  linen,  AVC  sat  down,  comparatively  cool  and  re- 
freshed, in  our  sylvan  shade,  though  the  thermometer  ranged  at  120° 

*  Protector  of  the  poor,  and  valiant  lord. 


234  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

in  the  sun.  It  is  needless  to  trouble  my  reader  with  our  bill  of  fare ; 
on  such  ocasions  as  the  present,  if  our  cuisine  is  not  the  best  in  the 
world,  it  is  at  least  the  most  appetissante,  when  youth  and  exercise 
impart  a  healthy  tone  to  the  stomach,  and  the  gastric  juices  are  not 
impeded  in  the  due  performance  of  their  functions.  A  satisfactory 
portion  of  the  solids  liaving  been  disposed  of,  we  cocked  our  legs  up 
on  the  table?  as  we  smoked  our  cheroots  ;  and  brandy  paunee  being 
the  order  of  the  day,  we  drank,  and  laughed,  and  chatted  over  the 
morning's  incidents. 

Somehow  or  other,  it  occurred  to  me  that  Croker  was  unreasonably 
jealous  of  this  last  exploit  of  mine;  for  he  harped  more  than  he 
ought  to  have  done  on  my  first  misadventure  in  spearing  the  pariah 
dog  instead  of  the  boar,  which  he  said  would  make  a  capital  story  at 
the  next  meet  of  the  Bobbery  Hunt.  He  was  evidently  piqued,  I 
thought,  that  he  had  not  killed  the  sow  himself ;  and  I  accused  him 
mentally  of  selfish  ambition  in  wishing  to  monopolize  all  the  honours 
of  the  day.  He  was,  however,  a  very  good  fellow,  with  whom  I  did 
not  wish  to  quarrel;  and  lest  some  unlucky  or  unguarded  word 
might  disturb  our  harmony,  I  threw  my  rifle  over  my  arm,  and 
sauntered  into  the  jungle. 

Here  nature  had  strewn  her  riches,  and  squandered  her  beauties 
with  a  lavish  hand :  the  towering  teak  and  blackwood  intermingled 
their  leafy  branches,  to  guard  the  greensward  from  the  parching 
splendours  of  the  sun,  whose  beams,  occasionally  breaking  through 
the  dense  mass  of  foliage,  scattered  long  patches  of  brilliant  verdure 
across  the  deep,  cool  shade.  The  tufty  mango  grew  side  by  side  with 
the  spreading  tamarind ;  and  the  tall  slender  columns  of  the  bamboo 
shot  upwards,  in  diverging  rays  from  one  common  centre;  their 
united  stems  forming  a  bulwark  impenetrable  to  all  but  the  insidious 
snake,  whose  yellow  and  greenish  coils  are  not  unfrequently  taken 
for  the  vegetable  itself.  The  rocky  heights  that  sprang  up  amidst 
this  glorious  woodland  were  crowned  with  whole  forests  of  wild 
palmyra-trees ;  while  occasional  patches  of  cultivation  displayed  the 
lilac  nym,  the  jack,  the  guava,  the  plantain,  and  various  other  fruit- 
trees,  whose  forms  and  produce  are  equally  pleasing,  wholesome, 
and  nutritious. 

Absorbed  in  admiration  and  delight,  I  wandered  on  through  this 
ever-varying  wilderness,  sheltered  from  the  sun  by  the  vast  vege- 
table umbrella  that  spread  above,  swarming  with  myriads  of  birds, 
monkeys,  and  squirrels ;  while  below,  a  distant  antelope  would  some- 
times cross  my  path,  or  a  startled  hare  spring  from  its  form,  or  a 
peacock  or  jungle-fowl  rush  on  whirring  wing  from  one  covert  to 
another,  to  avoid  the  unwonted  stranger. 

In  the  midst  of  so  many  objects  of  natural  beauty  and  interest, 
some  of  an  artificial  character  would  frequently  intervene ;  such  as 
an  ancient  tank,  whose  finely-chiselled  steps  and  sculptured  orna- 
ments spoke  of  past  glories,  and  whose  green,  stagnant  water  was 
overgrown  with  the  broad  leaves  of  the  lotus.  Or  a  mouldering 
terrace,  or  mythological  antiquity ;  a  bull,  or  a  lingam,  indicating  the 
site  as  one  where  the  worship  of  Mahadeo  had  prevailed  in  all  its 
sanguinary  splendour,  long  ere  the  image-making  and  idol-breaking 


INTERVIEW  WITH  A  BOA-CONSTRICTOR.  855 

Christian  had  discovered  and  desecrated  the  recluse  and  hallowed 
precinct. 

One  of  these  venerable  remains  of  bygone  superstition  was  an 
immense  artificial  cavern,  hollowed  out  by  human  labour  and  in- 
genuity from  the  bowels  of  a  granite  mountain,  whose  solid  material 
was  sculptured  into  a  variety  of  pillars,  altars,  and  rude  images  of 
the  deity — in  his  triple  attributes  of  creator,,  preserver,  and  destroyer, 
personified  under  the  forms  of  Brahma,  Yishnu,  and  Siva.  Two  or 
these  figures  of  colossal  magnitude,  each  at  least  twenty  feet  high, 
which  stood  at  the  entrance,  still  bore  the  coating  of  red  paint  with 
which  they  had  been  daubed  by  the  Portuguese,  who  had  turned 
this  pagan  temple  into  a  Christian  church,  with  the  view,  probably, 
of  winning  over  to  the  new  faith  some  proselytes  from  the  creed  of 
ancient  days  and  long-cherished  associations. 

Having  gratified  my  curiosity,  in  spite  of  the  nauseous  and  suffo- 
cating air  of  this  cavern,  which  was  now  only  frequented  by  bats, 
jackals,  and  other  birds  and  beasts  of  filthy  habits,  I  gladly  inhaled 
once  more  the  pure  air  of  the  jungle,  and  wandered  onwards,  rumi- 
nating on  the  mysteries  of  faith  and  diversity  of  creeds  that  have 
puzzled  and  perplexed  the  human  brain,  setting  man  against  his 
brother  man,  with  the  ferocity  of  the  tiger,  and  in  the  name  of  a  God 
of  love  and  mercy,  through  every  age  and  clime  of  this  wondrous 
world.  In  short,  1  became  so  involved  in  my  own  speculations,  that 
I  lost  my  way ;  and  the  more  I  endeavoured  to  retrace  it,  in  a 
wilderness  where  every  object  was  multiplied  a  hundred-fold,  with 
the  most  perplexing  similarity,  the  more  effectually  I  became  puzzled 
in  the  labyrinth. 

The  sun  was  now  declining  towards  the  horizon,  and  the  shadows 
every  moment  became  broader  and  deeper.  Apprehensive  that  I 
might  be  overtaken  by  the  night  in  a  place  thut  was  neither  safe  nor 
agreeable,  I  fired  9ff  both  my  barrels  several  times,  in  the  hope  of 
attracting  the  notice  of  some  of  my  party.  This  at  last  had  the 
desired  effect ;  for  I  first  heard  a  distant  and  faint  halloo,  and  this 
was  succeeded  by  several  others  around  me,  which  all  seemed  to  be 
converging  towards  the  spot  where  I  stood.  Many  of  these  sounds 
were  doubtless  nothing  more  than  echoes ;  but  it  was  evident  that 
my  companions  were  on  the  search  for  me ;  and,  at  length,  to  my 
great  relief,  I  could  distinguish  the  voice  of  Rurigapa,  as  he  shouted 
out, — 

"  Cobbeedaur,  Percy  Blake  Sahib  !    Plenty  baugh  hi !  " 

It  was,  to  be  sure,  very  encouraging  to  learn  that  there  were  plenty 
of  tigers  in  the  jungle  ;  and  I  looked  around  me  suspiciously  into 
every  brake  and  thicket  which  might  serve  as  cover  to  the  t  feline 
monsters.  At  length,  nearly  exhausted  by  fatigue  and  anxiety,  I 
sat  down  on  the  long  round  stem  of  a.  palmyra-tree,  which  lay 
stretched  across  my  path,  half  buried  in  rank  weeds  and  jungle- 
grass,  determined  to  wait  there  till  some  one  should  come  to  my 
assistance. 

They  approached  at  length  on  every  side,  and  the  first  that 
appeared  was  Croker  himself,  who  gave  a  view  halloo  the  moment  he 
perceived  me.-  He  was  cominar  down  a  gentle  slope,  lanehinc  and 


236  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

singing  in  his  usual  unsophisticated  manner,  till  he  got  within  thirty 
yards  of  where  I  sat,  fairly  fagged  with  the  exertions  of  the  day. 
Then  suddenly  stopping,  and  looking,  as  I  thought,  particularly 
wicked,  he  brought  his  rifle  to  the  present,  and  fired  off  both  barrels 
directly  at  me ;  so  effectually,  indeed,  that  I  tumbled  backwards,  from 
the  object  on  which  I  was  seated,  mortally  wounded,  as  I  naturally 
concluded. 

I  jumped  up,  however ;  and  thougli^  I  looked  upon  myself  as  a 
dead  man,  the  most  savage  revenge  inspired  my  breast,  for  it  struck 
me  that  Croker  had  been  either  seized  with  sudden  frenzy,  or,  in  a 
paroxysm  of  jealous  spite,  had  taken  advantage  of  this  secluded  spot 
to  murder  one  whose  morning  exploit  had  cast  his  own  into  the  shade. 
I  therefore  sprang  at  him,  determined  to  avail  myself  of  the  few 
remaining  moments  of  existence  to  punish  his  treachery.  I  seized 
him  by  the  collar,  and  shook  him,  tall  and  towering  as  he  was ;  but 
to  my  utter  amazement  he  was  choking  with  laughter. 

"  By  Jupiter ! "  at  last  he  exclaimed,  "  you  are  mad,  Blake.  Just 
look  at  what  you  were  sitting  on." 

I  looked,  and  beheld  to  my  horror  and  astonishment,  that  the 
palmyra  stem  on  which  I  had  been  sitting  was  in  motion ;  writhing 
in  frightful  convulsions,  lashing  the  rocks,  trees,  and  brambles  with 
the  most  intense  and  destructive  fury. 

"  Stand  clear  of  him ! "  shouted  Croker,  dragging  me  away  from 
the  spot ;  "  if  he  gives  you  a  whisk  of  his  tail,  you're  done  for." 

Bewildered  and  stupified,  I  gazed  on  the  phenomenon  till  the 
supernatural  convulsions  gradually  subsided,  and  the  object,  what- 
ever it  was,  animal  or  vegetable,  lay  gasping,  fluttering,  and  finally 
motionless  and  deprived  of  existence.  I  felt  as  if  in  the  paroxysm  of 
a  terrible  dream,  ready  to  yield  up  the  ghost  to  a  frightful  nightmare; 
and  I  stupidly  gazed  on  Croker,  as  he  joyfully  cried  out, — 

"  Oh  Jupiter !  what  a  beautiful  boa !  " 

"A  boa!"  I  repeated,  forgetting  at  the  moment  that  there  was 
anything  else  in  existence  under  that  title  but  the  once  fashionable 
appendage  to  a  lady's  dress. 

Croker  drew  me  cautiously  towards  the  spot ;  and  then,  for  the 
first  time,  I  comprehended  that  the  supposed  palmyra-teee  on  which 
I  had  been  sitting,  was  actually  a  monstrous  boa-constrictor,  which, 
having  gorged  an  immense  prey,  was  lying  half-concealed  amidst  the 
long  grass,  in  that  state  of  torpid  indulgence  peculiar  to  the  gigantic 
reptile ;  otherwise,  I  must  have  paid  with  my  life  for  the  liberty  I 
took  in  making  a  camp-stool  of  him.  He  was  now  perfectly  dead, 
having  received  both  balls  in  his  head;  which,  to  Croker's  great 
mortification,  was  dreadfully  shattered. 

"By  Jupiter  ! "  said  Croker,  "I'll  engage  that  fellow  swallowed  a 
young  jackass  this  morning ;  and  if  I  hadn't  killed  him " 

"  He'd  have  swallowed  an  old  one-  this  evening,"  I  added,  finishing 
the  sentence  for  him.  "  Too  true,  my  excellent  friend,"  I  continued, 
"  a  donkey,  indeed,  I  must  have  been  to  suppose  you  were  murdering 
me  at  the  very  moment  you  so  admirably  saved  my  life." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  balderdash,"  replied  Croker,  with  his  usual  insou- 
ciance3  "you'll  do  as  much  for  me  another  time,  Blake.  I  wouldn't 


THE  MASSOOLAH  BOAT.  237 

have  tried  it,  though,"  he  continued,  "if  I  didn't  know  you  could 
stand  fire." 

Peons,  coolies,  and  charcoal-burners  were  now  summoned  to  the 
spot,  to  bear  off  the  glorious  spoil ;  and  as  they  bent  under  the  enor- 
mous load,  which  they  carried  on  bamboos,  Croker  exclaimed  in  high 
glee, — 

"  Twenty-six  feet  long,  and  four  feet  in  girth.  By  Jupiter !  'tis  a 
beautiful  boa ! " 

That  night,  after  a  plentiful  supper,  and  quant,  suf.  of  brandy 
paunee,  we  spread  our  mats  on  the  chunam  floor  of  the  choultry,  and 
slept  the  sleep  of  hunters.  The  following  day  was  devoted  to  skinning 
ana  salting  the  skin  of  the  "  beautiful  boa ; "  an  operation  too  disgust- 
ing for  me  even  to  look  upon,  but  which  afforded  as  much  delight  to 
Croker  as  the  one  in  which  I  first  beheld  him  engaged,  the  morning  I 
landed. 

On  the  third  day,  having  first  satisfied  our  sylvan  followers  to  their 
hearts'  content,  we  returned  to  Colabah,  with  such  trophies  as 
attracted  all  the  world  to  Croker's  bungalow.  This  snake  was 
christened  by  universal  consent  "  Paddy  Blake's  boa ; "  a  name  still 
current  amongst  the  Hamadryads  of  Dungaree,  and  the  young 
carpenters  of  Mazagong :  and  it  is  but  little  to  say  that  so  great  a 
monster  was  never  seen  before  or  since  in  Old  Woman's  Island. 


CHAPTER  LIL 

THE  MASSOOLAH  BOAT. 

THE  nine  days'  wonder  occasioned  by  this  singular  and  amusing 
transaction  had  scarcely  subsided,  and  I  was  actually  making  pre- 
parations to  follow  my  dear  Julia  to  Goa,  whither  she  had  been 
sent  to  avoid  me,  and  snatch  the  golden  fruit  from  its  guardian 
dragon,  when  we  received  orders  to  proceed  instanter  to  Madras ; 
to  which  presidency  my  regiment  had  returned  from  Batavia. 

Here  was  an  interruption  to  my  promised  joys ;  for  I  had  actually 
engaged  a  passage  in  a  patamar  to  Goa,  and  Croker  had  exacted  a 
promise  from  his  friend,  the  garrison  chaplain,  that  he  would  tie  the 
irrevocable  knot  for  us  on  our  return  to  Bombay.  But  this  cursed 
route  baffled  my  hopes,  for  I  was  refused  leave  of  absence  point 
blank,  the  Indiaman  being  ready  at  her  moorings  to  take  us  on 
board ;  and  I  was  thus  compelled,  for  the  present,  to  curb  my  im- 
patience for  the  bonds  of  matrimony. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  scene  of  our  embarkation :  one  hundred 
and  fifty  recruits,  and  two  hundred  women  and  children,  black,  white, 
brown,  and  whitey-brown,  every  cast  of  feature,  every  shade  of  colour, 
European,  Eurasian,  and  native  Hindoo !  The  row  was  stupendous; 
the  confusion  of  tongues  surpassed  that  of  Babel :  the  squabbles  01 
the  soldiers  with  the  lascars,  the  outcries  of  the  women,  the  screams 
of  the  children,  and  the  barking  of  Croker's  two  dozen  dogs,  pro- 
duced altogether  an  uproar  on  the  pier-head,  in  the  boats,  and  on 


238  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

board  the  IneKaman,  such  as  had  never  been  witnessed  before,  even 
in  that  noisy  locality.  For  the  settlement  of  the  thousand  and  one 
disputes  that  arose  from  such  prolific  sources,  every  one  came  to  me ; 
Croker  having  gone  off  to  the  brigade  major  of  king's  troops  to  get 
an  order  for  the  embarkation  of  his  dogs  and  the  skin  of  his  boa-con- 
strictor, the  latter  haying  been  refused  admittance,  on  the  plea  that, 
being  badly  cured,  it  was  disgusting  and  infectious  in  smell  and 
appearance.  Major  Snubley,  in  despair  of  being  able  to  eifect  any- 
thing like  peace,  also  took  himself  off,  remarking  to  me  as  he  went 
over  the  ship's  side, — 

"  Purseram  Bhow  would  never  tolerate  such  a  scene  as  this,  sir  • 
he  would  either  blow  up  the  ship,  or  bowstring  the  women  and 
children,  as  the  shortest  solution  of  the  difficulty.  He  was  a  great 
man,  sir,  in  his  way,  was  Purseram  Bhow." 

At  last  all  got  on  board ;  but  here  a  new  difficulty  presented  itself, 
for  the  orlop-deck,  which  is  always  appropriated  to  troops,  was  chock 
full  of  cotton  and  opium  for  China ;  and  so  was  a  great  portion  of  the 
main-deck,  the  guns  even  being  stowed  away  in  the  hold,  to  make 
room  for  those  precious  commodities.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  shouted 
for  the  captain:  he  was  not  to  be  found;  and  the  first  mate  was  a 
crabbed  sort  of  cross  between  a  bulldog  and  terrier,  that  neither  would 
nor  could  do  anything  in  the  matter.  He  said  it  was  all  the  fault  of 
the  governor  in 'council,  who  knew  the  crowded  state  in  which  the  ship 
was,  and  should  not  have  sent  so  many  troops  on  board.  The  weather 
was  fine,  he  added,  and  the  men  and  women  might  stow  themselves 
away  on  the  forecastle,  and  the  booms  and  boats  amidships ;  all  that 
his  crew  wanted  being  room  to  work  the  ship. 

Fortunately  we  had  delightful  weather,  and  a  favourable  passage. 
In  a,  week  we  rounded  Ceylon,  having  a  splendid  view  of  Adam's 
Peak  and  its  subordinate  mountains ;  and,  in  another,  the  long  low 
coast  of  Coromandel  hove  in  sight,  sprinkled  with  cocoanut-topes, 
with  here  and  there  the  lofty  tower  of  a  pagoda  rising  above  the  flat, 
monotonous  horizon.  Great,  indeed,  was  our  jubilation  when  we 
came  to  anchor  in  the  roadstead  of  Madras,  and  beheld  the  marble- 
like  aspect  of  the  lines  of  palaces,  as  they  seemed  to  be,  that  stretched 
along  the  beach  to  the  northward  of  Fort  St.  George,  whose  battle- 
ments, bristling  with  cannon,  were  washed  by  the  spray  of  the  well- 
known  surf,  as  it  broke  in  thunder  on  the  sandy  shore. 

Towards  evening  we  were  amused  with  the  approach  of  a  catama- 
ran ;  this  was  nothing  but  two  logs  of  cocoanut-tree  lashed  together, 
on  which  the  boatman,  if  I  may  so  call  him,  sat  squat  on  his  hams, 
with  a  paddle  in  his  hands,  that  he  used  alternately,  right  and  left. 
As  he  came  alongside,  bobbing  up  and  down,  like  a  piece  of  cork,  with 
the  motion  of  the  waves,  he  took  a  chit,  or  note,  from  his  langooty,  or 
waistcloth,  and  handed  it  to  a  seaman  at  a  lower  deck  port,  for  the 
burra  sahib.  This  was  an  order  to  get  the  troops  in  readiness  to  land 
forthwith ;  and  soon  after,  we  were  surrounded  by  ten  or  twelve 
Massoolah  boats  to  take  us  to  shore% 

It  was  not,  however,  without  misgiving  that  we  intrusted  our 
bodies  to  the  safeguard  of  these  singular  specimens  of  naval  archi- 
tecture. Let  the  reader  imagine  a  huge,  shapeless,  hollow  shell, — 


THE  MASSOOLAH  BOAT.  239 

without  deck,  masts,  sails,  or  rigging, — formed  of  rough  planks  of  the 
cocoanut-tree,  actually  stitched  together  (there  not  being  a  single 
nail  in  the  whole  structure)  with  a  sort  of  twine,  made  from  the 
fibrous  coating  of  the  cocoanut,  and  he  will  readily  understand  the 
diffidence  with  which  we  stepped  on  board  such  a  shaking,  bending, 
pliable  fabric,  which  might,  for  aught  we  knew,  collapse  with  our 
weight,  and  carry  us  all  to  the  bottom.  The  Massoolah  boat  is, 
however,  the  only  description  of  vessel  that  can  live  in  this  tremendous 
surf,  which  would  dash  the  most  substantial  vessel  that  ever  was  built 
in  England  to  atoms  in  a  few  moments. 

Our  crew  consisted  of  eight  or  ten  wild-looking  fellows,  naked  all 
but  the  langooty,  who,  with  long  uncouth  oars,  impelled  us  gently 
forward,  until  we  approached  the  outer  wave  of  the  surf;  while  our 
elastic  boat,  yielding  to  every  pressure,  seemed  ready,  as  we  thought, 
to  burst  asunder  at  the  first  shock,  and  plunge  us  into  the  deep. 
Suddenly  the  boatmen  set  up  a  wild,  vociferous  chorus  of  "Ulla! 
ulla !  ulla  !"  which  increased  to  an  extraordinary  rapidity  of  enuncia- 
tion as  we  rose  to  the  summit  of  a  watery  mountain;  for  we  were  now 
within  the  influence  of  the  surf. 

Scarcely  had  we  crested  this  enormous  wave,  which  was  at  least 
twenty  feet  high,  when  we  were  plunged  into  a  deep  and  foaming 
abyss;  the  song  of  the  boatmen  now  sounding  in  our -.ears  like  the 
yells  of  so  many  fiends,  rejoiced  at  having  entrapped  their  prey.  The 
land  had  totally  disappeared  from  our  eyes,  and  nothing  was  visible 
but  two  huge  walls  of  water,  supporting,  as  it  were,  the  canopy  of 
heaven.  We  had  barely  time  to  wonder  at  this  strange  position, 
when,  with  a  fearful  hoist,  we  found  ourselves  elevated  to  the  summit 
of  another  mountain  wave ;  plunged  again  into  a  foaming  abyss ;  lifted 
for  the  third  time  to  another  watery  pinnacle ;  and  then,  with  a  long 
impetuous  sweep,  cast  high  and  dry  upon  the  beach. 

By  the  time  we  had  collected  our  scattered  senses,  we  found  our- 
selves safe  from  the  thundering  surge,  and  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
smiling  and  obsequious  dubashes,  maty-boys,  coolies,  humauls, 
ghoracurras,  &c.  &c.,  who  offered  us  every  possible  comfort,  accom- 
modation, and  luxury,  as  if  they  were  the  ready  agents  of  some 
beneficent  genius  who  presided  over  this  enchanted  land. 

We  had  no  time,  however,  to  avail  ovrselves  of  their  tempting 
offers,  for  we  were  marched  off  immediately  for  Poonamalee,  an 
extensive  depot  some  fifteen  miles  distant.  But,  as  we  jogged  along 
on  the  beautiful  Mount-road,  smooth  and  level  as  a  bowling-green, 
and  lined  on  each  side  with  splendid  palaces,  luxuriant  gardens,  and 
park-like  pleasure-grounds,  I  felt  inclined  to  repeat  the  well-known 
Persian  couplet — 

Oh !  if  there  be  an  Elysium  on  earth, 
It  is  this !    It  is  this ! 

Sol,  in  Homeric  phrase,  had  now  sunk  into  the  arms  of  expecting 
Thetis,  but  the  atmosphere  was  excessively  hot  and  sultry.  Major 
Snubley  had  accommodated  himself  with  a  palanquin  for  the  march ; 
Groker  had  hired  a  tattoo,  which,  when  he  mounted,  his  long  legs 
swept  the  ground;  but  I  withstood  all  temptations  of  a  similar 
nature,  being  determined  on  all  occasions  to  walk  with  the  men — a 


240  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

species  of  magnanimity  which  greatly  excited  the  wonder  and  con- 
tempt of  the  natives.  A  number  of  hackeries,  doolies,  and  other 
conveyances  having  been  hired  for  the  women  and  children,  brought 
up  the  rear,  with  a  long  line  of  bullocks  laden  with  our  baggage  ;  and 
thus  we  proceeded  on  our  route,  to  the  great  admiration  of  the 
mulls,  as  the  Madras  people  are  called,  from  their  fondness  of 
mullikatauny. 

But  night  had  now  come  down ;  and  though  a  splendid  moon  had 
risen,  we  had  scarcely  got  half  way  upon  our  journey  when  two  or 
three  of  the  men  began  to  complain  that  they  couldn't  see. 

"Hollo  !  hollo !"  cried  one,  "I'm  blind !" 

"  By  jingo,  I'm  stone  blind ! "  cried  another,  as  they  both  began  to 
stagger  about  till  they  fell  down  by  the  road-side,  where  they  were 
soon  joined  by  several  others  in  the  same  predicament. 

"  What's  this  ?  What's  this  ?  "  exclaimed  Major_  Snubley,  as  his 
humauls  now  came  grunting  along.  "  Is  it  a  mutiny  ?  Purseram 
Bhow  would  blow  these  fellows  away  from  the  mouth  of  a  24- 
pounder." 

"Fiddlestick,  mutiny!"  responded  Croker.  "It's  no  mutiny,  but 
blindness  ;  the  men  are  all  getting  blind  in  front." 

"Oh,  if  that  be  all,"  said  the  major,  "you  have  only  to  push  on, 
Croker,  with  those  that  can  see ;  those  that  cannot  must  stay  where 
they  are,  with  a  few  men  to  look  after  them,  till  the  sun  rises,  when 
they  will  be  sure  to  recover  their  sight.  I  know  this  night-blindness 
perfectly  well ;  the  first  time  I  ever  observed  it,  Mr.  Blake,  was  one 
evening  when  I  commanded  a  guard  of  honour  over  Purseram  Bhow, 
in  the  jungle  that  surrounds  Savindroog— : 

Here,  luckily  for  me,  the  major's  humauls  suddenly  whipped  up  the 
palanquin,  and  bore  him  off,  in  the  midst  of  his  story,  the  last  of 
which  I  heard  was  a  murmuring  repetition  of  Purseram  Bhow— ow — 
ow,  which  chimed  in  passably  well  with  the  ordinary  chorus  of  the 
palanquin  boys. 

"Fall  in,  men !"  shouted  Croker.  "By  Jupiter!  this  is  more  of 
the  balderdash.  Keep  your  sections  now,  bad  scran  to  you,  for  an 
awkward  squad  as  ye  are.  Slope  arms  !  quick  march ! "  and  on  we 
went  again;  blind  men  falling  out  occasionally,  and  lying  down 
patiently  by  the  road-side  till  the  sun  got  up. 

At  length,  about  12  o'clock,  we  arrived  at  Poonamalee,  with  about 
half  our  men,  and  no  women,  the  latter  having  stopped  to  comfort 
the  sick. 

It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night ;  and  the  broad,  level  esplanade 
\ypon  which  the  barracks  and  officers'  quarters  are  built,  in  long,  low 
lines  of  masonry,  had  a  peculiar  air  of  neatness  and  cleanliness.  The 
men  were  dismissed  to  their  barrack-rooms,  where  refreshment  was 
supplied  to  them  from  the  canteen,  and  we  proceeded  to  the  mess- 
room. 

This  occupied  the  centre  of  a  fine  esplanade ;  its  numerous  doors 
all  open  to  the  greensward,  giving  ready  ingress  to  a  well-furnished 
supper-table,  brilliantly  lighted,  which  awaited  our  presence ;  and 
there  we  brought  the  labours  of  the  day  to  a  cheerful  close,  in  spite 
of  Major  Snubley's  old  stories  about  Hurry  Punt  and  Purseram  Bhow. 


THE  SACRILEGE.  241 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

THE  SACRILEGE. 

WE  remained  at  Poonamalee  only  long  enough  to  be  furnished  with 
tents  and  other  camp-equipage ;  and  then  got  orders  to  march  to 
Bangalore,  about  200  miles  distant,  where  the  regiment  lay.  Our 
mess  was  increased  by  Dr.  Scott,  the  assistant-surge9ii  of  the  3rd 
native  cavalry,  a  shrewd  fellow  and  a  jolly  companion,  who  was 
ordered  to  take  us  in  medical  charge  :  our  commissariat  and  transport 
department  being  also  duly  attended  to,  and  hackeries  provided  for 
the  women  and  chilctren,  we  commenced  our  march. 

I  have,  on  a  former  occasion,  spoken  in  praise  of  a  march  in 
England,  as  a  delightful  party  of  pleasure,  but  I  doubt  if  it  be  not 
greatly  surpassed  by  one  in  India.  The  day's  journey,  for  instance, 
rarely  exceeds  ten  or  twelve  miles :  and  this  may  be  performed  on 
horseback,  or  in  a  palanquin,  according  to  the  state  of  the  exchequer. 
When  we  come  to  our  ground,  having  sent  our  servants  in  advance, 
we  find  an  excellent  breakfast  laid  out,  as  if  by  enchantment,  in  some 
shady  tope  or  comfortable  choultry  by  the  side  of  a  tank.  By  the 
time  this  has  been  disposed  of.  the  tents  have  come  up  and  are 
pitched :  then  the  careworn  subaltern  may  lie  down  upon  his  comfort- 
able couch,  to  repose  after  his  morning's  fatigue.  Or,  if  so  disposed, 
he  may  throw  his  gun  over  his  arm,  and  shoot  paddy-birds  or 
florikens ;  or,  if  the  country  be  jungly,  he  may  bag  a  peacock,  an 
antelope,  or  a  wild  boar,  making  up  his  mind  to_  the  possibility 
of  falling  in  with  an  elk  or  a  tiger,  in  which  case  his  maty-boy  and 
other  attendants  will  leave  him  to  shift  for  himself.  After  this  sylvan 
exercise  he  returns  to  his  tent,  throws  off  his  clothes,  has  half  a 
dozen  chatties  of  water  poured  over  him,  sits  down  and  dresses 
leisurely,  saunters  to  the  mess-tent,  where  an  excellent  dinner  awaits 
him,  indulges  in  its  varied  enjoyments  till  the  drowsy  god  asserts 
his  reign,  and  enables  him,  by  sound  repose,  undisturbed  by  guard  or 
outlying  picket,  to  meet  the  vicissitudes  of  the  morrow.  How  often 
have  I  compared  this  playing  at  soldiers  with  our  long,  fatiguing 
marches  in  the  Peninsula,  our  sleepless  nights  in  the  trenches,  our 
sudden  retreats  without  tents,  canteens,  or  camp-equipage,  our  lost 
dinners,  and  our  empty  stomachs !  And  every  time  I  did  so  my 
conscience  seemed  to  reproach  me  with  the  enjoyment  of  my  present 
luxury. 

In  this  manner  we  journeyed  on  for  several  days  without  meeting 
with  any  incident  worth  recording.  Croker  and  I  supplied  the  mess 
plentifully  with  all  sorts  of  game,  in  pursuit  of  which  we  wandered 
over  hill  and  dale,  sometimes  floundering  in  paddy-fields,  sometimes 
losing  ourselves  in  the  intricacies  of  the  jungle ;  rarely,  however,  did 
it  happen  that  our  attendants  were  not  heavily  laden  with  the  spoils 
of  the  chase,  which  we  freely  shared  amongst  the  feminine  portion  of 
our  nomadic  community. 


242  THE  YOUNG  E1FLEMAN. 

One  unlucky  day,_  as  Croker  called  it,  for  he  was  insensibly 
imbibing  the  superstitions  of  the  people  with  whom  he  mingled  so 
familiarly,  we  had  met  with  little  or  nothing ;  and  were  returning 
moody  and  disappointed  to  camp,  with  a  paddy-bird  and  a  few  red- 
legged  partridge  only.  Our  road  lay  through  a  Brahmin  village, 
completely  embowered  amidst  the  numerous  stems  and  wide-spread- 
ing branches  of  a  magnificent  banyan-tree.  The  air  of  neatness, 
cleanliness,  and  calm  religious  repose  that  breathed  around,  affected 
me  in  an  uncommon  degree ;  and  I  asked  myself  why  should  not 
happiness  be  found  in  such  a  secluded  spot,  as  well  as  in  all  the 
turmoil  and  troublesome  pursuits  of  the  great  world. 

There  was  scarcely  a  human  being  to  be  seen ;  now  and  then, 
perhaps,  a  graceful  female,  with  majestic  step,  coming  from  the 
bowlie,  or  village  well,  with  her  brazen  lota,  filled  with  the  sacred 
fluid,  steadily  oalauced  upon  her  well-formed  head.  Or  else,  a 
venerable  sage,  reclining  in  the  shade,  with  a  book,  composed  of 
strips  of  the  talipot  leaf^in  his  hand,  closely  written  with  the  stylus  ; 
haply  containing  an  episode  of  the  Ramayuna,  or  that  portion  of 
sacred  history  which  represents  Krishna  as  opening  his  divine  mouth 
and  showing  therein,  to  his  astonished  nurse,  the  universe  and  all  its 
wondrous  glories. 

But,  few  and  _  far  between  as  were  the  human  beings  below,  the 
umbrageous  foliage  above  was  rife  with  myriads  of  its  customary 
denizens.  Blue  pigeons,  in  thousands,  flew  amidst  or  floated  round 
the  wondrous  mass  of  leaves  in  eddying  circles ;  while  the  lazy  flying- 
foxes  hung  in  hundreds  by  the  tips  of  their  bat-like  wings  from  the 
branches  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  tree ;  and  several  distinct  races 
and  generations  of  monkeys  played,  frisked,  and  chattered  amongst  the 
pillared  windings  of  this  gigantic  monarch  of  the  vegetable  kingdom. 

The  gambols  and  antics  of  these  singular  animals  at  first  amused 
me,  as  I  sauntered  on  before  Croker,  who  was  collecting  his  dogs, 
and  chastising  the  wild  and  refractory.  As  the  monkeys  scampered 
away  from  the  Eeringhee,  I  laughed  heartily  at  seeing  them  tumble 
over  each  other ;  and  they  returned  my  laughter  with  such  incessant 
chattering  and  singular  gesticulations,  so  germane,  as  it  were,  to 
the  actual  posture  of  affairs,  that  I  could  not  help  thinking  there  was 
some  rational  foundation  for  the  Monboddo  system  after  all. 

They  evidently  looked  upon  me  as  an  intruder  on  their  consecrated 
ground— an  invader  of  their  vested  rights ;  and  their  indignation  was 
fully  evinced,  not  only  in  their  gestures,  but  their  actions ;  for  they 
grinned,  gnashed  their  teeth,  and  pelted  me  with  leaves,  branches, 
and  pebbles.  There  was  one  old  fellow,  with  a  white  top-knot,  that 
seemed  more  virulent  in  his  hostility  than  all  the  rest  of  the  gang ; 
his  gestures  were  contemptuous  and  threatening  in  the  extreme ; 
and  the  paroxysms  of  his  impotent  rage,  though  they  amused  me  at 
first,  became  troublesome  in  the  end;  for  he  followed  me  from 
branch  to  branch,  venting  his  malice  in  a  thousand  little  ways ;  till, 
at  last,  when  he  stood  at  a  considerable  distance,  on  one  of  the  top- 
most branches,  I  levelled  my  rifle  at  his  top-knot,  and  sent  a  bullet 
through  his  head. 

Scarcely  had  he  fallen  to  the  earth,  when  out  from  cabins,  huts, 


THE  SACRILEGE.  243 

and  jungle  recesses  rushed  a  multitude  of  men,  women,  and  children; 
shouting,  yelling,  screaming,  wringing  their  hands,  tearing  their  hair 
and  exhibiting  the  most  unequivocal  signs  of  mingled  grief  and 
horror ;  while  thousands  upon  thousands  of  blue  pigeons,  frightened 
by  the  report,  fluttered  about  in  all  directions,  and  the  flying-foxes 
flitted  silently  backwards  and  forwards,  like  the  ghost  of  deceased 
Brahmins  at  the  day  of  doom. 

"Oh,  by  Jupiter!  you  have  done  it  now,  in  earnest,  Blake," 
exclaimed  Croker,  running  up  at  the  disturbance ;  "  we  shall  have  to 
fight  pur  way  back  to  camp,  my  boy." 

This,  indeed,  seemed  very  evident;  for  an  immense  crowd  of 
people, — Heaven  knows  where  they  all  sprang  from  in  a  moment, — were 
closing  a'round  us  fast,  with  threatening  cries  and  gestures,  eager, 
apparently,  to  tear  us  to  pieces.  We  presented  our  rifles,  and  kept 
them  at  bay  for  a  while,  till  one  fellow,  bolder  than  the  rest,  seized 
mine  by  the  barrel,  and  endeavoured  to  wrest  it  from  me.  I  shook 
him  off  in  an  instant,  and  gave  him  a  gentle  punch  with  the  butt-end, 
in  the  stomach ;  when,  to  my  horror  and  amazement,  he  fell  dead, 
stone  dead,  apparently,  on  the  ground. 

"  By  Jupiter ! "  exclaimed  Croker,  "  you  have  now  killed  a  man 
and  a  monkey,  and  we  shall  have  a  coroner's  inquest,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  balderdash." 

The  sudden  death  of  this  fellow  multiplied  the  disturbance  tenfold, 
of  course ;  but  it  also  relieved  us  from  our  tormentors,  for  they  all 
gathered  round  the  fallen  wretch,  bewailing  his  untimely  fate,  and 
appealing  to  Heaven  for  vengeance  on  his  murderer.  We  now  got 
back  as  fast  as  we  could  to  the  camp,  very  much  agitated,  of  course, 
at  the  dreadful  accident,  and  having  no  one  to  consult  with  as  to  the 
consequences ;  for  Major  Snubley  was  enjoying  his  siesta,  and  Dr. 
Scott  had  ridden  off  to  look  at  a  distant  pagoda. 

It  wasn't  long,  as  we  anticipated,  ere  we  beheld  an  innumerable 
host  of  mourners  coming  in  melancholy  procession  from  the  Brahmin 
village  towards  the  camp  ;  one  party  bearing  the  dead  body  of  the 
man  on  a  bamboo  frame ;  and  another,  the  dead  body  of  the  monkey ; 
equally,  if  not  more  so,  the  object  of  general  sympathy  and  sorrow. 
They  drew  up  on  an  open  space,  in  front  of  the  head-quarter  tent, 
and,  depositing  the  two  corpses  on  the  ground,  they  set  up  such  a 
phililoo  as  awoke  the  major  in  a  terrible  fright,  and  attracted  every 
soul  in  camp  to  the  spot,  soldiers,  women,  children,  horse-keepers, 
grass-cutters,  &c.  &c. 

This  appeared  to  be  very  consoling  to  the  friends  of  the  deceased  ; 
for  they  set  up  another  tremendous^  howl,  which  brought  the  major 
out  of  nis  tent  in  a  hurry,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and  exclaiming, — • 

"  Good  gracious  !  what  is  the  matter  ?  Never  have  I  heard  such 
a  disturbance  since  the  battle  of  Seringapatam,  when  Purseram 
Bhow  cut  up  the  camp-followers  of  Tippoo." 

Fifty  voices,  at  least,  responded  to  the  major's  question;  each, 
doubtless,  with  a  different  version  of  the  affair.  But,  as  he  could 
make  neither  head  nor  tail  of  the  matter,  he  appealed  to  his  dubash, 
who,  being  himself  a  Brahmin,  gave  him  a  most  awful  statement  of 
the  case. 


244  THE  TOTING  RIFLEMAN. 

"Good  gracious,  Mr.  Blake ! "  said  the  major,  pale  and  trembling, 
"  you  have  committed  murder  and  sacrilege.  If  this  had  happened, 
sir,  in  the  camp  of  Purseram  Bhow— : 

"It's  no  such  thing,"  said  Croker,  stoutly  interrupting  the  major- 
"  that  dubash  of  yours  has  been  telling  you  a  pack  of  lies,  as  I'll 
prove  to  his  face."  Here  he  stated  the  whole  affair  in  Hindostanee, 
in  which,  and  some  of  the  country  dialects,  he  had  great  fluency ; 
appealing  to  the  crowd,  as  he  went  on,  for  the  truth  of  his  assertions. 

"  But,  sir,"  said  the  major,  "  I  must  believe  the  evidence  of  my 
own  eyes ;  there  lies  the  dead  monkey." 

"Well,"  responded  Croker,  "'tis  only  a  monkey  after  all,  and 
make  the  most  of  it ;  my  friend  is  willing  to  pay  a  handsome  fine  for 
shooting  him." 

"But  he  has  committed  a  sacrilege,  sir,"  cried  the  major;  "that 
monkey,  perhaps,  contained  the  transmigrated  soul  of  the  god 
Hanoomaun." 

"  That's  all  balderdash,"  returned  Croker. 

"  Sir,"  said  the  major,  "  I  look  upon  the  Hindoo  system  of  mytho- 
logy as  the  most  ancient  and  mysterious  doctrine  m  the  universe ; 
comprising  as  it  does  the  metempsychosis,  or  trans 

"  Oh,  Jupiter ! "  said  Croker,  "  you're  always  looking  into  the 
dictionary  for  big  words  t9  bother  us."  m 

"  And  sure  I  am,"  continued  the  major,  "  that  Purseram  Bhow,  in 
all  his  glory,  wouldn't  dare  commit  such  an  act  as  this." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Croker ;  "  but  he  was  only  a  black  rascal 
after  all." 


his  death,  for  he  first  seized  upon  Blake's  gun ;  and,  after  all,  the 
punch  he  got  of  the  butt-end  wouldn't  kill  a  mosquito." 

Here  the  multitude  raised  another  dismal  howl ;  after  which,  the 
principal  Brahmin  declared  his  intention  of  sitting  dhurna  on  the 
major,  until  he  got  satisfaction  for  the  murder  and  sacrilege  com- 
mitted that  day  in  his  village. 

Accordingly,  at  a  sign  from  this  very  astute  personage,  the  multi- 
tude squatted  themselves  down  before  the  door  of  the  major's  tent ; 
and  the  chief  Brahmin,  drawing  a  dagger,  declared  his  resolution  to 
stab  himself  if  the  major  ventured  to  step  beyond  this  sacred  cordon. 

"  Good  gracious,  Mr.  Blake !"  said  the  poor  major;  "you  see  what 
a  predicament  you  have  brought  me  into !  But  perhaps  I  should 
explain  to  you  the  meaning  of  this  awful  ceremony " 

"  It's  all  balderdash,"  interrupted  Croker. 

"'Tisno  such  thing,  sir/'^replied^the  major;  "but  a  very  sacred 
and  mysterious  rite,  by  which  an  injured  person  seeks  to  obtain 
justice;  for  which  purpose  he  places  himself  at  the  door  of  the 
person  from  whom  he  seeks  redress— mine,  for  instance— and 
threatens  to  poison  or  stab  himself,  if  that  person  issue  from  that 
doorway  till  he  is  satisfied." 

"  Then  cut  a  hole  in  the  kanauts,"  said  Croker ;  "  and  go  out  by 
that." 


THE  SACRILEGE.  245 

"  Even  that  is  provided  against,"  said  the  major ;  "for,  as  you  see, 
the  Brahmin's  attendants  have  drawn  a  cordon  round  the  whole  tent, 
and  I  must  either  starve  here,  or  cause  the  death  of  the  venerable 
priest,  by  violating  the  sanctity  of  his  dhurna" 

"By  Jupiter !"  exclaimed  Croker,  "  such  flummery  as  that  won't 
do  for  an  English  stomach." 

"'Tis  not  flummery,  sir,"  retorted  the  major;  "for  I  recollect 
when  Hurry  Punt,  who  was  himself  a  high-caste  Brahmin — I  must 
explain  to  you,  Mr.  Blake,  that  Punt  is  an  abbreviation  of  Pundit ;  a 
doctor,  or,  I  should  rather  say,  doctissimus,  most  learned  in  the 
law " 

Here  Dr.  Scott  galloped  into  the  camp  from  his  excursion,  and 
hastened  to  the  spot,  very  much  astonished  at  the  state  of  affairs. 

"As  for  you,  Mr.  Blake,"  continued  the  major,  "it  will  be  my 
painful  duty  to  send  you  back  to  Madras,  under  arrest,  to  take  your 
trial  for  this  murder." 

"  Murder ! "  exclaimed  Dr.  Scott.    "  Who  has  he  murdered  ?  " 

I  told  the  doctor,  with  whom  I  was  an  especial  favourite,  how  the 
whole  affair  had  arisen. 

"  But  are  you  sure  the  man  is  dead  ?  "  demanded  the  doctor.  "  Let 
me  feel  his  pulse." 

"  No,  no,  no !  "  shouted  the  multitude,  crowding  around  the  dead 
body;  "the  murdered  man  is  a  Brahmin,  and  the  doctor  is  a  Pariah. 
Impossible  for  a  Pariah  to  touch  a  Brahmin." 

The  doctor  smiled  significantly;  and,  addressing  the  people  in 
their  own  dialect,  asked  if  they  would  like  to  see  the  murdered  man 
restored  to  life. 

"  Certainly,"  they  replied,  "  if  such  a  thing  were  possible." 

"  Then,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  undertake  to  work  this  miracle  for 
you.  You  all  know  what  wonders  an  English  doctor  can  perform." 

"Yes,  yes,  yes,  we  standy,"  every  one  exclaimed.  "Eeringhee 
doctor  like  one  god." 

"  But  you  musn't  dare  to  touch  the  body,"  said  the  chief  Brahmin. 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  the  doctor. 

"Neither  with  hand,  knife,  stick,  or  lancet,"  continued  the 
Brahmin. 

"Very  well"  said  the  doctor.  "I  agree  to  all  your  terms;  I'll 
merely  stand  by  his  side  during  the  magical  operation." 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  whispering,  and  anxious  deliberation 
amongst  the  crowd,  while  the  doctor  went  into  his  tent  for  a  moment; 
and  on  his  return,  the  principals  among  them  stood  closely  on  the 
watch,  to  prevent  him  from  touching  the  body.  We  drew  nigh  also, 
eager  to  witness  a  result  in  which  we  were  so  deeply  interested ;  the 
soldiers,  women,  and  children  crowded  after  us,  and  all  hung  forward 
in  breathless  suspense  to  witness  the  stupendous  miracle  of  raising 
the  dead. 

The  murdered  man  was  lying  on  his  back  upon  the  ground,  per- 
fectly naked,  all  but  his  cummerband  and  turban.  His  body  was 
motionless  and  already  stiff;  there  was  no  breathing,  no  apparent  pul- 
sation, nothing  whatever  to  indicate  that  the  soul  had  not  taken  its 
flight  from  the  senseless  mass  of  clay  that  lay  before  us ;  and  yet  there 


246  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

was  a  look  of  confidence  about  the  doctor  that  I  could  not  at  all 
account  for. 

The  latter  now  took  his  station  by  the  side  of  the  dead  body;  and, 
standing  upright,  gazed  around  with  a  glance  full  of  mystic  meaning. 
He  then  drew  from  his  pocket  a  small  phosphorus  bottle,  at  that 
time  a  recent  invention,  with  a  match,  and  a  stick  of  sealing-wax. 
Waving  these  instrument  magica  backwards  and  forwards,  he  ele- 
vated his  voice,  and  chaunted  forth,  in  a  solemn  and  sonorous  tone, 
the  national  anthem  of  "  God  save  the  King ! " 

At  the  end  of  this  stanza,  which  produced  an  evident  effect  on  the 
nerves  of  the  multitude,  the  doctor  plunged  the  match  into  the 
phosphorous  bottle  ;  and,  applying  it  to  the  sealing-wax,  three 
burning  drops  fell  in  rapid  succession  on  the  naked  stomach  of  the 
defunct. 

Up  sprang  the  wretch,  with  a  yell  that  would  have  frightened  a 
whole  prairie  of  wild  bulls  ;  and  off  he  ran,  shouting  "  Murder !  mur- 
der !  Apa  Samee !  Apa  Samee ! "  in  a  voice  of  intense  agony. 

Off  set  Croker,  also,  with  his  dog-whip ;  and  laying  it  into  the 
fugitive  with  right  good  will,  as  he  roared  and  ran,  he  gave  the  _im- 
ppstor  a  memento  of  British  vengeance  both  before  and  behind. 
Dhurna  was  broke  up  with  astonishing  celerity ;  and  the  innocent 
Brahmins  and  Brahminees  scuttled  off,  being  pelted  with  stones  out 
of  the  camp,  by  the  women  and  children ;  while  Major  Snubley  de- 
clared that  he  had  never  witnessed  such  a  piece  of  deception  since  the 
wonderful  days  of  Purseram  Bhow. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

THE  PETTICOAT  MUTINY. 

]foR  some  days  after  this  startling  event,  we  bowled  along  over  the 
level  and  uninteresting  plains  of  the  Carnatic,  without  the  occurrence 
of  any  incident  worth  mentioning.  In  this  period,  we  passed  Arcot, 
then  a  cavalry  station,  and  once  celebrated  for  the  glorious  defence  of 
an  old  rickety  fort  by  Clive :  who,  with  twoor  three  hundred  sepoys, 
kept  ten  thousand  of  Chunda  SahiVs  troops  at  bay  for  sixty  days, 
ana  finally  beat  them  off,  at  a  critical  moment  for  the  glory  and 
stability  of  the  British  empire  in  India.  We  also  passed  by  velore, 
a  fortress  rendered  famous  by  an  equally  gallant  exploit  of  one  of  our 
modern  heroes,  Gillespie ;  whose  lamentable  fall,  when  leading  a 
desperate  assault  on  Kalunga,  in  Nepaul,  deprived  the  British  empire 
of  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude. 

Now,  whether  it  was  the  memory  of  these  glorious  events,  or  some 
other  equally  martial  souvenirs,  I  cannot  venture  to  say ;  but  certain  it 
is,  that  a  most  pugnacious  spirit  began  to  evince  itself,  about  this  time, 
amongst  a  portion  of  our  detachment  which  the  gentle  reader  will 
the  least  suspect  of  such  a  propensity.  The  petticoats,  in  short,  were 
in  a  state  of  commotion :  the  women  and  children,  to  the  number  of 


THE  PETTICOAT  MUTINY.  247 

two  hundred,  were  in  open  and  most  flagrant  mutiny,  which  came  to 
a  head,  and  exploded  two  days'  march  beyond  Vellore. 

As  usual,  nobody  suspected  anything  of  the  matter.  We  all  slept 
soundly  in  peace  and  quietness  till  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning1 ; 
when,  the  bugle  having  sounded,  and  the  soldiers3  tents  being  struck, 
the  sergeant-major  entered  the  commandant's  marquee,  and  duly  re- 
ported that  the  women  and  children,  one  and  all,  had  refused  to 
march. 

"Pooh!  pooh!"  exclaimed  Major  Snubley  "they  are  not  awake 
yet,  I  suppose." 

"  They  are  wide  awake,  sir,"  said  the  adjutant's  deputy. 

"  Are  they  mad  or  drunk,  then  ?"  demanded  the  major,  petulantly. 

"  Drunk  they  arc  not,  sir,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  mad  they  cer- 
tainly may  be." 

"The  dog-star  rages !  "  exclaimed  the  major,  as  he  got  out  of  bed, 
and  fumbled  on  his  clothes  in  the  dark. 

"The  stars  are  all  down,  sir,"  said  the  chief  of  the  non-commis- 
sioned; "  but  it  will  soon  be  daylight." 

"Now,"  resumed  the  major,  half  soliloquizing,  " \vhat  would 
Purseram  Bhow  do  on  such  an  occasion  as  this  ? — 1  know— I  have  it 
— strike  their  tents,  to  be  sure,  and  then  the  jades  must  either  march, 
or  get  a  coup  de  soleil." 

"  We  have  tried  that,  sir,"  replied  the  sergeant-major ;  "but  they 
have  beaten  off  the  lascars." 

"  Ho,  sahib,"  said  the  maistry  of  the  tent-pitchers,  sidling  into 
the  marquee,  "  one  devil  woman  break  my  head  with  a  mallet." 

"  And  anoder  knock  me  down  with  a  tent-peg,"  cried  his  deputy. 

Eight  or  ten  lascars  now  pushed  their  way  into  the  major's  pre- 
sence, each  complaining  of  some  outrage  or  other. 

"Are  the  men  under  arms,  sergeant-major?"  demanded  the  com- 
mandant, in  a  voice  of  stern  authority. 

"  They  are,  sir,"^  replied  the  sergeant-major,  "  and  there  isn't  a 
tent-pole  standing  in  the  whole  camp,  except  the  women's." 

"Then,  pile  arms,"  said  the  commandant,  "  and  march  the  men  oft' 
in  squads  to  strike  the  jades'  tents,  whether  they  will  or  no." 

The  sergeant-major  having  made  the  usual  salute,  retired  to  obey 
his  orders;  and  the  commandant  continued  his  toilet,  soliloquizing 
every  now  and  then,  as  he  proceeded,  on  the  dogged  and  stubborn 
nature  of  the  European,  particularly  the  English  female,  as  compared 
with  the  gentle  pliability  of  the 'Asiatic ;  but  expressing  his  resolution 
to  carry  matters  with  a  high  hand  on  such  an  occasion  as  the  present, 
when  an  example  of  insubordination  was  set  so  fatal  to  the  discipline 
of  the  British  army,  and  which  Purseram  Bhow  would  deal  with  in 
the  most  summary  manner. 

Here  the  major's  soliloquy  was  interrupted  by  an  immense  shout 
from  the  women's  tents,  which  were  always  pitched  by  themselves  at 
a  certain  distance  from  the  men's  ;  but  the  shout  was  of  so  dubious 
a  character,  that  the  major  could  not  exactly  make  out  whether  it  was 
one  of  defiance  or  of  victory.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  mingled  mass  of 
sounds,  screams,  cries,  groans,  and  laughter,  such  as  probably  never 
awoke  the  echoes  of  that  locality  before  or  since. 


248  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  What  on  earth  is  the  meaning  of  this  uproar  ?  "  demanded  the 
astonished  Snubley. 

"  'Tis  the  women  again,  sir,"  replied  the  sergeant-major,  rushing 
m.  "  They  have  tripped  up  the  men  with  the  tent-ropes,  in  the 
dark,  and  they  are  tying  them  neck  and  heels  with  their  apron- 
strings." 

"Impossible,  sir!"  cried  the  commandant,  pale  with  ire.  "Eng- 
lish soldiers  would  never  suffer  themselves  to  be  so  treated  by  a 
parcel  of  drunken  beldames." 

"  However  that  may  be,  sir,"  replied  the  sergeant-major,  "  there 
they  are,  tumbling  over  one  another  in  the  dark,  and  not  a  tent 
struck,  nor  likely  to  be." 

"  Good  gracious !"  exclaimed  Snubley.  "  Where  on  earth  is  Lieu- 
teuant  Croker  ?  He's  always  out  of  the  way  when  I  want  him.  Off 
in  the  jungle,  I  suppose,  shooting  wild  boars  or  boa-constrictors." 

"  I'll  go  and  look  for  him,  sir,"  said  the  sergeant-major,  rushing 
out. 

Crokor  and  I,  with  shame  I  must  acknowledge,  were  enjoying  the 
fun  at  a  little  distance,  utterly  regardless  of  the  major's  quandary  • 
when  an  orderly  stumbled  upon  us,  in  the  dark,  and  summoned 
Croker  to  head-quarters. 

"By  Jupiter!  then,"  exclaimed  Croker,  as  he  went  off  laughing, 
"  I'll  tell  him  the  whole  secret  of  the  matter." 

I  followed  to  witness  this  interesting  eclaircissement,  and  took  post 
at  the  door  of  the  major's  tent._ 

"  Oh,  you  are  come  at  last,  sir  !"  cried  Snubley,  with  an  explosion 
of  pent-up  wrath. 

"  I  came  the  moment  you  sent  for  me,  major,"  replied  Croker.  "  I 
couldn't  think  of  intruding  before,  under  the  circumstances." 

"Oh,  I  know  what  you  mean,  sir,"  said  the  major,  "by  laying 
such  an  emphasis  on  the  word  '  circumstances.'  Of,  that,  more  here- 
after ;  but  I  now  demand  of  you  the  meaning  of  this  uproar,  which, 
I  shame  to  say,  may  be  heard  above  the  Ghauts." 

"Well,  then,"  replied  Croker,  "if  you  must  know  the  truth,  it's 
all  along  of  Zuleikha  Beebee." 

"  What  dat  you  say,  Croke  Sahib  ?  "  demanded  a  shrill  voice,  as  a 
female  head  was  protruded  from  behind  a  curtain  that  hung  at  one 
end  of  the  marquee. 

"  I  say,  'tis  all  along  of  you,  Beebee  Zuleikha,"  repeated  Croker. 
"The  women  swear  they  won't  have  you  for  a  commanding  officer  any 
longer." 

"You  mind  your  eye,  Croke  Sahib !"  cried  the  lady,  in  a  passion. 
"I  give  you  de  slipper  in  your  head." 

Here,  an  angry  and  discordant  trio  ensued,  in  which  all  spoke  toge- 
ther, and  in  double  alto.  But,  as  the  reader  could  learn  nothing  from 
such  a  galimatias,  I  must  play  Chorus  on  the  occasion,  and  unravel  the 
mystery  for  him. 

It  appears,  then,  that  Major  Snubley,  when  we  commenced  this  un- 
propitious  march,  had  invited  and  prevailed  upon  a  Mussulman  lady, 
of  some  personal  attractions,  to  travel  to  Bangalore  under  his  protec- 
tion. This  fair  being,  without  a  soul,  whose  name,  like  that  of 


THE  PETTICOAT  MUTINY.  249 

Potiphar's  wife,  was  Zuleikha,  embalmed  in  the  lyric  verse  of  Hafiz, 
was  somewhat  portly  in  person,  with  large  gazelle  eyes,  whose  appa- 
rent magnitude  was  still  further  increased  by  the  application  of  konol 
round  the  lids;  while  her  teeth  were  duly  blackened  and  polished, 
and  her  lips,  fingers,  and  toes,  died  with  henna.  She  was,  as  I  have 
said,  somewhat  portly  in  person ;  and,  as  she  walked,  according  to 
the  recommendation  of  Eastern  poets,  with  the  stately  majesty  of  the 
elephant,  or  the  phenicopterps,  she  set  jingling,  at  every  step  she  took, 
about  a  nundred  and  fifty  little  bells  and  silver  trinkets,  distributed 
over  various  parts  of  her  person ;  her  ears  carrying  five  distinct  tiers 
of  ornaments,  and  her  nose-ring  being  as  large  in  circumference  as 
the  hoop  of  an  oyster-barrel. 

This  delectable  creature  travelled  in  a  very  handsome  hackery, 
drawn  by  two  snow-white  Brahminy  bulls  with  magnificent  humps. 
The  canopy  of  this  four-sided  carriage,  on  two  wheels,  was  composed 
of  rich  damask,  with  a  gilt  ball  on  the  top.  It  was  supported  by  four 
silver-plated  pillars,  between  which  green  silk  curtains  being  ex- 
tended, shaded  from  the  vulgar  gaze,  and  the  sun's  rude  assaults,  the 
charming  occupant  who  sat  cross-legged  within. 

So  distinguished  a  personage,  travelling,  moreover,  with  all  the 
prestige  of  the  commandant's  lady,  could,  of  course,  occupy  only  one 
position  in  the  line  of  march  :  this  was  at  the  head  of  the  long,  long 
column  of  hackeries,  bandies,  bullocks,  and  camp-followers  that 
brought  up  the  rear  of  the  fighting  men,  who,  like  the  army  of  Xerxes, 
numbered  only  one-tenth  of  the  sum  total.  This  pre-eminence  was 
submitted  to  quietly  enough,  for  some  time,  by  the  soldier's  wives ; 
till  the  demon  of  discord  began  to  hint  amongst  them,  that  it  was 
highly  derogatory  for.  Englishwomen,  Christian  women,  ay,  and  honest 
women  to  boot,  to  follow  like  so  many  menials  in  the  tram  of  a  black, 
or  at  least  a  brown,  pagan  of  the  feminine  gender,  who  was,  more- 
over, and  above  all.  no  better  than  she  ought  to  be. 

No  sooner  was  this  idea  once  broached,  than  it  took  like  wild-fire  • 
and  the  only  wonder  now  was,  that  the  degradation  had  been  brooked 
so  long.  At  first,  the  discontented  matrons  thought  of  gaining  their 
point  by  an  expedient  of  their  own,  and  endeavoured  to  circumvent 
the  enemy  by  getting  before  her  on  the  line  of  march;  but  Zuleikha 
Beebee  was  wide-awake  to  the  perils  that  beset  her  dignity,  and  was 
always  half  an  hour  before  them  at  the  post  of  honour.  Foiled  in  this 
attempt,  they  next  had  recourse  to  hints,  inuendoes,  invectives,  and 
downright  insults;  but,  ensconced  behind  her  green  silk  curtains, 
Zuleikha  Beebee  was  impenetrable  to  their  attacks,  and  regardless  of 
the  pressure  from  without.  Driven  at  last  to  desperation,  the  British 
fair  ones  mutually  vowed  to  support  each  other  in  a  struggle  for  their 
rights;  and,  declaring  war,  a  I' entrance,  the  scene  above  described 
was  the  glorious  result. 

"  To  cut  this  matter  short,"  exclaimed  Major  Snubley,  at  the  end 
of  a  stormy  debate,  "I  order  you,  Lieutenant  Croker,  to  go  and  quell 
this  disturbance,  and  I  place  the  whole  detachment  in  your  hands  for 
that  purpose.  Lieutenant  Blake,  you'll  stay  with  me,  as  a  guard  of 
honour,  in  case  the  wretches  should  attack  my  person." 

"  But  don't  you  think  now,  Zuleikha  Beebee,"  said  Croker,  in  a 


250  THE  YOUNG  KIFLEMAN. 

soothing  voice,  "  that  if  you  would  only  be  so  kind  as  to  go  a  little  in 
the  rear  of  the  line " 

"  Bah  !  bah  ! "  interrupted  the  lady,  stamping  her  elephantine  leg 
upon  the  ground  with  a  degree  of  energy  that  set  all  her  trinkets 
tinkling,  like  the  bells  of  the  Chinese  porcelain  tower  in  a  squall. 
"  You  no  tink  I  do  clat  business,  Croke  Sahib  ?  " 

"  Only  for  a  day,"  insinuated  Croker,  "just  to  pacify  them  for  the 
moment." 

"  No,  nor  for  tree  day,"  replied  the  lady,  "  nor  for  one  week,  nor 
for  twelve  year.  No  proper  business  for  Musselmaun  Beebee  to  ride 
after  Dobee  women." 

"But  Englishwoman  say,"  persisted  Croker,  "not  proper  busi- 
ness for  Moor  woman  go  first ;  sepoy  always  go  last  in  line  of  march." 

"More  fool  he  ["replied  Zuleikha;  but  dat  not  my  fashion.  I 
always  cock-o' -de-walk.  _  When  I  travel  wid  Captain-ee- Smith,  of 
Nizam  army,  I  always  ride  him  elephant,  and  nobody  say,  '  Bo !  you 
goose ! ' " 

"  You  see  how  it  is,"  said  poor  Snubley,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
"  She  won't  yield,  and  I  cannot  blame  her." 

"I  should  tink  not,"  said  the  lady.  "If  you  do,  you  one  old  fool. 
Captain-ee-Smith  was  de  proper  man ;  he  soon  blow  'em  up." 

"And  so  would  Purseram  Bhow,"  cried  Snubley.  "And  so  will 
I ;  but,  first  of  all,  Croker,  you  go,  my  dear  fellow,  and  see  if  you  can 
settle  the  matter  peaceably  for  us." 

Croker  went  accordingly ;  and  as  he  strode  along,  his  tall,  gaunt 
figure  cast  a  shadow  of  portentous  length,  for  it  was  now  broad 
daylight,  and  the  sun  was  showing  his  fiery  disc  above  the  horizon. 

"With  all  the  anxiety  of  our  Vienna  diplomatists,  awaiting  the  ulti- 
matum of  a  truculent  bully,  who  feels,  or  fancies,  he  has  the  game 
in  his  hands,  Major  Snubley  and  I  awaited  the  return  of  our  envoy : 
nor  were  we  kept  long  in  suspense ;  for,  after  another  shout  of  scorn 
and  defiance,  we  beheld  Croker  flying  from  the  triumphant  foe,  hold- 
ing his  handkerchief  to  his  face.  In  another  moment  he  was  in  the 
tent,  displaying  to  our  horrified  gaze  his  visage  streaming  with  blood, 
that  issued  from  ten  distinct  furrows  dug  into  his  features  by  the 
nails  of  some  mutinous  fury. 

"By  Jupiter!  now,  Major  Snubley,"  exclaimed  Croker,  "you  only 
say  the  word,  and  I'll  fight  any  ten  black  fellows  that  ever  were 
pupped ;  but  I'll  be  sniggered  if  ever  I  go  near  those  devils  of  women 
again." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha ! "  laughed  Zuleikha.  "  You  put  Dobee  women  before 
me !  See  what  dey  give  you  now  for  tanks ! " 

"  'Tis  six  of  one,  and  half  a  dozen  of  another,"  retorted  Croker. 
"  You  are  all  the  same  sort  of  cattle." 

"  You  call  me  one  cattle !  "  cried  Zuleikha,  springing  forward ;  and, 
snatching  off  her  slipper  with  wonderful  dexterity,  she  gave  poor 
Croker  such  a  smack  with  it  on  the  lips,  as  drew  forth  some  more  of 
his  heroic  blood. 

"  Good  gracious !  "  exclaimed  Snubley,  "what  on  earth  am  I  to  do 
amongst  you  all  ?  Never  was  any  one  so  beset  as  I  am,  since  the 
days  of  Purseram  Bhow." 


THE  PETTICOAT  MUTINY.  251 

"  You  one  foolish  old  man,"  said  Zuleikha.  "  Captain-ee-Smith  was 
de  proper  fellow  for  dat  business :  he  soon  settle  de  hash  of  'em." 

"  So  can  I  too,"  said  the  commandant,  proudly ;  "  but  we  must  first 
try  the  effect  of  diplomacy  and  tactic.  Stay — I  have  it— we'll  starve 
the  jades :  they're  too  well  fed,  that's  the  fact  of  it.  Sergeant-major, 
order  the  cortiicopola*  to  go  forward  a  day  in  advance ;  we  will  then, 
march,  and  leave  the  nasty  sluts  to  starve  behind  us.  Hunger  will 
soon  bring  them  to  their  senses,"  said  Snubley,  rubbing  his  hands  in 
high  glee  at  the  idea. 

"They're  beforehand  with  us  there,  sir,"  replied  the  sergeant- 
major.  "  They  have  got  the  cornicopola  a  prisoner  in  their  tents,  and 
swear  they'll  brain  him,  if  he  attempts  to  escape." 

"But  his  people."  said  the  commandant,  "can  move  on  with  the 
cattle." 

"  I  have  tried  that,  also,"  said  the  sergeant-major ;  "  but  they  wont 
budge  a  foot  without  him." 

"  Good  gracious !  I'm  at  my  wit's  end,"  cried  poor  Snubley,  wring- 
ing his  hands,  and  looking  the  very  picture  of  despair.  "  Blake,  my 
dear  fellow,  you  go  and  try  what  effect  you  can  produce.  Palaver 
them,  my  dear  boy ;  promise  them  everything." 

"  No,  no ! "  cried  Zuleikha ;  "not  everyting,  you  old  fuzool ! " 

"I  meant  to  say,  everything  but  that,"  resumed  the  poor  major, 
drawing  in  his  horns. 

I  accordingly  set  off  on  my  mission,  but  with  very  little  hopes  of 
success.  Warned,  however,  DV  Croker's  mishap,  I  resolved  to  try  the 
soothing  system ;  and  approached  the  enemy's  position  with  smiling 
looks,  waving  a  white  cambric  handkerchief  as  a  symbol  of  peace. 

I  was  greatly  amused,  as  I  drew  nigh,  at  the  military  ;aspect  of 
affairs.  The  women's  camp  occupied  a  slightly  elevated  ground ;  and 
tho  tents,  twelve  in  number,  were  pitched  close  together,  in  a  solid 
square  of  cotton,  the  tent  ropes  being  so  interlaced  and  intermingled, 
as  to  defy  the  ingress  of  all  but  the  most  practised  of  clashies.  In 
the  centre,  was  elevated  a  tall  bamboo,  from  the  summit  of  which  a 
petticoat  fluttered  in  the  breeze.  Quarter  and  rear-guards  were  es- 
tablished, and  sentries  marched  backwards  and  forwards  with  mops 
and  broomsticks  over  their  shoulders ;  while  a  battery  of  pails  and 
buckets  filled  with  water,  by  no  means  deodorized,  stood  ready  for 
immediate  action ;  and  the  young  fry  scampered  about  as  scouts,  to 
give  timely  notice  of  the  proceedings  of  the  enemy. 

A  deputation  of  a  dozen  of  the  most  staid  and  elderly  matrons  came 
forward  to  receive  my  communication,  and  I  addressed  them  in  my 
most  fascinating  manner. 

"  My  dear,  good,  worthy  souls,"  I  began. 

But  this  exordium  was  received  with  a  stunning  peal  of  laughter, 
which  interposed  an  abstacle  in  limine,  as  the  logicians  say,  that  I 
could  not  get  over ;  and  I  stood  for  a  moment  or  two,  stammering 
and  unable  to  proceed ;  at  length, 

"Why  doivt  you  go  on ?  "  cried  one. 

"  There's  a  hole  in  his  ballad,"  said  another. 

*  The  meat  contractor,  who  always  accompanies  troops  to  the  field  with  droves 
of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep. 


252  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  I  never  saw  a  bashful  Irishman  before,"  said  a  third. 

"  You're  a  pretty  fellow  for  a  Tipperary  boy,"  said  a  fourth. 

"  He's  Cork,  darlint,"  said  a  fifth.  "  Don't  you  see  he  has  kissed 
the  Blarney-stone." 

"  I'll  engage,"  said  a  sixth,  "  he's  got  a  big  lump  of  it  in  his  pocket.'* 

"I say,  young  man,"  cried  a  lady  from  Westminster,  "does  your 
mother  know  you're  out  ?  " 

"Give  her  my  compliments  when  you  write,"  said  another,  "and 
ask  her,  has  she  sold  her  mangle  ? " 

Much  more  of  this  chafiing  I  underwent,  till  one  huge  matron,  with 
a  inob-cap  napping  about  her  ears,  that  made  her  look  like  Abd- 
el-Kader,  as  that  gallant  chieftain  is  represented  in  our  print-shops, 
exclaimed : — 

"Be  off  wid  you  now,  Paddy  Blake,  or  I'll  mark  your  baby-face  as 
I  did  that  gomeril  Croker's." 

Totally  abashed  by  tthis  shower  of  threats  and  witticisms,  I  was 
about  to  retire,  looking  very  sheepish,  I  confess ;  when  the  whole 
pack  of  them  surrounded  me,  in  three  distinct  circles  of  young  and 
old,  hand  in  hand ;  dancing  witli  more  energy  than  grace  to  the  old 
nursery  rhyme,  which  was  most  provokingly  appropriate  to  the  oc- 
casion— 

"  Rings  on  her  fingers,  bells  on  her  toes, 
She  will  have  music  wherever  she  goes." 

The  kind  reader  will,  ]  hope,  pardon  my  vanity ;  but,  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  moment,  I  could  not  help  comparing  myself  to  Orpheus 
about  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  fury  of  the  Tkracian  matrons.  I  escaped, 
however,  the  fright ;  for,  after  indulging  some  time  in  their  satur- 
nalia, they  opened  out  and  allowed  me  to  retire,  as  the  saying  is,  with 
my  finger  in  my  mouth,  contenting  themselves  with  pinning  a  rag 
to  my  coat-skirts ;  and,  all  unconscious  of  the  honour,  I  marched 
back  through  the  camp  and  into  the  head-quarter  marquee  with  this 
respectable  appendage  dangling  at  my  tail. 

Matters  were  now  proceeding  from  bad  to  worse ;  and  the  major 
began  to  anticipate  serious  consequences  to  himself,  if  the  mutiny 
was  not  immediately  checked.  The  women,  however,  positively 
refused  to  stir,  if  the  Beebee  was  not  sent  to  her  proper  place  at  the 
end  of  the  column  of  hackeries  ;  and  the  Beebee,  with  a  stupendous 
polyglot  oath,  declared  she  would  not  relinquish  the  post  of  nonpar. 
In  this  dilemma,  there  was  but  one  alternative, — to  send  Zuleikha 
back  to  Madras,  till  happier  times  :  and  the  major,  having  screwed 
his  courage  to  the  sticldng-piace,  imparted  the  sad  news  to  her; 
which  produced  a  terrible  scene  of  tears,  faintings,  hysterics,  and 
invectives.  She  declared,  however,  that  she  couldn't  think  of  going 
by  herself,  there  being  plenty  of  robbers  on  the  road  to  take  her 
trinkets  from  her,  and  perhaps  her  life — Thuggism  being  then  very 
common.  Upon  this,  the  major  ordered  his  dubash  to  attend  her, 
but  Ram  Samee  flatly  refused  the  office  ;  he  was  no  Burwah,  he^aid, 
but  a  high-caste  Brahmin,  and  it  was  not  proper  business  for  him  to 
do.  Indignant  at  this  refusal,  the  major  discharged  his  dubash ;  and 
Zuleikha  was  prevailed  on  by  a  very  handsome  present,  to  venture 
her  precious  person  alone  on  the  journey. 


THE  CANTONMENT.  253 

These  arrangements  being  made,  all  obstacles  were  at  length 
obviated ;  the  women  got  into  their  hackeries,  their  tents  were  struck 
and  sent  forward,  and  though  the  sun  was  already  high  in  the  heavens, 
we  commenced  our  march. 

"Halt!  halt!"  cried  the  major,  before  we  had  proceeded  fifty 
paces  on  our  way.  "  Mr.  Croker,  countermarch  the  detachment ; 
here  is  another  confounded  piece  of  business !  " 

We  accordingly  took  up  our  former  position,  and  began  to  think 
ourselves  spell-bound  to  tne  spot. 

The  major,  it  seems,  had  no  sooner  got  into  his  palanquin,  than  he 
found  there  wasn't  a  humaul  to  carry  him  :  they  had  all  gone  off  with 
Ram  Samee.  Poor  Snubley,  in  this  predicament,  ordered  his  horse  to 
be  saddled ;  but  there  was  neither  a  ghora\yallah  nor  a  grass-cutter 
to  be  found.  His  maty-boy  had  also  vanished,  together  with  his 
gardener,  his  hookah-burdar,  his  doby-walla,  his  lascars ;— all,  in 
short,  having  been  hired  by  the  dubash,  weiit  away  with  him,  and 
left  the  real  master  on  the  camp-field,  alone  with  his  glory  ! 

This  being  a  predicament  wnich  admitted  of  no  possible  remedy 
save  one— we  head  all  to  hunt  about  for  the  wily  Brahmin ;  who,  after 
putting  our  patience  to  a  severe  test,  at  length  suffered  himself  to  be 
found,  and  was  reinstated  in  his  former  functions.  All  difficulties 
being  thus  obviated,  we  finally  left  this  unlucky  camp,  the  triumphant 
dubash  remarking  with  a  sly  leer : — 

"  Good  ting  master  come  to  him  senses.  S'pose  Major  Sahib  not 
know  when  good  servant  got,  Ram  Samee  know  when  got  good 
master." 

A  few  days  after  this,  we  ascended  the  Pednadurgum  Pass,  one  of 
those  stupendous  defiles  that  lead  to  the  table-land  of  India;  and 
another  week's  march  brought  us,  without  further  adventures,  to  the 
cantonment  of  Bangalore. 


CHAPTER   LV 

THE   CANTONMENT. 

A  CANTONMENT  in  India  is  altogether  so  different  from  our  military 
establishments  in  Europe,  that  the  reader  will,  perhaps,  be  gratified 
with  a  brief  sketch  of  Bangalore,  which  will  give  him  an  adequate 
idea  of  all  the  others. 

The  European  infantry  barracks,  the  centre,  or  nucleus  of  this 
cantonment,  stand  on  a  level  plain,  spacious  enough  for  the  manoeu- 
vres of  four  thousand  men.  These  barracks  form  a  great  quadrangle 
of  large  airy  rooms,  one  story  high,  with  verandahs  facing  inwards  ; 
capable  of  lodging  fifteen  hundred  men,  exclusive  of  officers,  whose 
quarters  are  elsewhere.  At  some  distance  in  rear  of  these  barracks 
stands  a  great  bazaar  or  market ;  and  in  front  of  them,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  a  vast  esplanade,  or  parade-ground,  extend  the  officers' 
bungalows,  ranged  in  rows,  intersected  by  streets  or  roads  running  in 
parallel  and  perpendicular  lines.  Each  bungalow  stands  within  a 
spacious  compound,  or  garden,  laid  out  in  parterres:  these  are  planted 


254  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

with  fruit-trees  and  flowering  shrubs,  and  separated  from  the  con- 
tiguous compounds  by  hedges  of  milk-bush,  cactus,  and  bamboo,  or 
other  vegetable  production  of  rapid  growth  and  impervious  nature 
peculiar  to  the  climate. 

To  the  right  and  left  of  the  infantry  barracks  before  mentioned, 
extend  the  bungalows  of  the  Company's  officers  ;  together  with  the 
lines  of  the  native  cavalry  and  infantry  regiments,  situated  amongst 
topes  of  cocoanut  and  other  trees,  where  the  sepoys  and  their  fami- 
lies live  in  clay-built  huts,  constructed  either  by  themselves  or  their 
predecessors.  At  a  little  distance  to  the  eastward,  but  within  the 
cantonment  lines,  are  spacious  barracks  for  a  European  light  dragoon 
regiment,  surrounded  in  like  manner  by  the  officers'  bungalows ;  and 
beyond  these  extends  a  fine  level  racecourse,  forming  part  of  an  arid 
and  uncultivated  plain  many  square  miles  in  extent. 

After  our  long  march  through  a  wild,  and,  in  many  places,  a  desert 
country,  the  verdant  and  highly  improved  aspect  of  ^Bangalore  was 
extremely  refreshing  to  us  ;  and  gave  us  a  foretaste  'of  those  plea- 
sures which  it  is  always  in  the  power  of  large  congregated  masses  of 
troops  to  command.  We  marched  in  with  all  the  honours,  the 
splendid  band  of  my  new  regiment  playing  before  us ;  while  a  number 
of  the  officers  who  had  come  out  to  meet  us,  pranced  and  caracoled 
their  beautiful  Arab  and  Coorg  horses  around  m  all  directions,  deter- 
mined, as  it  were,  to  "witch"  the  griffins  with  "noble  horseman- 
ship." 

I  must  pass  over  the  warm  greetings  between  the  fair  part  of  our 
detachment  and  their  husbands,  sons,  and  brothers,  who  all  flocked 
out  to  receive  them  after  so  long  a  separation ;  in  order  to  mention 
that  my  own  reception  by  my  new  associates  was  of  that  warm  and 
brotherly  character  which  is  nowhere  to  be  met  with  but  in  the 
army. 

Several  of  them  contended  for  the  pleasure,  as  they  were  good 
enough  to  call  it,  of  giving  me  a  share  of  their  quarters  ;  and  at  last 
I  accepted  the  hospitality  of  two  young  fellows,  for  they  generally 
went  in  couples,  whose  bungalow  was  sufficiently  capacious  to  accom- 
modate an  additional  tenant.  There,  after  a  pleasant  bath,  and  an 
excellent  breakfast,  I  sat  for  some  time  smoking  my  hookah,  sur- 
rounded by  fresh  squads  in  succession,  all  being  anxious  to  have  a 
chat  with  one  so  recently  from  the  Peninsula ;  and  before  the  day 
was  out,  the  name  of  Percy  Blake  was  as  familiar  in  the  mouths 
of  these  Orientals,  as  ever  it  had  been  with  the  old  Apple-greens, 
or  the  Light  Brigade. 

Croker,  who  had  taken  up  his  quarters  with  an  old  chum,  having 
called  for  me  about  eleven,  we  went  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  colonel, 
whom  I  had  not  yet  seen. 

"  By  Jupiter,  Percy,"  said  this  original,  as  lie  stalked  onwards, 
throwing  his  long  limbs  in  all  directions,  "  you're  such  a  tight-built 
fellow  that  the  colonel  will  fall  in  love  with  you  immediately." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Oh !  you'll  see  fast  enough,"  said  Croker,  with  a  chuckle  ;  "  but 
I  don't  think  you'll  wear  that  battalion  epaulette  much  longer." 

We  entered  the  compound  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  McClish,  which 


THE  CANTONMENT.  255 

displayed  all  the  neatness  and  precision  of  an  old  bachelor.  It  was 
situated  on  the  esplanade,  within  view  of  the  barracks,  and  was  laid 
out  with  great  taste  and  beauty ;  abounding  in  every  species  of  orna- 
mental vegetable  in  which  the  East  is  so  prolific :  while  the  guava, 
the  plantain,  the  pomegranate,  the  custard-apple,  and  many  other 
fruit-trees  of  small  size  and  dimensions,  all  in  full  bearing,  oifered 
their  tempting  products  to  the  passing  stranger.  The  bungalow  was 
a  perfect  epitome  of  Eastern  luxury  and  comfort.  It  all  lay  on  the 
ground-floor,  and  was  covered  with  a  heavy  thatch ;  which,  though  it 
harbours  snakes  and  other  reptiles,  is  best  calculated  for  repelling  the 
intense  heat.  The  rooms  were  shaded  from  the  sun  by  broad  veran- 
dahs, whose  pillars  were  enwreathed  with  a  variety  of  beautiful 
creepers;  while  the  walls  and  floors  were  covered  with  white  chunam, 
polished  with  all  the  brilliancy  of  Parian  marble;  and  a  handsome 
punkah  in  the  central,  or  sitting  apartment,  spread  a  delicious  breeze 
through  the  whole. 

:<  'Tis  all  very  nice,"  said  Croker,  observing  my  admiration ;  "but 
'tis  all  for  his  own  and  sole  enjoyment.  He's  a  niggardly,  selfish  old 
hunks,  that  has  never  even  given  so  much  as  a  regimental  tiffin." 

We  found  the  colonel  and  the  adjutant  walking  to  and  fro  in  one 
of  the  verandahs,  and  I  was  presented  in  due  form ;  having  to  all 
appearance,  as  Croker  prophesied,  made  a  very  favourable  impres- 
sion. 

My  new  commandant  was  a  small,  spare,  weazen-faced  man;  with 
a  foxy  wig  and  little  ferret  eyes,  expressive  of  cold  distrust  and 
selfish  cunning.  After  the  customary  salutations,  rendered  on  his 
part  in  a  sharp  Scottish  accent,  he  honoured  me  with  a  particular 
scrutiny ;  as  he  would  a  young  Iwrse  he  was  about  to  purchase,  ex- 
claiming at  length  aside  to  the  adjutant : 

"  'Gad  Ameety !  he'll  do,  I'm  thinking.  He's  quite  a  Polly  Belve- 
dero.  Tell  me,  sir,  have  you  ever  been  a  Light  Bob,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  been  anything  else,  colonel "  was  my  reply. 

"  'Gad  Ameety !  I  thocht  so,"  he  resumed.  "  Show  me  your  leg, 
sir,  show  me  your  leg." 

I  stretched  out  my  leg  accordingly,  but  this  was  not  enough. 

"  Tighten  your  troosers,  sir,  aboot  the  knee-pan,"  cried  this  original 
critic  of  fine  forms;  "let  me  see  the  atomy  of  your  limb,  sir.  The 
kilt,  noo,  wad  be  the  thing ;  but  these  trews,  or  troosers,  as  ye  ca' 
'em,  are  a  great  construction  to  the  ee-seet,  and  that's  a  fac'." 

Haying  complied  with  the  colonel's  wish  in  this  particular,  he 
exclaimed : — 

"  That'll  do,  sir !  Ye'll  do,  mon !  Ye're  as  clean-built  as  a  High- 
landman ;  that's  a  fac'.  Hoo  tall  may  ye  be  ?  I'll  wager  five  feet 
nine,  or  thereaboot — the  vara  thing.  Can  ye  jump,  sir  ?  Can  ye  rin? 
Can  ye  put  the  stone  and  pitch  the  bar  ?" 

I  satisfied  the  colonel  on  one  of  these  points,  at  least,  by  jumping 
backwards  and  forwards  over  his  palankm,  which  stood  before  the 
verandah. 

"  That'll  do,  sir,"  cried  the  colonel,  in  high  glee.  "  Gad  Ameety, 
mou,  but  ye're  a  clipper,  and  that's  a  fac'.  Mr.  Standish  (turning:  to 
the  adjutant),  post  Mr.  Blake  to  the  Light  Company,  sir.  And  hear 


256  THE  YOUNG  E1FLEMAN. 

to  me,  Mr.  Blake; — get  yourself  wings,  sir,  and  a  sabre,  and  all  the 
other  paraphersalia  of  a  Light  Bob.  Gad  Ameety,  mon !  ye  maunna 
be  stookit  down  amaiig  the  flat  feet :  that's  a  fac'." 

I  made  my  acknowledgments  to  the  colonel,  and  told  him  that  he 
had  crowned  the  summit  of  my  ambition. 

"  Vera  weel,  sir,  vera  weel,"  replied  the  colonel.  "  Ye  ken  right 
weelhoo  to  acknowledge  an  obligation,  sir;  that's  a  fac'.  Ye  hae 
been  weel  brocht  up,  sir.  Hae  ye  been  in  fashionable  life,  sir  ?  Hae 
ye  seen  much  o'  Lunnun  ?" 

"A  good  deal,  sir,"  I  replied,  "in  the  intervals  of  service." 

"Ah!  that's  the  place  to  gang  tull,"  said  the  colonel,  "ioxboto 
and  bomunday.  But  a  mon  must  hae  plenty  p'  siller  in  his  poke ; 
that's  a  fac'.  Nae  mon  can  gang  to  Lunnun  withoot." 

"  But  what  are  poor  fellows  to  do,  colonel,  who  have  no  money  in 
their  pockets,"  demanded  Croker. 

"  Let  them  grin  and  bear  it,  sir,"  replied  the  colonel,  with  a  frown 
at  their  presumption;  "let  them  grin  and  bear  it.  Sic-like  folk  should 
stay  at  hame,  and  roast  their  shins  at  the  fire.  Ha !  ha  !  ha !  that's 
a  fac'." 

The  adjutant,  Croker,  and  I,  having,  as  in  duty  bound,  echoed  the 
colonel's  laugh,  the  great  man  became  facetious  on  the  strength  of 
his  witticism. 

"An  hoo's  a'  wi'  ye,  Meester  Croker?"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  gracious 
smile.  "  Gad  Ameety,  mon !  but  ye're  ganging  up  tull  the  vara 
sennit,  ye're  sae  tall,  mon." 

"I  hope  I'll  do  for  the  grenadiers  now,  colonel,"  said  Croker. 

"Ae,  mon,  that's  anither  affair,"  said  the  colonel,  with  a  sudden 
chill  on  his  facetious  mood.  "  Ye're  sae  ungainly,  sir,  with  thae  legs 
and  arms.  Gad  Ameety  !  ye  look  like  twa  halberts  badly  tied  togither- 
and  that's  a  fac.  But  what  the  deil's  the  matter  wi'  your  face,  monr 
Hae  ye  had  a  young  teeger  aboot  y'ere  lugs  in  the  jungle,  eh  ?  " 

Here  Croker  gave  the  colonel  an  account  of  the  mutiny :  touching, 
however,  very  delicately  on  the  cause  of  it. 

"  The  rampaging  wild  beasts !"  cried  the  colonel,  in  a  passion. 
"  See  if  I  don't  give  'em  a  quid  for  a  quod.  An  sae  the  puir  major  was 
obleeged  to  part  with  his  sherrymee,  and  to  travel  soleas  cum  soleus,  like 
the  fellow  that  lost  his  wife  at  the  siege  of  Troy.  But  here  he  comes, 
and  I  must  quizzify  him  a  leetle  on  the  fox  pass  he  made  with  that 
bony  roby.  Good  morning  to  ye,  gentlemen,  we  shall  meet  again  at 
dinner.  Ory  vory,  as  we  say  in  Prance." 

We  accordingly  made  our  bow,  and  retired. 

"He  has  made  a  Light  Bob  of  you,"  said  Croker,  with  a  grin. 
"  That  cost  him  nothing ;  but  he'd  see  you  at  Jericho  before  he  offered 
you  a  glass  of  sangaree  or  a  slice  of  water-melon." 

From  the  residence  of  Colonel  McClish,  Croker  and  I  sauntered 
down  to  the  mess-room,  where  we  had  an  excellent  tiffin  with  a  large 
party  of  the  prime  spirits  of  the  cantonment,  King's,  Company's,  and 
civilians;  for  in  this  last  category  we  had  some  young  fellows  enjoy- 
ing situations  in  the  vicinity,  as  collectors,  jungle-judges,  &c.,  9!' two 
or  three  thousand  a  year,  whose  incomes  a  few  months  before  did  not 
amount  to  as  many  farthings.  Tiffin  was  succeeded  by  billiards, 


THE  CANTONMENT.  257 

quoits,  blind-hookey,  and  other  games  that  did  not  require  much 
exertion,  till  parade-time  ;  when,  having  gone  through  the  ceremony 
of  falling  in  and  out,  I  was  well  mounted  by  a  brother  officer,  and  we 
had  a  gallop  on  the  race-course  till  eight  o'clock,  when  we  rode  home 
to  dinner. 

This  meal,  in  India,  though  abundant  and  luxurious,  is  but  sparingly 
partaken  of  ^  in  general,  the  appetite  being  sufficiently  satisfied  at 
tiffin,  to  which  all  sit  down  in  white  jackets  and  unrestrained  con- 
viviality :  but  the  awes-diner,  with  the  incentives  of  delicious  fruit, 
excellent  wines,  and  agreeable  chat,  is  frequently  prolonged  to  the 
small  hours.  At  five  o'clock  the  following  morning  we  were  under 
arms  again,  and  manoeuvred  on  the  race-course,  in  brigade,  till  nine, 
when  a  good  substantial  breakfast  awaited  us  at  our  respective  bunga- 
lows. Such,  with  the  occasional  intervention  of  guards,  courts- 
martial,  and  courts  of  inquiry,  was  the  ordinary  routine  of  our  life  at 
Bangalore. 

Though  life  in  India  is  sufficiently  monotonous,  for  want  of  those 
varied  and  abundant  materials  which  make  up  the  sum  of  European 
society,  we  exerted  ourselves  with  tolerable  success  at  Bangalore  to 
push  old  Time  gaily  on  his  course.  The  ladies  of  the  cantonment 
were  not  very  numerous,  but  they  were  sociable ;  and  with  their 
assistance  and  co-operation  we  got  up  a  succession  of  balls,  concerts, 
pic-nics,  and  equestrian  excursions,  which  greatly  enhanced  the 
general  enjoyment.  Nay,  we  built  a  theatre,  of  which  I  was  nominated 
architect,  manager,  and  poet  in  ordinary.  From  amongst  the  privates 
and  non-commissioned  officers  of  rny  regiment,  I  selected  a  very 
respectable  corps  dramatique  ;  half  a  dozen  young  drummers  and  band- 
boys  being  drilled  to  perform  the  female  characters.  After  over- 
coming a  thousand  and  one  obstacles,  we  commenced  a  very  prosperaus 
season  with  the  comedy  of  "  John  Bull,"  and  the  farce  of  "  liaising 
the  Wind/3  the  house  being  crowded  to  the  ceiling  by  an  enraptured 
audience,  and  an  opening  address  from  my  pen  received  with 
unbounded  applause. 

Then  we  had  excellent  races,  and  abundance  of  shooting  in  the 
neighbouring  jungle,  which  extends  for  miles  and  miles  round 
Savindropg,  and  several  other  hill  forts  that  lie  between  Bangalore 
and  Seringapatara.  The  rajah  of  Mysore,  also,  our  interesting 
protege,  who,  on  the  fall  of  Tippoo.  had  been  raised^  to  the  musnud 
oy  the  arms  of  Great  Britain  from  the  humble  position  of  a  chatty- 
maker,  having  visited  our  cantonment,  ordered  a  splendid  race-stand 
and  racket-court  to  be  built  for  us  ;  and  occasionally  sent  us  half  a 
dozen  tigers  in  trap-cages,  to  be  hunted  on  the  race-course.  At  this 
amusement  I  became  very  expert :  there  were  few,  even  amongst  our 
light  dragoon  and  native  cavalry  regiments,  that  could  spear  a 
tiger  with  greater  dexterity  than  Percy  Blake  ;  and  no  one  ever  drew 
forth  more  rapturous  applause  from  the  fashionable  occupants  of  the 
race-stand. 

Then,  again,  when  any  fair  dame  was  in  want  of  a  beau  or  an  escort, 
the  dashing  young  Light  Bob,  who  kept  his  brace  of  Arabs  and  rode 
and  won  his  own  races,  was  the  chosen  preux.  In  all  matters  of 
amusement,  in  all  points  of  taste,  he  was  the  general  umpire :  in 


258  THE  YOUNG  EIELEMAN. 

short,  nothing  could  be  done  without  Percy  Blake;  whether  the 
object  was  the  building  of  a  ball-room,  the  arrangement  of  a  gorgeous 
entertainment,  or  a  mere  shopping  excursion  to  the  godown  of  Peter 
Boxley. 

This  worthy,  a  little  punchy  half-cast,  had  taken  up  an  excellent 
position  in  the  very  centre  of  our  lines  :  there,  a  spacious  compound 
having  been  allotted  to  him,  for  the  general  convenience,  he  had  built 
a  vast  godown.  or  warehouse,  and  stocked  it  well  with  every  imagin- 
able article  of  European  or  Chinese  manufacture,  which  he  renewed 
and  refreshed  on  the  arrival  of  every  fleet  at  Madras. 

In  this  grand  emporium  might  be  seen  and  obtained,  on  short 
notice  and  long  credit,  all  manner  of  creature  comforts — hams, 
tongues,  Bengal  humps,  Colchester  oysters,  caviare  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean, edible  birds'  nests  from  the  land  of  Confucius,  wines, 
brandies,  Hollands,  and  double  stout ;  all  mixed  up  and  mingled  with 
hats,  caps,  coats,  shoes,  boots,  and  stockings ;  every  article  of  ladies' 
finery,  from  a  hair-pin  to  a^casket  of  jewels ;  and  everything  belonging 
to  the  masculine  gender,  from  a  shoe-tie  to  a  general's  aiguelette. 
Never  did  mortal  eye  look  upon  so  miscellaneous  an  assortment; 
never  did  the  fancy  rove,  pleased  and  bewildered,  amidst  such  a  pro- 
fusion of  tempting  objects;  where  the  blind  goddess  seemed  to  have 
emptied  her  cornucopia  at  the  feet  of  her  joyous  and  reckless 
worshippers. 

Thither  was  Percy  Blake  invariably  summoned  by  his  fair  adherents 
on  the  arrival  of  every  new  fleet  at  Madras ;  and  as,  at  that  period, 
we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  tremendous  European  war,  when  ships 
never  ventured  to  sea  without  convoy  ;  and  when,  moreover,  free-trade 
had  not  been  so  much  as  dreamt  of,  these  events  were  few  and  far 
between,  our  means  of  obtaining  fresh  supplies  being  limited  to  the 
periodical  advent  of  the  Company's  fleets.  This,  of  course,  increased 
the  eagerness  with  which  every  one  rushed  to  Peter  Boxley's  the 
moment  he  announced  the  opening  of  his  goods  ;  and  for  several  days 
his  godown  was  crammed  to  suffocation,  ladies  and  gentlemen  jostling 
and  struggling  with  each  other  in  a  manner  that  never  was  surpassed 
anywhere  but  at  the  Eree-trade  Bazaar  in  Covent  Garden  Theatre, 
which  my  readers  have  doubtless  not  yet  forgotten. 

Then  might  be  heard  the  silver  sound  of  female  voices  in  accents 
such  as  these: — "Mr.  Blake,  how  do  you  like  this?"  "Dear  Mr. 
Blake,  don't  you  admire  that  ?  "  intermingled  with  the  rougher  sounds 
of,  "  I  say,  Percy  Blake,  my  wife's  dying  to  have  your  opinion  of  a 
crape  shawl  •"  or,  "  Blake  Sahib,  colonel  lady  want  speak  you  five 
minutes — only  five  minutes,  sahib."  In  short,  if  incessant  activity 
and  universal  consideration  could  constitute  happiness,  I  might  at 
this  period  be  set  down  as  the  happiest  fellow  in  India. 


MY  NEIGHBOUR'S  WIFE.  259 


CHAPTER  LVL 
MY  NEIGHBOUR'S  WIFE. 

BUT,  alas  !  there  was  a  thorn  in  my  breast  that  embittered  all  this 
enjoyment ;  and  the  reader,  perhaps,  anticipates  its  nature,  if  he  has 
not  already  begun  to  accuse  me  of  heartless  insensibility  and  a 
recreant  forgetfulness  of  the  first  devoir  of  every  accomplished 
cavalier. 

I  had  written  repeatedly  to  Julia;  addressing  my  letters  under 
cover  to  her  uncle,  being  unacquainted  -with  her  address,  or  with  any 
better  mode  of  transit ;  but  1  had  never  received  a  single  line  in 
return.  None  of  my  letters,  however,  were  sent  back,  from  which  I 
concluded  that  they  must  have  reached  their  destination ;  and  the 
silence  with  which  they  were  treated  induced  a  bitter  suspicion  that 
Julia  was  unfaithful  to  her  vows.  The  agony  occasioned  by  this 
thought  was  at  first  so  overwhelming,  that  for  many  days  I  gave 
myself  up  to  despair,  and  secluded  myself  altogether  from  society. 
Time,  though  it  blunted  the  edge  of  my  affliction,  failed,  however,  to 
restore  the  serenity  of  my  mind.  1  became  moping  and  melancholy ; 
gave  up  my  former  pursuits,  and  retired  from  the  busy  scene  in  which 
I  had  long  played  so  distinguished  a  part :  as  a  natural  consequence, 
I  was  superseded  in  the  world  of  fashion  by  one  who  was  more 
zealous  in  its  service,  and  more  willing  to  minister  to  its  wants  and 
wishes. 

It  being  generally  considered  that  my  secession  was  occasioned  by 
a  total  failure  of  pecuniary  resources,  which  in  India  is  held  to  be 
the  only  legitimate  and  irremediable  cause  of  unhappiness,  I  was 
speedily  tabooed  by  the  proud,  the  selfish,  and  the  unfeeling ;  and  all 
who  know  the  world  will  admit  that  these  constitute  the-  vast  majority 
of  what  is  called  fashionable  life.  It  is  astonishing  with  what  rapidity 
a  man  who  gets  into  this  predicament  falls  into  utter  insignificance. 
It  was  not  my  case,  it  is  true ;  but  being  too  proud  or  too  indolent 
to  undeceive  my  former  friends  and  adherents,  the  result  to  me  was 
the  same  :  from  admiration  they  fell  to  pity,  from  pity  to  contempt ; 
and  ere  long  the  name  of  Percy  Blake,  once  the  talisman  that  opened 
every  heart  in  Bangalore,  had  passed  into  the  category  of  unpro- 
nounceable vulgarities. 

About  this  time,  Lieuten ant-General  Sir  Nicholas  Pipkin  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  this  division  of  the  Madras  army,  and 
arrived  at  Bangalore,  where  a  spacious  and  elegant  mansion  was 
fitted  up  for  his  accommodation.  His  predecessor  haying  been  an 
old  bachelor,  the  change  was  hailed  with  pleasure,  Pipkin  being  a 
married  man,  and  consequently  more  likely  to  contribute  to  the 
general  enjoyment.  All  the  world  was,  therefore,  agog  to  pay  him 
and  his  lady  every  possible  attention;  and  the  commandant's  mansion 
was  constantly  crowded  with  visitors,  as  eager  as  the  Parsees  them- 
selves in  their  adoration  of  the  rising  sun. 

s  2 


260  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Two  or  three  of  my  intimate  friends,  the  only  persons  who  now 
took  any  interest  in  my  fate,  pressed  me  to  call  amongst  the  rest : 
they  said  it  was  an  essential  piece  of  etiquette ;  they  even  insisted 
on  it  as  a  point  of  duty,  to  fail  in  which  would  be  looked  upon  as 
singular,  if  not  resented  as  an  impertinence.  Their  remonstrances, 
however,  were  of  no  avail :  society  had  become  so  utterly  distasteful 
to  me,  that  man  delighted  me  not,  nor  woman  either-  and  to  get 
rid  of  their  importunities,  I  put  myself  on  the  sick-list  with  an 
imaginary  complaint,  to  which  my  melancholy  visage  gave  but  too 
colourable  a  pretence. 

For  a  long  time,  I  secluded  myself  within  my  compound,  brooding 
over  the  wreck  of  all  my  hopes,  occasioned  by  the  infidelity  of  Julia, 
of  which  I  could  now  entertain  no  doubt.  The  only  enjoyment  I 
indulged  in,  was  a  solitary  walk  of  an  evening,  when  the  fervours  of 
the  day  were  over,  and  the  moon,  rising  in  a  pure  and  cloudless  sky, 
shed  a  silvery  radiance,  unequalled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world, 
over  a  scene  of  rustic  tranquillity.  The  direction  I  generally  took, 
was  towards  a  beautiful  piece  of  water,  called  Lady  dive's  Tank ; 
embosomed  in  a  splendid  tope  of  mango,  tamarind,  and  cocoanut-trees, 
about  two  miles  from  the  cantonment ;  and  here,  throwing  off  my 
clothes,  I  was  accustomed  to  swim  about  for  an  hour  or  two  before  I 
returned  to  my  hermitage. 

One  evening  on  my  way  to  this  solitary  spot,  while  immersed  in 
deep  rumination  on  my  future  destiny,  I  was  startled  by  the  galloping 
of  horses  in  my  front;  and  looking  forward,  I  could  discern  by  the 
brilliant  moonlight,  that  it  was  a  riding-party  returning  to  the  can- 
tonment. 

As  they  rapidly  approached,  I  plunged  into  the  deep  shadow  of  a 
mango-tree,  to  avoid  observation ;  and  found  it  was  several  officers 
and  ladies,  apparently  in  a  hurry  to  get  home  in  time  for  dinner.  As 
they  passed  me  in  full  sweep  with  their  ghorawallas  panting  after 
them,  the  moonlight  was  so  brilliant  that  I  felt  no  difficulty  in  recog- 
nizing the  pai  ty,  though  myself  screened  from  view.  But,  0  heavens ! 
O  earth  !  what  was  my  astonishment — my  ecstasy,  when,  in  the  very 
last  lady  of  the  cortege  who  was  chatting  and  laughing  with  an  aide- 
de-camp  that  cantered  by  her  side,  I  plainly  and  distinctly  recognized 
my  Julia ;  paler  than  when  I  last  saw  her,  but  the  same  matchless 
features,  sweet  expression,  and  bewitching  smile  ! 

I  was  confounded,  I  was  thunderstruck  for  a  moment ;  but  when  I 
came  to  my  recollection,  I  started  off  in  full  chase  after  them,  with  a 
speed  and  energy  which  few  at  that  time  could  surpass.  It  was  in 
vain,  however ;  I  was  beaten  hollow,  distanced ;  and  long  before  I 
reached  the  cantonment  I  had  lost  every  trace  of  my  adorable 
mistress. 

What  was  now  to  be  done  ?  Fifty  methods  rushed  into  my  mind 
at  once  for  discovering  the  locale  of  my  divinity;  but  the  most  obvious 
was  to  question  one  of  her  riding-party :  they  were  all,  however, 
either  staff  or  cavalry  men,  and  were  then,  of  course,  at  their  respec- 
tive messes.  I  had,  therefore,  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait,  Heaven 
knows  with  what  impatience,  till  morning,  for  the  gratification  of  my 
excruiating  curiosity* 


MY  NEIGHBOUR'S  WIPE.  261 

I  did  all  I  could,  however,  to  advance  my  object :  I  wrote  to  the 
surgeon  to  report  me  fit  for  duty;  ordered  ray  dubash  to  get  my 
regimentals  ready  for  parade ;  abused  him  for  not  being  quicker  in 
his  motions ;  threw  mself  on  my  couch ;  tried,  but  in  vain,  to  sleep, 
and  faithfully  counted  every  stroke  of  the  gong,  as  it  came  booming 
over  the  esplanade,  till  the  hour  of  four.  Then  I  started  from  my 
sleepless  bed,  hurried  on  my  clothes  and  accoutrements,  and  rushed 
towards  the  barracks  •  where  I  enjoyed  the  frescoe,  by  myself,  for  at 
least  half  an  hour  before  the  first  bugle  sounded. 

Every  one  was  glad  to  see  me  on  parade  once  more ;  and  con- 
gratulated me  on  getting  out  of  the  piclding-tub,  as  they  called  it. 

"  You  are  just  in  time  for  the  ball,"  said  one. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  another,  "  if  that's  what  brought  him 
out  to-day." 

"What  ball  ?"  I  asked.    "I  have  not  so  much  as  heard  of  one." 

"  Sir  Nicholas  and  Lady  Pipkin  '  at  home '  to  all  the  world  to- 
night," said  a  third;  "you'll  go,  of  course." 

Here  the  bugle  sounded,  and  we  fell  in. 

During  parade,  it  occurred  to  me  that  a  ball  given  to  all  the  world 
•would  be  the  most  likely  place  to  find  my  Julia ;  for  she,  the  "  cyno- 
sure "  of  all  eyes,  would,  of  course,  be  one  of  its  principal  attractions. 
As  my  impatience,  however,  would  not  brook  the  ordinary  occupa- 
tions of  the  day,  I  mounted  my  horse  after  breakfast,  and  galloped 
into  the  jungle;  whose  mazy  labyrinth  stretched  for  many  a  mile 
•westward  of  the  fort  of  Bangalore.  Here  I  wandered  for  hours, 
amongst  the  sylvan  scenery  and  rocky  eminences  of  this  woodland 
region;  indulging  in  day-dreams  of  my  approaching  bliss,  and  pic- 
turing to  myself  the  delight  I  should  feel  in  once  more  gazing  un- 
obstructed on  the  eyes  of  my  beloved,  inhaling  her  balmy  breath, 
and  drinking  into  my  enraptured  ears  the  melody  of  her  voice,  as  she 
ingenuously  accounted  for  her  silence  to  my  letters,  and  renewed  her 
vows  of  never-dying  affection. 

Lamartine  calls  this  indulgence  in  imaginary  bliss,  the  suicide  of 
happiness !  Alas ! 

The  sun  was  descending^  towards  the  western  horizon,  -when  I 
returned  to  the  cantonment  in  time  to  dress  for  the  evening. 

As  the  reader  -will  readily  imagine,  I  ate  very  little  dinner ;  and 
I  was  so  abstracted,  that  1  answered  many  questions  at  random, 
to  the  general  amusement.  The  colonel,  making  use  of  one  of  his 
big  words,  said  I  appeared  to  be  in  a  perfect  state  of  constipation, 
and  that  my  thoughts  must  be  in  ccelum  quius. 

I  got  off,  however,  at  an  early  hour,  with  three  or  four  others,  who 
seemed  desirous  of  uancing  themselves  into  the  staff,  a  thing  by  no 
means  uncommon  in  India  j  and  we  arrived  at  the  general's  mansion 
just  as  the  band  were  tuning  their  instruments  for  the  first  set  of 
quadrilles.  We  made  our  bow  to  Sir  Nicholas,  a  little  punchy  old 
man  with  a  bald  head  and  a  copper  nose,  who  received  us  cour- 
teously, and  said  we  should  find  Lady  Pipkin  at  the  other  end  of 
the  room. 

"  Come  along,  Blake,"  said  Captain  Johnson,  "  I'll  introduce  you  to 
her  ladyship ;  I  don't  think  you  nave  seen  her  yet." 


262  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN, 

"  Oh,  bother  Lady  Pipkin  for  an  old  frump  ! "  I  replied.  "  I  am  in 
search  of  more  attractive  metal." 

"  Old  frump ! "  exclaimed  Johnson,  staring  at  me  with  evident 
surprise ;  "  what  can  you  possibly  mean  ?" 

But,  without  stopping  to  answer  him,  I  pushed  on  in  pursuit  of 
my  divinity;  elbowing  and  jostling  everybody,  with  very  little  cere- 
mony, and  scarcely  waiting  to  apologize  for  my  rudeness. 

The  quadrilles  were  now  forming,  and  the  band  about  to  strike  up, 
when  I  reached  the  upper  end  of  the  room ;  where,  to  my  delight, 
within  a  few  paces  of  me  stood  my  Julia,  ready  to  lead  oif,  with  an 
old  jungle  judge  for  her  partner. 

I  stood  for  an  instant  to  gaze  upon  her  who  now  constituted  the 
sum  total  of  my  earthly  bliss.  _  Her  dress  was  splendid ;  she  was  one 
blaze  of  diamonds,  but  her  native  charms  far  outshone  their  factitious 
splendour.  Her  bosom  heaved,  as  it  were  impatient  for  the  dance, 
as  she  smiled  archly  at  some  remark  of  her  partner's.  An  aide-de- 
camp, who  stood  behind  her,  clapped  his  hands  thrice  ;  the  first  coup 
d'archet  was  given,  and  her  pretty  little  foot  protruded  from  her 
white  satin  jupe,  when  her  eye  caught  mine,  and  with  a  fearful  shriek 
she  staggered  forward.  Instantly  bursting  through  the  amazed 
dancers,  I  caught  her  in  my  arms,  before  she  fell  to  the  ground,  and 
laid  her  gently  on  an  ottoman  that  stood  near,  while  several  ladies 
hastened  to  her  assistance. 

All  was  now  one  scene  of  indescribable  terror  and  confusion, 
every  one  hurrying  to  and  fro,  without  knowing  what  was  really  the 
matter;  some  calling  out  "fire!"  others  screaming  out  "murder!" 
Meanwhile,  I  knelt  by  the  side  of  my  insensible  Julia,  chafing  her 
temples,  and  reviling  myself  as  the  cause  of  her  fright ;  when  sud- 
denly a  hand  was  laid  roughly  on  my  shoulder,  and  a  harsh  voice 
exclaimed : — 

"  Stand  aside,  sir !  stand  aside !  " 

I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  without  taking  time  to  ascertain  who  the 
intruder  was,  I  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  hurled  him  backwards 
several  paces. 

"  Good  heavens  !  Mr.  Blake,"  cried  one  of  the  ladies,  "  what  are 
you  about  ?  You  have  pushed  away  the  general  from  his  wife  ! " 

"His  wife  !  "  I  exclaimed,  with  a  start  of  frenzy. 

"  Certainly,"  said  another.    "  Don't  you  know  Lady  Pipkin  ?  ' 

"  Lady  Pipkin !  "  I  cried,  striking  my  forehead  in  agony.  "  Mer- 
ciful Heaven  !  what  is  to  become  of  me  ! " 

"  Step  this  way,  Blake,"  said  Van  Beurle,  one  of  the  aides-de- 
camp, taking  me  kindly  by  the  arm ;  "  I  have  something  particular 
to  say  to  you." 

I  accompanied  him  without  knowing  why  or  wherefore,  such  was 
the  horrible  distraction  of  my  thoughts,  and  when  we  had  got  into 
an  antechamber  he  said, — 

"  I  grieve  heartily,  my  dear  fellow,  at  the  communication  I  have  to 
make  to  you;  which  is,  that  you  deliver  up  your  sword,  and  retire  to 
your  quarters  in  close  arrest." 

I  immediately  complied  with  his  demand,  and  said,  "  There,  Yan 
Beurle,  give  it  to  my  evil  genius ;  and  with  it  give  him  my  commis- 


MY  NEIGHBOUR  S  WIFE.  263 

sion,  since  lie  has  deprived  me  of  that  which  alone  could  make  it 
sweet." 

The  good-natured  aide-de-camp  walked  down  with  me  to  the 
verandah,  and,  putting  me  into  his  own  palanquin,  I  was  carried 
home  more  dead  than  alive. 

Eor  three  or  four  days  I  was  in  a  state  of  utter  distraction,  raving 


prayed,  "  blot  for  ever  from  my  memory  the  horrors  of  that  short  but 
unutterable  agony;!  " 

During  this  period,  I  had  locked  myself  up  in  my  room,  and  refused 
to  see  any  one,  though  several  had  earnestly  prayed  for  admission. 
Being,  then,  released  from  arrest,  I  consented  to  see  Croker,  who, 
with  his  usual  insouciance,  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Oh,  by  Jupiter,  Percy  !  you're  always  putting  your  foot  in  it  — 
but  this  was  even  worse  than  shooting  a  man  and  a  monkey.  What 
on  earth  could  tempt  you,  now,  to  kiss  the  general's  wife  before  all 
the  company  ?  " 

I  cast  a  grim  smile  on  my  friend,  who  went  on  as  before  :  — 
m  "  But  did  you  ever  hear  of  such  an  old  fool  as  the  general  made  of 
himself  ?    What  do  you  think  he  did  now,  when  you  were  sent  off  in 
arrest  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head,  without  replying. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Croker,  "  I  suppose  that  means  you  don't  know  : 
then,  by  Jupiter,  I'll  tell  you.  He  called  for  his  head  dubash,  and 
said  to  him  in  a  thundering  passion,  '  Put  out  the  lights  !  Take  back 
the  wine  to  the  godown  !  Dismiss  the  band  !  Ladies  and  gentlemen, 
go  home  !  '  Ana  home  we  accordingly  went,"  said  Croker.* 

In  spite  of  my  wretchedness,  I  couldn't  help  laughing  heartily  at 
this  terrible  denoument  ;  and  I  then  learned  that  Sir  Nicholas  and 
his  young  bride  had  suddenly  departed  for  Madras.  A  day  or  two 
after,  a  sealed  note  was  put  into  my  hand  by  the  wife  of  a  brother 
officer  with  whom  I  was  intimate. 

It  ran  in  fragments,  as  follows  :  —  N 

"  Farewell  for  ever,  and  forgive  me—  you  will  —  you  must,  when 
you  hear  my  sad  story. 

"  They  told  me  you  were  dead  —  they  said  you  had  fallen  by  the 
hand  of  a  friend,  whose  domestic  happiness  you  had  destroyed. 

"  They  had  even  the  cruelty  to  forge  a  letter  purporting  to  come 
from  you,  on  your  death-bed—confessing  your  crime,  and  praying  for 
forgiveness. 

"  This  letter,  the  only  one,  alas  !  I  received  from  you,  Accomplished 
my  wretchedness;  for,  though  I  afterwards  listened  to  another  — 
still—  still  - 

(Here  a  few  words  were  obliterated  by  a  tear.} 

"  He,  however,  was  not  guilty  of  complicity  —  his  conduct  has  been 
always  honourable  ;  and  is,  even  now,  kind  and  considerate,  though 
I  have  told  him  all. 

*  This  part  of  the  story  is  a  ludicrous  fact  :  the  occasion  was  somewhat  different, 
but  the  same  "  teterrima  causa  belli." 


264  THE  YOUNG  BlFLEMAff. 

"Farewell!  If  it  be  any  consolation  to  you  to  know  that  you 
possess  my  entire  and  perfect  esteem — my— my— be  satisfied  that  you 
ao — I  have  inquired  into,  and  know  all ;  and  shall  carry  to  my  grave 
the  sad  memory  of  my  cruel,  cruel  deception." 


CHAPTER  LVIL 

THE  FLASK.  BATTALION. 

Eon  twelve  long  months  after  this  terrible  blow,  I  led  a  life  of  study 
and  seclusion ;  restricting  myself  to  the  society  of  my  own  regiment, 
and  the  intimacy  of  two  or  three  sterling  fellows  who  knew  how  to 
appreciate  the  bitter  loss  I  had  sustained.  Many  tried  to  bring  me 
back  to  a  life  of  gaiety  and  dissipation  •  but  my  spirits  had  suffered 
too  severely,  and  my  mind  had  received  a  shock  from  which  it  was 
not  easy  to  recover. 

My  energies,  however,  did  not  sink  under  the  infliction ;  they  were 
only  diverted  into  another  channel.  1  resolved  to  become  an  Oriental 
scholar :  for  which  purpose,  I  engaged  a  moonshee,  with  whom  I 
studied  Persian  and  Hindostan.ee  literature,  through  the  medium  of 
Gilchrist  and  Sir  William  Jones.  I  plunged  into  the  depths  of 
Eastern  mythology,  till  I  became  lost  in  the  interminable  mazes  of 
the  Mahabarut  and.  the  Ramayuna.  I  read  Todd  till  I  became  fas- 
cinated with  the  Rajpoots,  and  Eerishta  till  I  fancied  myself  a  Mogul. 
But  what  was  more  useful  than  all,  I  obtained  a  fluency  in  Hindo- 
stanee ;  and  could  even  translate  a  tale  from  Eerdusi,  or  an  ode  from 
Hafiz  with  passable  spirit. 

During  this  period,  the  south  of  India  was  in  a  state  of  profound 
peace,  though  war  was  raging  in  Nepaul,  where  two  or  three  of  our 
generals  got  shamefully  compromised  and  cut  up  by  their  half-savage 
enemy,  till  the  cautious  and  able  tactics  of  Sir  David  Ochterlony 
turned  the  tables  and  vindicated  the  supremacy  of  our  arms.  There 
was,  however,  a  storm  brewing  in  Central  India,  which  ultimately 
drew  us  into  its  vortex,  and  gave  rise  to  scenes  and  events  of  sur- 
passing interest  and  vast  political  importance,  which  effectually 
roused  me  from  my  lethargy,  and  rescued  my  mind  from  hopeless  and 
incurable  stagnation. 

The  marquis  of  Hastings,  at  that  time  governor-general,  having 
brought  the  Nepaul  war  to  a  successful  termination,— or  rather 
Ochterlony  having  done  it  for  him, — and  being  ambitious  of  a  loftier 
fame  than  any  of  his  predecessors  had  attained,  he  plunged  into 
another  contest,  which  frightened  his  masters  quite  as  much  as  his 
enemies.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  peishwah  of  the 
Mahrattas  or  the  Court  of  Directors  was  the  most  reluctant  to  en- 
counter the  terrors  of  this  mighty  and  expensive  struggle. 

It  is  not,  of  course,  my  object  to  trouble  the  reader  with  a  history 
of  the  Mahratta-Pindarrie  war,  but  a  very  brief  summary  will  be 
necessary  to  enable  him  to  follow  the  narrative^  of  my  personal 
adventures  as  connected  therewith ;  and  beyond  this,  I  promise  him 


USE  FLANK  BATfALIOS.  265 

that  he  need  not  apprehend  any  further  dry  reading  from  my  light, 
and  perhaps  too  flippant  pen. 

Bajee  liao,  the  peishwah  and  nominal  head  of  all  the  Mahratta 
states,  had  long  been  suspected  of  harbouring  designs  against  our 
eastern  empire,  in  which  he  was  aided  and  abetted  by  Holkar,  Scindia, 
and  the  rajah  of  Berar ;  the  other  chieftains  of  that  powerful  con- 
federacy which  had  overturned  the  throne  of  the  Mogul,  and  reduced 
to  subjection  the  most  wealthy  and  productive  districts  of  Central 
India.  In  order  to  crush  this  confederacy  before  its  projects  were 
matured,  the  governor-general  called  into  the  field  the  three  armies 
of  the  Presidencies ;  and  before  the  Mahrattas  had  time  to  strike  a 
blow,  they  found  themselves  hemmed  in  by  the  Bengal  army  on  the 
north-east,  the  Bombay  army  on  the  west,  and  the  army  of  Madras 
on  the  south :  all  these  forces,  numbering  110,000  men,  admirably 
disciplined  and  equipped,  together  with  20,000  irregular  cavalry, 
supplied  by  the  allies  of  the  Company,  converging,  as  by  one  common 
impulse,  on  the  very  centre  of  their  dominions. 

There  was  a  secondary,  but  a  most  important  object  to  be  also 
obtained  by  this  armament,  viz.,  the  suppression  of  the  Pindarries, — 
ruthless  bands  of  robbers  and  murderers,  who  had  originated  many 
years  before  in  the  feuds,  changes,  and  commotions  which  had  so 
long  convulsed  the  peninsula.  These  ferocious  plunderers  had  in- 
creased in  numbers  and  audacity  at  different  epochs,  till  they  became, 
as  it  were,  a  nomadic  nation ;  sweeping,  like  flights  of  locusts,  from 
one  end  of  the  Deccan  to  the  other,  without  fixing  anywhere  their 
seat  of  power ;  and  retiring  in  the  rainy  season  to  their  obscure 
retreats  on  the  banks  of  the  Nerbudda,  to  enjoy  themselves  on  their 
ill-gotten  spoil,  and  mature  their  plans  for  future  incursions. 

The  Pindarries,  we  are  informed  by  Sir  John  Malcolm,  were  not  a 
distinctive  race,  but  a  numerous  class  of  men  of  different  races, 
religions,  and  habits,  gradually  associating,  and  assimilated  by  a 
common  pursuit.  They  were  all  horsemen  and  all  robbers,  who,  from 
obscure  freebooters,  rose  into  sufficient  consequence  to  be  deemed 
useful  auxiliaries  by  the  different  Mahratta  powers,  whose  desultory 
mode  of  warfare  was  suited^  to  their  habits.  Occasionally,  the 
Mahratta  rulers  purchased  their  aid  by  grants  of  land,  or  by  a  tacit 
admission  of  their  right  to  possess  tracts  which  they  had  already 
usurped.  But  the  more  usual  price  paid  for  their  assistance  was  the 
privilege  of  plundering,  even  beyond  the  ordinary  license  given  to  a 
Mahratta  army. 

When  they  set  out  on  a  lubhur,  or  expedition,  they  placed  them- 
selves under  the  guidance  of  one  or  more  chosen  leaders,  called 
lubhuriahs,  who  were  selected  on  account  of  their  knowledge  of  the 
country  that  it  was  meant  to  plunder.  They  never  encumbered 
themselves  with  tents  or  baggage ;  but  each  horseman  carried  a  few 
cakes  of  bread  for  his  own  subsistence,  and  some  feeds  of  grain  for 
his  horse.  The  lubhur,  which  usually  consisted  of  two  or  three 
thousand  good  horse,  with  a  proportion  of  mounted  followers,  ad- 
vanced at  the  rapid  rate  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  a  day  ;  turning  neither 
to  the  right  nor  left,  till  they  arrived  at  their  place  of  destination, 
where  they  divided  and  made  a  sweep  of  all  the  cattle  and  property 


266  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

they  could  find;  committing;  at  the  same  time,  the  most  horrid 
atrocities,  and  destroying  what  they  could  not  carry  off. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  these  miscreants  was,  that  they  never 
fought  when  they  could  run  away ;  deeming  it  wisdom  to  plunder  and 
fly,  "but  folly  to  stay  and  fight.  If  pursued,  they  made  marches  of  ex- 
traordinary length,  by  roads  almost"  impracticable  for  regular  troops; 
but  if  overtaken,  they  dispersed,  to  reassemble  at  an  appointed 
rendezvous ;  and  before  an  adequate  force  could  be  brought  against 
them,  they  were  on  their  return. 

Such  were  these  depredators,  whose  terrible  irruptions,  which  came 
as  regularly  year  after  year  as  the  tempest  of  the  monsoon,  the 
governor-general  determined  to  put  down,  even  at  the  expense  of 
a  long  and  sanguinary  war ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  resolved  to 
reduce  the  great  Mahratta  chiefs  to  such  a  state  of  subserviency  as 
would  effectually  prevent  them  from  ever  after  conspiring  together 
against  the  paramount  power  of  the  British. 

The  Madras  contingent  of  the  invading  army  assembled  on  the  river 
Toombudra,  under  Sir  Nicholas  Pipkin,  who,  to  my  great  mortifica- 
tion, was  accompanied  to  the  field  by  his  lady,  for  1  thus  unavoidably 
came  in  contact  with  her  occasionally,  to  our  mutual  embarrassment. 
These  rencontres,  however,  1  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  devoting 
myself  sedulously  to  my  duties,  and  acquiring  ample  knowledge  of 
Indian  field  service,  which  was  subsequently  of  essential  use  to  me. 

But  for  many  months  we  led  a  dull  and  unsatisfactory  life.  _  The 
arrangements  of  the  governor-general  not  being  yet  sufficiently 
matured  to  admit  of  our  advancing  northward,  our  operations  were  of 
a  trivial  character,  and  our  marches  extended  no  further  than  from  one 
side  of  the  river  to  the  other,  over  a  sandy  soil  devoid  of  vegetation, 
or  amongst  heavy  cotton  grounds,  with  the  thermometer  ranging  from 
110°  to  120°  in  our  tents,  while  our  ordinary  luxuries,  and  even  com- 
forts, were  both  scarce  and  expensive.  This  state  of  inaction  pro- 
duced little  else  than  murmurms:  and  discontent  amongst  us ;  but 
one  little  incident  cnat  occurred,  while  we  were  thus  kept  dodging 
about  in  the  hot  winds,  may  not  oe  uuauuoptciblf  to  the  reader. 

Captain  Cooke,  of  "  Ours,"  being  on  the  quarter-guard  one  day 
when  the  thermometer  stood  at  130°  in  the  sun,  retired  into  his  tent, 
and  took  a  short  snooze  in  his  regimentals.  His  post  was  just  then 
visited  by  the  field-officer  of  the  day,  and  the  guard  turning  out 
without  their  captain,  the  latter  was,  of  course,  loudly  called  for. 

Cooke  ran  out  in  a  hurry,  and  being  sharply  questioned  as  to  the 
cause  of  his  absence,  replied  very  sententiously, 

"  Well,  major,  I  did  not  think  I  was  expected  to  stand  out  the 
whole  of  the  day  in  the  meridian  sun." 

This  little  bull  made  a  great  laugh  against  Cooke,  more  especially 
as  he  did  not  come  from  the  sod;  and  1  turned  it  into  an  epigram  as 
follows : 

"  Wonder  no  more,  ye  sceptics  bold, 
At  miracles  performed  of  old, 

Recorded  in  the  sacred  book  : — 
If  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun, 
Could  stop  midway  the  blazing  sun, 
'Twas  stopp'd  as  well  to-day  by  Cooke." 


THE  FLANK  BATTALION.  267 

This  was  handed  round,  and  was  held  to  be  an  improvement  on  the 
original;  but  one  officious  ^toady  took  the  scrap  of  paper  to  the  com- 
manding officer,  whose  brains  being  no  brighter  than  those  of  Copke 
himself,  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  make  either  head  or  tail  of 
my  poor  epigram. 

The  colonel's  commentary,  when  he  did  gain  a  competent  know- 
ledge of  its  inflammable  nature,  was,  as  usual,  luminous  and  con- 
clusive. 

"  Meester  Blake,"  he  said,  "thocht  himsel,  and  nae  doot  he  was, 
an  unco  clever  chiel ;  but  he  had  mony  things  yet  to  larn,  espeecially 
in  skeeleton  drill,  where  he  was  too  oiten  oot  in  his  distance,  and  did 
not  always  come  up  successfully  into  line.  With  respec  to  this 
conundrum,  he  was  an  enemy  to  all  sic-like  ;  an'  he  was  nae  that  sure 
but  they  were  in  direc'  contradeection  to  the  airticles  o'  war.  Every 
one  knew  quite  as  weel  as  Meester  Blake,  clever  as  he  thocht  himsel, 
that  a  meridian  was  a  sort  of  a  roon-aboot  three  square,  that  the 
captain  of  an  Eendiaman  aye  looked  through  when  he  wanted  to  see 
what  o'clock  it  was  by  the  sun,  an'  he  didna  ken  why  Captain  Cooke 
might  not  mak'  use  of  the  same  term.  Then  the  word  '  blazing  sun' 
was  vara  unscreeptural ;  every  one  kenned  that  the  sun  was  in  the 
centre  of  heaven,  and  that  the  '  blazes '  belonged  to  the  ither  place, 
which  it  was  nae  that  canny  to  mention.  With  respect  to  one  Joshua, 
the  son  of  a  nun,  it  was  unco  indiscreet  of  Meester  Blake  to  eentro- 
duce  any  sic'  a  person  to  the  notice  of  his  blither  officers — an'  he  was 
quite  sure  they  kenned  naething  aboot  ony  sic  a  low-bred  fallow  ;  as 
f9r  Captain  Cooke  stopping  the  blazing  sun,  he  did  not  consider  him 
sic  a  daft  carl  as  to  burn  his  fingers  with  ouy  sic  expeeriment." 
Finally,  the  adjutant  came  to  me  laughing,  with  a  request  from  the 
colonel,  that  "  I  would  not  write  ony  mair  sic  whigmaleeries,  whilk 
only  sarved  to  bre\y  ill-bluid,  and  set  folks  togither  by  the  lug." 

This  literary  delinquency  did  not,  however,  prevent  McClish  from 
conferring  upon  me  soon  after  a  post  of  great  confidence.  As  light 
field-movements  were  to  be  the  order  of  the  day  in  the  approaching 
campaign,  Sir  Nicholas  Pipkin  was  directed  to  form  a  flank  oattalion, 
to  consist  of  ten  light  companies  from  the  different  regiments  under 
his  command,  both  native  and  British.  The  command  of  this  chosen 
band  he  conferred  upon  Colonel  McClish,  as  confessedly  the  smartest 
officer  in  the  whole  force ;  and  McClish  having  appointed  me  his 
adjutant,  both  he  and  I  vied  with  each  other  in  our  efforts  to  bring 
our  motley  corps  into  the  highest  state  of  perfection.  This  we  did  by 
unwearied  assiduity  and  attention  in  the  course  of  five  or  six  months, 
and  though,  at  first,  the  men  complained  of  the  severity  of  drill, 
they  ultimately  took  so  much  pride  in  the  admirable  condition  to 
which  we  had  brought  them,  that  one  spirit  of  emulation  seemed  to 
influence  every  individual  of  the  battalion. 

Nor  was  it  allowed  to  evaporate.  Orders  were,  at  length,  issued 
for  an  advance  on  the  Mahratta  territories  ;  and,  to  my  great  comfort, 
the  flank  battalion  being  removed  from  the  immediate  command  of 
Sir  Nicholas  Pipkin,  was  attached  to  the  division  of  Brigadier-General 
Sir  Lionel  Smith.  "Under  him  it  bore  a  distinguished  part  in  his 
famous  pursuit  of  Bajee  Rao,  the  peishwah  of  the  Mahrattas,  when 


268  THE  YOtJXG  EIPLEMAN, 

that  prince  ran  away  from  his  capital  Poonali ;  and  also  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  his  numerous  strongholds. 

Eor  these  events  I  must  refer  the  reader  to  other  works.  It  will 
be  sufficient  here  to  say  that  the  peishwah,  after  flying  with  his  dis- 
comfited troops  before  Smith's  victorious  division,  over  many  hundred 
miles  of  most  difficult  country,  finally  gave  himself  up-  to  the  British, 
abdicated  his  power  in  their  favour,  and  retired  with  a  pension  of 
£80,000  per  annum,  to  enjoy  a  life  of  ease  and  luxury,  near  Cawn- 
pore,  on  the  Gauges. 

This  celebrated  chase  was  immediately  after  succeeded  by  another 
long  hunt,  in  which  the  flank  battalion  bore  a  distinguished  _  part, 
after  Apa  Sahib,  the  rajah  of  Berar.  This  prince's  complicity  in  the 
conspiracy  against  the  British  having  been  laid  bare,  his  capital, 
Nagpore/was  taken  possession  of,  after  a  determined  resistance.  A 
cantonment  being  laid  out,  and  speedily  erected  in  the  vicinity,  a 
large  body  of  the  Madras  contingent  was  stationed  there,  under  Sir 
Nicholas  Pipkin,  while  we  were  detached  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive 
rajah. 

After  a  long  chase  through  a  wild  and  savage  country,  in  which  Apa 
Sahib  was  hunted  from  one  fastness  to  another,  we  at  length  penned 
him  up  in  the  hill  fortress  of  Asseerghur,  which  we  immediately 
besieged  and  took,  after  a  long  and  desperate  resistance.  During  the 
melee,  however,  Apa  Sahib  escaped  in  the  disguise  of  a  sepoy,  and  fled 
to  the  country  of  the  Sikhs,  where  he  was  indirectly  sheltered  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life  by  Runjeet  Singh,  the  Lion  of  the  Punjab. 


CHAPTER  LVIIL 

THE  PINDAMIIE   CHASE.  ' 

TTIE  flank  battalion  was  now  returning  to  Nagpore,  after  this  in- 
effectual pursuit  of  Apa  Sahib  ;  and  as  we  proceeded  by  easy  marches, 
the  men  were  much  less  fatigued  than  might  have  been  expected  from 
the  great  distance  they  had  travelled,  at  so  constant  and  so  quick  a 
pace.  In  fact,  they  were  much  less  harassed  than  annoyed  at  losing 
their  prey,  for  the  ex-rajah  was  said  to  carry  jewels  of  such  immense 
value  about  his  person,  that  they  had  all  anticipated  handsome  prize- 
money  ;  and  their  feelings  against  the  foe,  especially  the  Pindarries, 
who  had  materially  aided  his  escape,  were  embittered  in  proportion 
to  their  disappointment,  a  circumstance  which,  in  the  result,  produced 
the  happiest  effects. 

I  was  riding  with  the  colonel  at  the  head  of  the  battalion  on  the 
last  day's  march,  listening  with  becoming  attention  as  he  suggested 
various  improvements  in  the  equipment  of  the  men  on  these  light 
expeditions,  and  the  better  organization  of  bheesties  of  bangywallas  ; 
when,  within,  three  miles  of  cantonments,  we  descried  an  officer, 
followed  by  an  orderly  dragoon,  riding  towards  us  at  full  speed. 

He  soon  came  up,  puffing  and  blowing  like  a  grampus,  and  proved 


THE  PINDARRIE  CHASE.  269 

to  be  the  brigade-major,  a  short,  pursy  little  fellow,  and  a  great 
gourmand. 

"  Colonel,"  he  exclaimed,  as  soon  as  he  recovered  breath,  "  Sir 
Nicholas  requests  you  will  be  good  enough  to  hasten  your  march,  for 
we  have  had  a  terrible  to-do  here  in  your  absence." 

"  What's  the  matter  noo,  mon  ?  "  demanded  the  colonel.  "  Some- 
thing or  ither  is  aye  sure  to  gae  wrang  when  the  flank  battalion's  awa'." 

"  Well,  that  is  the  fact,"  replied  the  brigade-major,  who  always 
knew  when  a  little  soft-sawder  was  acceptable.  "Those  rascally 
Pindarries,  finding  that  you  were  absent  on  a  wild-goo — hem !  ahem  ! 
secret  expedition,  pounced  upon  us  last  night,  and  absolutely  harried 
the  whole  cantonment,  in  as  little  time  as  you'd  take  to  carve  a  plum- 
pudding." 

"  De'il  ha'  my  body  and  saul,  mon ! "  exclaimed  the  colonel.  "  Did 
the  ramscallions  do  muckle  misch<?<?f  ?  " 

"  My  bungalow  is  utterly  gutted,"  replied  the  fat  official,  with  a 
look  of  desolation  quite  comic.  "  Compound,  godown,  larder,  piggery, 
and  poultry-yard.  There  is  not  so  much  as  a  merrythought  left  of 
all  my  beautiful  stock." 

"  Did  I  na  tell  ye,  mon,"  said  the  colonel,  "  that  your  bungalow  was 
too  far  awa  frae  the  main-guard  ?  " 

"  True,  my  dear  colonel,  true,"  sighed  the  poor  sufferer.  "  I  wish  to 
heavens  I  had  taken  your  wise  counsel.  But  then,  you  know,  I 
always  require  so  much  space  for  my  stock— and  I  had  such  a  splendid 
piggery.  But  the  villains  have  gobbled  up  everything — geese, 
turkeys,  hams,  humps,  and  capons.  I  had  the  loveliest  litter  of 
sucking-pigs — " 

"  Weel,  aweel,"  cried  the  colonel,  impatiently,  "  what  other  mis- 
ch^f  have  they  done  ?  " 

"  Done ! "  replied  the  official,  as  if  amazed  at  the  stupendous 
amount  and  universal  importance  of  his  own  particular  losses ;  "  they 
have  guttled  my  wines,  brandies,  and  brown  stout.  They  haven't  left 
me  as  much  as  would  wet  the  whistle  of  a  torn-tit." 

"  Weel,  weel,  mon,"  said  the  colonel  snappishly. 

"  I  had  the  divinest  batch  you  ever  saw  of  Lafitte,"  resumed  the 
bon-vivant,  "imported  by  myself  from  Bordeaux,  direct;  and  the 
dearest  little  cask  of  'particular' — clear  crystalline,  amber-coloured, 
as  ever  came  from  Madeira.  In  fact,  my  dear  colonel,  I  had  set  apart 
these  special  favourites  to  welcome  your  return." 

"  Thank  ye  for  naethiug,  then,"  said  the  colonel,  who  well  knew 
the  value  of  a  French  compliment.  "But  deil  ha'  my  saul,  the  chiels 
are  a'  ganging  asleep.  Strike  up,  bugles,  close  up  thae  rear  sections ; 
step  oot,  men,  step  oot  in  front." 

We  accordingly  now  began  to  step  out  in  earnest,  and  the  brigade- 
major,  meanwhile,  resumed  his  catalogue  of  disasters. 

"  Then,  there's  the  poor  dear  general,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  look 
of  official  commiseration.  "  They  say  his  misfortunes  have  driven 
the  gout  into  his  stomach." 

"  What  do  you  say  ? "  I  now  for  the  first  time  demanded.  "  What 
about  the  general's  misfortunes  ?  " 

"  His  poor  dear  family,  Blake,  all  destroyed,"  was  the  reply. 


270  THE.  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

"  Great  heaven ! "  I  exclaimed.    "  Is  it  possible  ?  " 
"Poor  Shigram  Po  ! "  continued  the  brigade-major. 
"  D — n  Shigram  Po  ! "  I  exclaimed,  in  a  pet. 
"With  all  myjheart!"  responded  the  complaisant  official;  "but 

t  thf 


Pipkin?" 

"  Poor  dear  Lady  Pipkin  ! "  he  replied.  "  Let  me  see !  Oh  !  she's 
either  burnt  to  death,  speared  through  the  body,  or  carried  off  by  the 
Pindarries.  I  came  out  in  such  a  hurry,  that  I  couldn't  ascertain 
which." 

The  agony  I  was  thrown  into  by  the  egotistical  prosing  of  this 
sensual  hog  was  excruciating.  I  demanded  permission  to  ride 
forward,  to  ascertain  the  worst;  but  this  the  colonel  himself  did. 
Meanwhile,  we  hurried  on  at  such  a  pace,  that  we  were  soon  drawn 
up  on  the  parade;  having  proofs  enough  around  us,  in  the  still 
blazing  bungalows  and  smoking  ruins,  of  the  desolating  course  of  the 
ruthless  Pindarries. 

All  this  mischief  had  been  done  in  two  or  three  hours,  by  &lubhur 
of  ten  thousand,  under  two  ;.:;tive  and  notorious  chiefs,  Sevajee  and 
Secunder  Jah;  who,  sweeping  down  suddenly,  like  a  whirlwind, 
upon  the  too-scattered  cantonment,  at  an  hour  when  all  were  buried 
in  profound  repose,  effected  their  villanous  purpose  before  a  body  of 
troops  could  be  got  together  to  oppose  them.  Having  carried  off 
everything  worth  taking,  and  wantonly  destroyed  the>  rest,  they 
scoured  and  scampered  off,  in  their  usual  manner,  as  rapidly  as  they 
came,  no  one  knowing  whither,  or  in  what  direction. 

As  speedily  as  possible,  however,  Major  Lumsden  had  started  in 
chase  of  them  with  three  squadrons  of  Light  Dragoons,  and  galloper- 
guns,  while  Captain  King  pursued  them  by  another  road,  with  two 
batteries  of  flying  artillery. 

While  listening  to  these  details,  the  colonel  galloped  up,  and 
addressed  the  line  in  a  short  but  pithy  speech,  as  follows  :— 

"  Sodgers  !— The  geeneral  wants  twa  hunred  volunteers,  to  follow 
thae  rantipole  Pindarries,  wha  hae  carried  awa  his  wife  and  bairn. 
Ilka  mon  wha  joins  willingly  and  nolens^  volens  in  the  pursuit,  is  to 
receive  ten  rupees  frae  the  geeneral's  ain  pouch,  and  he  wha  rescues 
the  leddy  and  her  puir  wee  bairn,  a  thoosand." 

I  spurred  forward  at  the  first  words  the  colonel  uttered,  and  drop- 
ping the  point  of  my  sword,  claimed  the  honour  of  being  the  first 
volunteer  on  the  occasion. 

"Nay,  but  Meester  Blake,"  said  the  colonel,  "I  canna  spare  ye 
frae  the  orderly-room ;  I  shall  hae  sic  a  muckle  sight  o'  leeterary 
correspondence,  mon,  aboot  this  infarnal  clanjamfry." 

"Colonel,"  I  replied,  firmly;  "I  claim  this  honour  as  a  right; 
being  the  senior  subaltern  of  my  regiment,  and,  as  such,  entitled  to 
lead  the  first  forlorn  hope." 

"Weel,  aweel!"  cried  the  colonel,  somewhat  puzzled.  "I  drnna 
dispute  the  reet,  mon;  but  what  the  de'il  am  I  to  do  for  a  mam-, 
wonsis  ?" 


THE  PINDAERIE  CHASE.  271 

"I'll  find  you  one,"  I  replied;  "there's  Jenkins,  tlie  junior  sub- 
altern of  my  company,  who  writes  a  much  better  hand  than  I  do 
myself  j  and  who,"  I  added,  sotto  voce,  "will  be  very  much  obliged 
to  me  tor  leaving  him  at  home." 

"  Weel,  weel,"  said  the  colonel,  whose  test  of  scholarship  consisted 
in  superior  caligraphy;  "we'll  see  aboot  it,  mon-  but  recollec',  sir, 
that  1  shall  require  the  pen  of  a  reedy  writer,  as  Snakspeare  says." 

My  own  company  instantly  volunteered  to  a  man,  as  did  several 
others,  both  native  and  European ;  and  eventually  the  whole  regi- 
ment came  forward ;  but  the  colonel  would  give  me  only  one  hun- 
dred Europeans,  and  a  hundred  sepoys,  with  a  dozen  light  cavalry 
as  scouts.  I  was  very  well  content  with  this  arrangement ;  for  the 
native  soldiers  of  the  flank  battalion  were  all  brave  fellows,  very 
much  attached  to  their  adjutant,  and  quite  as  capable  of  bearing 
fatigue  and  privation  as  the  Europeans  themselves. 

"  And  noo,  Blake,"  said  the  colonel,  taking  me  aside,  "  I  shall  na 
seend  ony  o'  the  captains  wi  ye,  mon,  that  ye  may  ha'  it  a'  ye're 
own  way,  soleass  cum  soleass,  as  the  French  say." 

I  expressed  myself,  and  really  felt,  grateful  to  McClish,  for  this 
act  of  kindness ;  and,  shaking  hands,  he  wished  me  a  sawpeecious  and 
triumphant  journey. 

Preparations  were  now  made  for  a  speedy  start;  an  excellent 
dinner  was  prepared  for  the  men,  which  they  ate  on  the  parade 
(under  tents  pitched  for  those  who  had  been  unhoused) ;  with  a 
double  allowance  of  rum  for  the  Europeans,  and  vegetable  curries 
in  abundance  for  the  natives.  Fresh  flints,  and  sixty  rounds  of  am- 
munition, were  served  out  to  each  man ;  strong  active  camels  were 
furnished  by  the  commissariat,  to  accompany  us,  laden  with  rice,  dol, 
pickled  pork,  biscuit,  rum,  coffee,  sugar,  &c.,  and  a  sufficient  number 
of  bheesties  with  mussuks,  or  water-bags.  These,  with  the  officers' 
private  servants  and  bangywallas,  secured  us  pretty  well  against  all 
apprehension  of  hunger  and  thirst  on  the  expedition  through  a 
country  which  we  could  only  expect  to  find  in  a  state  of  desolation ; 
while  the  warmth  and  dryness  of  the  weather  enabled  us  to  dispense 
altogether  with  tents  and  camp-equipage. 

In  three  or  four  hours'  time  we  were  ready  to  start  on  this  fresh 
expedition,  after  having  just  accomplished  one  of  several  hundred 
miles,  in  pursuit  of  Apa  Sahib.  The  men  were  in  the  highest  pos- 
sible spints,  while  the  whole  cantonment  turned  out  to  witness  our 
departure,  and  bid  us  God  speed. 

E9rtunately,  for  some  time  past  I  had  very  much  devoted  my  at- 
tention to  the  geography  and  topography  of  the  country  between 
Nagpore  a-nd  the  Nerbudda.  I  had  furnished  myself  with,  and 
collated,  the  best  published  maps  ;  and  had  even  drawn  up  some 
myself,  with  the  assistance  of  a  friend  in  the  engineers,  founded 
partly  on  actual  survey  and  partly  on  information  collected  from 
nircarrahs,  ta/ppall  men,  brinjaries,  and  other  intelligent  natives.  I 
was  thus  well  prepared  for  the  command  I  had  undertaken ;  and,  as 
I  knew  there  would  be  little  use  in  following  with  infantry  the  pre- 
cise track  of  the  Pindarries,  whose  hardy  Mahratta  horses  travelled 
at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  a  day  on  these  expeditions ;  I  determined 


272  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

to  strike  at  once  across  the  country,  for  the  principal  fords  of  the 
Nerbudda,  on  which  the  different  lubhurs  would  be  converging,  to 
cross  that  formidable  stream  before  the  approaching  rains  should 
render  it  impracticable. 

Keeping,  therefore,  the  lofty  Droog  of  Gawilglmr  to  the  left,  as  an 
excellent  landmark,  I  directed  my  route,  by  compass,  for  Hindia,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Nerbudda,  where  I  knew  that  the  principal 
ford  was  situated;  scouting  well  to  the  right,  myself  and  my 
dragoons,  in  the  hope  of  hearing  something  of  the  foe. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  we  met  with  sad  vestiges  of  their  ruthless 
course,  in  the  flying  inhabitants  of  the  intervening  country ;  some 
driving  their  cattle  before  them,  laden  with  their  simple  implements 
of  husbandry,  and  the  few  household  utensils  or  other  valuables  they 
had  been  able  to  save  from  the  spoiler.  Every  individual  man,  woman, 
and  child,  above  six  years  old,  carried  a  load  of  grain  proportioned  to 
their  strength ;  the  mothers,  in  addition,  bearing  their  infants  astride 
on  their  hips,  in  the  peculiar  manner  of  the  Hindoo  female. 

But  these  lucky  fugitives  were  on  the  outskirts  of  the  tract  of  country 
through  which  the  gang  of  fiends  had  swept,  like  the  deadly  simoom, 
spreading  ruin  and  desolation  in  their  fearful  course.  As  we  drew 
nearer  to  the  focus  of  their  operations,  then,  indeed,  our  hearts  were 
rent  with  pity  and  horror.  Ruined  villages,  shattered  walls,  and 
smoking  homesteads,  told  too  vividlv  the  tragic  tale  ;  while,  if  any- 
thing could  increase  the  rage  that  filled  our  breasts,  it  was  the  horrid 
sight  of  dead  and  dying  bodies,  men,  women  and  children ;  the  help- 
less, inoffensive  inhabitants  of  this  once  peaceful  region,  now  mingled 
in  one  common  scene  of  butchery.  Some  had  their  noses  and  ears 
cut  of  by  the  ruthless  monsters,  in  their  horrid  impatience  to  possess 
themselves  of  ear-rings  and  nose-rings :  young  women  with  their 
hands  and  feet  mercilessly  chopped  off  by  the  battle-axe  of  the 
Pindarrie,  eager  to  clutch  the  silver  bracelet  and  anklet  of  the  hapless 
wearer.  Old  men  groaning  in  agony,  to  the  soles  of  whose  feet  red- 
hot  irons  had  been  applied  to  enforce  adisclosureof  concealed  treasure  : 
others,  whose  clothes  had  been  saturated  with  oil,  and  ignited;  ana 
many  whose  heads  were  tied  up  in  bags  filled  with  hot  ashes,  and  thus 
frightfully  suffocated.  Though  a  few  years  previously,  I  had  looked 
with  horror  on  the  cruelties  committed  by  the  French  in  Spain  and 
Portugal,  they  were  infinitely  surpassed  by  those  which  marked  the 
course  of  the  fiend-like  Pindarries. 

But  I  shall  no  longer  pain  the  reader's  breast  by  my  feeble  relation 
of  horrors  which  no  language  can  adequately  describe.  The  savage 
monsters  pursued  their  merciless  career,  unchecked  by  any  feeling  of 
human  pity,  till  the  hour  of  retribution  came,  as  come  it  did ;  for,  even 
in  this  unaccountable  world,  the  just  vengeance  of  the  Deity  is  often 
evinced  in  a  manner  not  to  be  mistaken. 

We  had  now  been  three  days  upon  our  march ;  in  which  time  we 
had  passed  over  eightv  miles  of  country,  without  encountering  the 
enemy.  We  generally  marched  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  in  the 
four-and-twenty  hours;  the  greater  portion  of  the  distance  being 
got  over  in  the  night,  the  most  favourable  time  for  expeditions  of 
this  nature,  especially  at  this  season  of  the  year,  when  the  roads 


THE  PINDAREIE  CHASE.  273 

were  good,  the  grass-jungles  burnt  up,  and  few  or  no  tigers  lurking 
near  the  highways.  During  the  excessive  heat  of  the  day,  when  the 
ground  was  hot  enough  to  scorch  the  feet,  we  lay  by  in  the  jungle, 
of  which  there  was  no  scarcity  ;  and  that  was  the  time  for  cooking, 
eating,  sleeping,  washing,  and  otherwise  refreshing  ourselves  for  the 
toils  of  the  night. 

Our  route  lay  through  a  country  of  diversified  character.  Some- 
times we  stumbled  on  through  deep  wooded  glens  and  ravines 
into  whose  dark  recesses  the  silver  radiance  of  the  moon  could 
seldom  penetrate.  Sometimes  the  country  was  rich  in  the  extreme ; 
studded  with  villages,  and  covered  with  luxuriant  fields  of  wheat, 
hemp,  grain,  sugar-cane,  &c.,  and  at  others,  nature  seemed  to  riot 
in  unbounded  luxuriance ;  lofty  trees  spreading  on  all  sides  their 
gigantic  arms,  while  the  road  was  fringed  with  thorny  and  prickly 
shrubs  of  eVery  size  and  shape,  and  canes  soaring  to  the  height  of 
sixty  feet  and  upwards.  Nothing  interrupted  our  progress  or  dis- 
turbed us  on  the  way,  except  occasionally  the  low,  deep  growl  of  a 
tiger,  as  he  skulked  into  the  woods,  the  ferocious  grunt  of  a  wild 
hog,  whose  lair  we  had  beat  up,  or  the  mournful  cry  of  a  pack  of 
jackals,  which  bore  a  character  of  appalling  and  desolate  melancholy. 

At  length  we  began  to  get  tidings  of  the  Pindarries,  and  every- 
thing now  seemed  to  indicate  our  mutual  approximation ;  for  it  was 
evident  that^  pursuing,  as  it  were,  the  chord  of  the  semi-circle  they 
were  describing,  we  had  intercepted  their  retreat,  and  actually  stood 
between  them  and  the  ford  by  which  they  calculated  on  passing  the 
river. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day,  I  was  scouting,  as  usual,  at 
some  distance  from  the  line  of  march,  when  I  heard  female  shrieks 
on  the  other  side  of  a  belt  of  jungle  that  lay  a  little  distance  in  my 
front. 

Sounds  of  this  description  had  always  met  with  a  ready  response 
in  my  breast;  but  now  that  my  thoughts  were  pre-occupied  with 
Julia,  and  the  horrible  captivity  into  which  she  was  plunged,  my  zeal 
in  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  was  increased  tenfold.  Giving  the  reins 
to  my  Arab,  the  best  of  two  which  I  rode  alternately  on  these  excur- 
sions, he  bounded  forward,  and  speedily  cleared  the  bosky  obstacle 
that  lay  before  us. 

Beyond  this  was  a  tract  of  cleared  level  ground,  over  which  a  Pin- 
darrie,  armed  with  a  long  spear,  was  cantering ;  dragging  after  him, 
in  spite  of  prayers  and  entreaties,  an  unhappy  woman,  round  whose 
neck  he  had  fastened  a  coil  of  rope,  such  as  the  scoundrels  always 
cany  at  their  saddle-bow  for  exploits  of  this  nature. 

Enraged  at  the  fellow's  brutality,  for  the  hapless  creature  would 
sometimes  fall  to  the  earth,  and  thus  be  dragged  for  many  yards  along 
the  rugged  surface  of  the  ground,  my  first  impulse  was  to  shoot  him 
with  my  rifle ;  but,  reflecting  that  if  I  could  take  him  alive,  he  might 
serve  as  a  guide  to  the  encampment  of  the  lubhur,  I  reslung  the 
trusty  weapon,  drew  my  sabre,  and,  dashing  forward  with  a  loud 
shout,  challenged  the  villain  to  the  combat. 

He  no  soci! -i-  saw  me,  than  he  cast  off  his  victim;  and,  digging 
the  stirrup-iron,  which  contains  the  spur,  into  the  sides  of  his  horse, 


$74  THE  YOTTNG  &IFLEMAK. 

he  galloped  off  with  all  the  speed  of  the  animal,  in  the  opposite 
direction, 

Bat  the  poltroon  had  now  a  high-blood  Arab,  and  an  Irish  fox- 
hunter  to  contend  with ;  and  the  chase  was  speedily  determined.  I 
was  coming  up  with  him,  hand  over  hand,  when,  turning  round  in  his 
saddle,  with  ferocious  threats  and  villanous  language,  he  levelled  one 
of  his  pistols  at  me,  with  a  very  deliberate  aim  ;  but  the  weapons  of 
the  Pindarries  are  never  of  a  trustworthy  character,  and  it  missed 
fire.  He  then  discharged  the  other  with  better  effect,  the  ball  pass- 
ing through  my  cap,  but  fortunately  without  touching  my  head.  At 
last,  finding  that  he  had  only  one  more  chance  for  his  life,  he  very 
adroitly  wheeled  his  horse  round  as  I  approached ;  and,  poising  his 
spear,  rushed  at  me  with  the  hope  of  pinning  me  to  the  earth. 

Another  moment,  and  my  doom  was  sealed.  But  with  a  pre- 
sence of  mind  which  has  fortunately  never  failed  me,  by  a  dex- 
terous application  of  spur  and  snaffle,  my  gallant  steed  made  a  side- 
spring,  which  cleared  me  of  the  formidable  weapon ;  while,  with  a 
back-stroke  of  my  sabre,  I  cut  the  bamboo  shaft  iu  two,  and  the  Pin- 
darrie lay  at  my  mercy  % 

Finding  it  all  over  with  him,  he  became  as  humble  now,  as  before 
lie  had  been  bold  and  insolent.  He  threw  himself  off  his  horse,  fell 
upon  his  knees,  and  begged  for  his  life  in  the  most  abject  terms.  I 
untwisted  the  fellow's  turban,  which  was  of  enormous  length,  thereby 
scattering  abroad  sundry  nose-rings,  ear-rings,  and  other  poor  maid's 
jewels,  of  which  it  was  the  repository ;  and,  tying  one  end  of  it  round 
his  neck,  I  thus  led  him,  more  mercifully  than  he  had  done,  his  poor 
captive,  to  where  he  beheld,  to  his  amazement,  the  band  of  avengers 
whom  he  imagined  safe  in  the  cantonment  of  Nagpore. 

Having  halted  the  detachment,  I  summoned  my  brother  officers  to 
council ;  and  we  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  all  necessary  informa- 
tion from  the  now  crest-fallen  Pindarrie. 

The  lubhur  was  to  halt  that  night  at  a  large  village,  called  Chil- 
lumbaucum,  about  five  miles  to  our  right;  hoping  t9  cross  the 
Nerbudda  the  following  day,  unscathed,  and  with  all  their  ill-gotten 
treasures.  They  were  certain,  he  said,  after  having  plundered  the 
village,  to  spend  the  night  in  feasting  and  carousing ;  and  as  it  is  one 
of  the  well-known  peculiarities  of  this  race  of  monsters,  never  to  set 
guards  or  post  sentries  over  their  bivouacs,  trusting  entirely,  it 
seems,  to  the  rapidity  of  their  movements  and  the  fleetness  of  their 
horses,  I  entertained  no  doubt  whatever  of  our  ultimate  success. 
The  odds,  it  is  true,  in  point  of  numbers,  were  greatly  against  us ; 
but  nothing,  I  felt  assured,  could  withstand  the  discipline,  courage, 
and  physical  prowess  of  British  troops. 

Having  given  the  men  a  two  hours'  rest,  during  which  they  cooked 
and  ate  a  hearty  supper,  we  set  off  in  the  highest  confidence  and 
spirits,  under  the  guidance  of  our  Pindarrie,  whom  I  placed  between 
two  officers,  with  directions  to  shoot  him  instantly,  if  he  evinced  any 
treachery,  or  attempted  to  escape. 

It  was  now  past  nine  o'clock:  the  night,  luckily,  was  dark  as  pitch, 
not  a  star  even  to  be  seen  in  the  firmament ;  while  a  profound  silence 
reigned  over  the  wide  expanse  of  woodland  scenery  through  which 


flltE  PINDAimTE   CHASE.  275 

our  route  lay ;  all  the  wretched  inhabitants  who  were  not  dead  or 
dying  having  fled  from  the  horrid  vicinity  of  the  ravagers  us  far  ns 
their  trembling  limbs  would  carry  them.  All  this  was  highly  favour- 
able to  our  undiscovered  advance ;  but,  as  our  progress  was  neces- 
sarily slow  and  cautious,  it  was  _  midnight  ere  we  approached  the 
village,  which  was  surrounded,  within  a  little  distance,  by  a  screen 
of  thick  jungle  that  effectually  concealed  our  movements. 

Everything  in  the  village,  which  was  large  enough  to  accommodate 
the  entire  lubJmr,  with  the  exception  of  their  elephants  and  cattle, 
which  were  picketed  outside,  was  settling  into  the  most  profound 
repose  ;  and  a  general  hush  was  absorbing  the  concatenation  of 
noises  which  had  but  recently  sprung  from  the  shouts  of  the 
drunkards,  the  neighing  of  horses,  the  trumpeting  of  elephants,  the 
growling  of  camels,  the  jingling  of  bells,  and  the  monotonous 
tapping  and  thumping  of  tomtom.  Here  and  there  a  riotous  party 
were  prolonging  their  carouse ;  till,  one  after  another,  they  insensibly 
dropped  off  into  that  deep  sleep  upon  the  bare  earth  from  which  so 
many  of  them  were  never  more  to  awaken.  By  the  lurid  glare  of 
the  'burning  houses,  which  they  had  first  plundered  and  then 
wantonly  set  fire  to,  and  by  the  flames  of  the  consuming  furniture, 
piled  up  in  the  streets  to  light  them  in  their  godless  revels,  we  could 
distinguish  all  their  proceedings  as  plainly  as  at  noon-day,  mark  the 
points  of  attack  where  our  onset  was  most  likely  to  be  effectual,  and 
make  our  dispositions  accordingly. 

Right  in  front  of  the  station  1  had  taken  up  to  reconnoitre,  sat  a 
circle  of  the  principal  chiefs  and  officers,  with  a  large  fire  burning  in 
the  midst.  Some  of  these  were  clad  in  showy  mail  or  plate  armour, 
with  swords,  shields,  and  matchlocks,  while  others  were  armed  with 
spears,  creeses,  and  round  lackered  shields,  their  bodies  being 
defended  by  a  leathern  cuirass  or  a  quilted  sword-proof  jacket ;  all 
were  engaged  in  animated  discussion,  which  appeared  to  .have  re- 
ference to  the  morrow's  proceedings  and  the  amount  and  division  of 
the  spoil. 

As  I  gazed  on  this  paraphernalia,  gorgeous  but  trumpery,  when 
opposed  to  the  musket-Dall  and  the  British  bayonet,  a  group  of  Pin- 
darries,  armed  with  matchlocks,  targets,  spears,  and  swords,  arrived, 
hurrying  along  with  them  into  the  circle  a  venerable  Brahmin,  who 
loudly  begged  and  prayed  for  mercy ;  but  he  was  now  in  the  clutches 
of  those  who  knew  not  the  meaning  of  the  term.  Being  ordered  to 
discover  where  he  had  concealed  his  treasure,  he  called  Heaven  to 
witness,  in  the  most  pathetic  language,  that  he  had  not  a  rupee  in 
all  the  world :  a  shout  of  scorn  followed  this  disclaimer,  and  the 
tormentors  were  ordered  to  do  their  duty. 

These  horrid  wretches,  who  seemed  to  delight  in  their  infernal 
task,  first  wound  a  quantity  of  old  rags,  saturated  with  oil,  round 
his  fingers,  and  set  them  on  fire ;  while,  as  the  poor  wretch  felt  his 
flesh  burn  and  consume  under  the  application,  and  danced  about  in 
excruciating  agony,  he  became  the  subject  of  brutal  mirth  and 
laughter  to  these  incarnate  fiends.  The  first  effort  of  the  execu- 
tioners not  having  produced  the  desired  effect,  they  next  produced 
a  horse's  nose-bag ;  filled  it  nearly  with  hot  ashes  from  the  fire,  tied 

m    O 


276  THE  YOUNG  EIFLEMAtf. 

it  over  the  head  of  their  victim,  and  thumped  him  violently  on  the 
back,  till  he  was  forced  to  inhale  a  portion  of  its  contents.  No 
human  powers  or  patience  could  long  endure  this  frightful  mode  of 
suffocation ;  the  wretched  victim  _  rolled  in  convulsions  upon  the 
ground,  till  one  chief,  more  merciful  than  the  rest,  drove  a  spear 
through  his  body,  and  put  a  period  to  his  torments. 

Gladly  would  I,  at  that  moment,  have  given  the  signal  for  attack ; 
but  I  should  thereby  have  defeated  my  principal  object,  and  only 
half  accomplished  the  duty  I  had  imposed  upon  myself.  I  there- 
fore restrained  my  impatience  until  the  deep  silence  of  the  Pindarrie 
camp  indicated  that  all  were  sunk  in  profound  repose. 

The  village  principally  consisted  of  one  main  street,  whose  entire 
length  and  breadth  were  crowded  with  the  marauders,  lying  about 
in  all  directions,  and  in  different  stages  of  drunkenness ;  their 
horses,  as  I  before  observed,  being  picketed  outside,  together  with 
numerous  elephants,  camels,  bullocks,  and  bullock-bandies,  all 
heavily  laden  with  the  varied  spoils  of  the  campaign.  Prom  the 
main  street  branched  off  several  lateral  passages,  or  lanes,  leading  to 
pathways  through  the  jungle ;  and  at  the  outlets  of  these  I  stationed 
small  parties,  with  orders  to  shoot  down  all  who  attempted  to 
escape  in  those  directions.  The  remainder  of  my  force  I  divided 
into  two  bodies  ;  the  strongest  of  which  was  to  commence  the  attack 
at  one  end  of  the  main  street,  while  the  rest  were  to  line  the  road 
at  the  other,  by  which  alone  the  fugitives  could  hope  to  fly. 

In  short,  everything  succeeded  to  our  wish.  About  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  when  some  of  the  Pindarries  began  to  stir  themselves 
and  prepare  for  the  road,  a  rocket  soared  aloft  from  a  little  eminence 
on  which  I  stood  ;  and,  ere  its  hissing  had  subsided,  a  volley  from 
the  attacking  party  rang  the  knell  of  death  to  _  the  monsters  Avho 
had  so  long  spread,  with  impunity,  every  description  of  horror  which 
the  mind  can  conceive,  over  many  hundred  miles  of  territory,  and 
over  thousands  upon  thousands  of  helpless  and  inoffensive  beings. 

Scarcely  had  the  echo  of  the  first  volley  ceased,  when  another  and 
another  succeeded,  each  covering  the  ground  with  killed  and 
wounded;  while  the  survivors,  now  effectually  roused  from  their 
slumbers,  ran  wildly  about  in  terror  and  dismay,  uttering  frightful 
yells  of  horror  and  amazement.  But  the  villains  met  in  all  directions 
the  stroke  of  fate,  and  perished  amidst  a  continuous  peal  of  musketry, 
which  fell  upon  them  they  knew  not  whence ;  as  if  the  justly-excited 
anger  of  the  Deity  had  recalled  to  life  their  innumerable  victims,  and 
filled  their  avenging  hands  with  fire  from  heaven. 

Day  broke  in  the  midst  of  the  slaughter;  when  the  bravest  and 
most  desperate  of  the  marauders  endeavoured  to  make  head  against 
their  now  visible  enemy.  But  though  they  advanced  in  heavy 
masses,  with  sword,  and  spear,  and  matchlock,  they  were  met  every- 
where with  the  close  sustained  fire  of  sections  and  subdivisions. 
The  British  bayonet  finally  terminated  the  conflict,  and  the  lubhur  of 
ten  thousand  robbers  and  murderers  was  scattered  to  the  four  winds 
of  heaven  in  irretrievable  defeat ;  their  horses,  elephants,  camels,  and 
bullocks  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  victors,  with  all  the  accumu- 
lated plunder  of  every  district  of  the  Deccan. 


THE 


CHAPTER   LIX. 

THE  KTJBBEER-BTJR. 

Or  the  remnant  of  this  murderous  band,  few  of  whom  escaped 
unhurt  from  the  balls  and  bayonets  of  my  gallant  Light  Bobs,  two 
only  were  now  visible ;  but  these  were  mounted  upon  fleet  and 
powerful  horses,  of  the  celebrated  breed  from  the  banks  of  the 
Beeiuah,  and  the  rapidity  of  their  flight  from  the  scene  of  action, 
evinced  their  speed  and  freshness.  From  their  dress  and  accoutre- 
ments, these  fugitives  were  evidently  chiefs  of  eminence,  and  appa- 
rently brave  fellows;  for,  though  unable  to  struggle  any  longer 
against  an  overpowering  foe,  they  waved  their  hands  in  scorn  and 
defiance,  and  called  upon  us,  with  every  abusive  epithet  which  their 
language  so  abundantly  supplies,  to  follow  if  we  dared. 

Jaded  as  my  trusty  Arabs  were,  after  the  exertions  of  the  previous 
day  and  night,  I  would  have  willingly  allowed  these  two  fellows  to 
escape,  and  even  have  stomached  their  insolent  bravado ;  but  I  was 
driven  almost  to  madness  by  seeing  that  one  of  them  bore  a  female  on 
the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  and  the  other  held  a  child  in  his  arms. 

Satisfied  in  my  own  mind,  that  these  could  be  no  other  than  the 
lady  and  infant  heir  of  the  general,  the  cherished  objects  of  our 
search,  I  dashed  the  rowels  into  the  panting  sides  of  my  generous 
steed,  who  sprang  forward  as  if  imbued  with  my  own  feelings,  and 
bore  me  in  headlong  chase  after  the  foe,  determined  to  die  rather 
than  suffer  my  still-adored  Julia  to  continue  at  the  mercy  of  such 
ruthless  villains^ 

Without  waiting  to  see  if  I  was  followed  by  any  of  my  party,  on  I 
went  in  full  career,  over  hill  and  dale,  through  dell  and  dingle  ;  under 
the  branches  of  lofty  trees,  that  cast  a  deep  shadow  on  the  ground, 
and  anon  exposed  to  the  fervid  rays  of  the  sun,  where  the  barren 
heath  and  the  rocky  desert  lay  in  our  path.  Still,  however,  I  gained 
not  upon  the  chase ;  and  it  vexed  me  sorely  to  perceive  that,  although 
my  Arab  was  at  the  full  stretch  of  his  somewhat  exhausted  powers, 
the  Pindarries  were  evidently  restraining  the  fleetuess  of  their  noble 
steeds,  husbanding,  as  it  were,  their  strength  and  activity  for  a 
more  deadly  push,  while,  ever  and  anon,  they  would  salute  me  with 
a  volley  of  oaths  and  imprecations,  exclaiming  "  Eeringhee  Banchoot ! 
Teereemaukachoot ! "  and  other  equally  brutal  and  offensive  terms. 

And  yet  they  must  have  felt  that  their  lives  were  in  my  hands ;  for, 
with  my  trusty  rifle,  I  had  frequent  opportunities  of  bringing  them 
down.  But  I  was  withheld  by  the  apprehension  of  injuring  those 
dear  beings  whose  lives  I  would  gladly  save  at  the  risk  of  my  own. 
I  shouted,  however,  the  name  of  Julia,  till  my  bosom  ached  with  the 
effort,  to  let  her  know  that  help  was  nigh ;  and  her  cries  in  return 
were  a  sufficient  proof  that  she  heard  and  understood  my  object. 
Nay,  I  once  thought  I  could  catch  upon  the  gale  the  name  of  Blake, 
in  imploring  accents  j  but  this  must  have  been  fancy,  for,  though 


2/8  THE   YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

conscious  of  the  pursuit,  she  could  not  possibly  be  aware  that  the 
pursuer  was  one  who  had  once  been,  and  perhaps  still  was,  so  dear  to 
her  heart. 

On,  on  we  went  in  full  career ;  the  powers  of  horse  and  men  being 
multiplied,  as  it  were,  by  the  maddening  excitement  of  the  chase : 
bounding  over  steep  and  dangerous  nullahs,  and  dashing  through 
foaming  torrents,  which  now  frequently  obstructed  our  way,  indi- 
cating- our  vicinity  to  some  great  stream  of  which  they  were  the 
tributaries.  Once  I  thought  myself  sure  of  my  prey;  for  the  horse 
on  which  poor  Julia  rode  made  an  awful  stumble  in  crossing  one  of 
these  streams,  and  my  heart  leaped  to  my  mouth  at^the  apprehension 
of  her  danger.  But  the  noble  beast  recovered  himself,  and,  as  if 
ashamed  of'  the  slip  he  had  made,  redoubled  his  efforts,  shaking  his 
head  and  champing  the  bit,  as  if  determined  to  pluck  the  reins  out 
of  his  rider's  hands. 

On,  on  we  went,  reckless  of  dangers  and  heedless  of  obstructions  ; 
the  fugitives  apparently  anxious  to  keep  onlv  a  certain  distance,  and 
no  more,  between  them  and  their  pursuer,  while  I  made  every  effort, 
but  in  vain,  to  diminish  that  distance.  When  we  first  started  in  this 
unequal  chase,  and  for  some  time  after,  the  shouts  and  cries  of  battle 
still  rang  in  our  ears ;  and  an  occasional  volley,  or  a  few  dropping 
shots,  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  work  of  death  was  not  yet  termi- 
nated. But  all  these  sounds  had  now  ceased  ;  and  nothing  was  to  be 
heard  but  the  clattering  of  the  horses'  feet  on  the  rocky  soil,  or  the 
braying  of  a  deer,  or  the  crowing  of  the  jungle-cock  in  the  distance. 
My  horse  was  one  sheet  of  foam,  and  the  perspiration  rolled  down 
my  own  face  in  streams,  as  we  Laboured  through  the  deep  soil  of  some 
cotton-grounds,  which  sorely  tried  the  blood  and  bottom  of  my  Arab ; 
for  his  strength  had  long  been  decaying,  while  the  steeds  of  the 
enemy  still  seemed  to  retain  their  pristine  freshness  and  vigour. 

At  length,  we  came  to  a  long,  sloping;  eminence  of  broken,  rocky 
ground ;  and  here  it  was  that  the  fugitives  seemed  determined  to 
exhibit  their  superior  powers :  for,  with  a  shout  of  defiance,  and  a 
volley  of  curses,  they  urged  their  horses  to  a  final  effort,  and  the 
gallant  steeds  bounded  upwards  _as  if  they  carried  a  feather-weight. 
Enraged  at  the  prospect  of  being  distanced,  which  now  seemed 
inevitable  ;  excited  almost  to  frenzy  by  seeing  Julia  wave  her  scarf 
as  they  gained  the  top,  and  stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  sky,  I 
encouraged  my  Arab  with  voice  and  hand ;  and  nobly  the  generous 
animal  responded  to  the  call,  for  in  a  few  clastic  bounds  we  also 
gained  the  summit  of  the  ridge. 

Oh !  what  a  glorious  prospect  opened  to  my  astonished  gaze  !  The 
mighty  Nerbudda  winding  its  majestic  course  through  a  boundless 
expanse  of  woodland  scenery  of  unequalled  magnificence ;  its  turbid 
waters,  swollen  by  the  rains  which  had  just  set  in  to  the  eastward, 
overflowing  its  sedgy  banks  ;  while  the  awe-inspiring  solitude  and 
silence  that  reigned  on  every  side  were  unbroken ;  and  nothing  human 
was  in  sight  to  jar  with  the  immeasurable  grandeur  of  nature  in 
repose,  but  the  two  Pindarries,  now  urging  their  horses  with  all  their 
might  directly  towards  the  wild-rolling  current. 

Upbraiding  myself  for  the  involuntary  transport  which  had  caused 


T1IE  KUBBEER-BUll.  279 

a  momentary  delay,  I  again  took  up  the*  chase,  satisfied  that  now,  at 
last,  I  must  soon  have  the  enemy  at  bay  ;  for  any  attempt  to  cross 
the  boiling  flood  before  us  on  horseback,  encumbered  as  they  were, 
must  have  been  fatal  to  all.  I  tightened  my  reins,  grasped  my  rifle 
more  firmly,  set  my  teeth  for  a  final  effort ;  and,  recommending  my 
soul  to  a  just  and  merciful  Providence,  1  dashed  forvyard,  utterly  re- 
gardless of  what  became  of  its  earthly  incumbrance,  in  the  stern  and 
sacred  path  of  duty. 

A  screen  of  tall  sedges  that  grew  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  had 
now  hidden  the  enemy  from  my  view :  but,  having  marked  the  spot 
at  which  they  had  disappeared,  I  directed  my  course  thither;  when, 
to  my  astonishment,  as  I  drew  nigh,  the  two  horses  came  galloping 
out  without  riders,  caracoling,  and  flinging  their  hind  legs  in  the  air ; 
while  their  bridle-reins,  being  fastened  to  the  pommels  of  the  saddles, 
showed  that  their  escape  was  not  accidental,  but  the  customary  trick 
of  the  Pindarries,  when  hard  beset.  My  two  gentlemen  had,  doubt- 
less, sought  concealment  in  some  cavern  or  hollow  in  the  river's 
brink ;  and  their  steeds  were  thus  let  loose,  to  find  their  way,  as  best 
they  could,  to  one  or  other  of  their  numerous  haunts  in  this  wild  and 
savage  district. 

Determined,  however,  to  find  the  enemy,  or  perish  in  the  attempt, 
I  plunged  into  the  midst  of  this  bed  of  reeds,  shouting  "Julia! 
Julia!"  to  the  utmost  compass  of  my  voice;  but  nothing  responded 
to  my  call.  Raging  with  excitement,  onward  I  pushed  my  noble 
steed,  following  the  narrow  track  which  led  through  this  dense  and 
lofty  bed  of  reeds,  till  I  came,  at  length,  to  the  water-side ;  when, 
amidst  the  angry  current,  about  two  hundred  yards  distant,  I  beheld 
the  two  Pindarries,  skilfully  and  energetically  rowing  one  of  those 
coracles,  or  circular  boats  made  of  wicker-work,  and  covered  with 
untanned  hides,  so  common  on  the  rivers  of  India. 

Julia  and  her  infant  were  nowhere  to  be  seen.  They  were  pro- 
bably, I  thought  at  the  bottom  of  the  coracle ;  but  the  Pindarries 
were  more  than  half  exposed  to  view,  as  they  urged  the  boat,  in  its 
circular  motion,  through  the  mass  of  waters,  towards  an  island  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  entirely  overgrown  with  what  appeared  to  me 
a  tope  of  magnificent  trees,  whose  foliage  extended  down,  like  a  vast 
umbrella,  even  into  the  very  waters  of  the  Nerbudda. 

A  shout  of  triumph,  and  another  round  of  insulting  epithets,  rang 
from  the  two  Pindarries — but  it  was  the  last  they  uttered  in  concert ; 
for,  bringing  the  butt  of  my  trusty  rifle  to  my  shoulder,  I  took  a 
steady  aim,  and  one  of  the  two  fell  to  rise  no  more.  Unluckily,  my 
other  barrel  had  been  discharged  in  the  action,  or  his  companion 
would  have  shared  his  fate ;  but,  before  I  had  time  to  reload  and  fire 
again,  the  surviving  Pindarrie  had  whirled  his  light  bark  beyond  the 
range  on  which  I  could  certainly  calculate,  and  he  got  off  scot 
free. 

My  only  hope  now,  was  to  swim  my  horse  across  the  foaming  flood, 
to  the  island ;  an  attempt  perilous  enough  in  itself,  exclusive  of  the 
reception  I  might  expect  from  the  Pindarrie  on  the  other  side.  But 
courage  mounteth  with  occasion :  I  wet  my  own  lips  with  my  brandy 
flask,  poured  the  remainder  down  the  throat  of  my  horse,  who 


280  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

neighed  loudly,  as  if  invigorated  by  the  draught ;  tnen,  springing  again 
upon  his  back,  I  plunged  into  the  world  of  waters. 

And  a  desperate  struggle  we  had  in  that  boundless  waste,  as  it  then 
appeared  to  me,  of  "  rolling  and  foaming  billows."  The  monsoon 
had  just  set  in,  and  with  more  than  ordinary  violence  ;  the  rains  on 
the  mountain  range  in  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Nerbudda, 
had,  therefore,  swelled  the  thousand  tributaries  of  that  noble  stream, 
which  was  now  every  moment  increasing  in  width  and  volume,  inun- 
dating the  lower  grounds,  and  isolating  the  more  lofty  portions  of  its 
banks,  whose  rocky  and  wooded  summits  now  appeared  like  so  many 
islands  in  the  vast  expanse. 

The  current  was  powerful ;  but  I  made  my  Arab  breast  its  impe- 
tuosity, that  we  might  not  be  carried  down  lower  than  the  coracle ; 
and,  in  this  respect,  we  had  the  advantage  of  the  Pindarrie,  who, 
being  reduced  to  his  one  oar,  was  driven  bodily  to  leeward.  Our 
progress  was  thus  vexatiously  slow ;  but  1  evidently  gained  upon  the 
chase— so  much,  indeed,  that  the  villain  once  or  twice  handled  his 
matchlock,  as  if  determined  to  give  me  its  contents.  Apparently, 
however,  not  thinking  the  opportunity  a  good  one,  he  laid  it  by 
again,  and  resumed  the  oar.  This  reminded  me  that  I  had  dis- 
charged both  my  barrels ;  and  I  reloaded  them  as  speedily  as  I  could 
under  the  circumstances,  being  half  immersed  in  water,  and  requiring 
all  my  undivided  efforts  to  keep  my  horse  up  against  the  rapidity  of 
the  current. 

We  were  now  nearing  the  island,  whose  vast  screen  of  foliage, 
though  it  looked  beautiful  and  refreshing  to  the  eye,  long  dazzled 
with  the  blaze  of  Oriental  noon,  was  in  other  respects  discouraging, 
from  the  facilities  for  escape  it  must  necessarily  afford  the  fugitive. 
The  latter  had  got  into  a  current  of  the  river,  with  whose  peculiari- 
ties he  seemed  perfectlv  well  acquainted,  which  carried  him  with 
immense  velocity  towards  the  shore ;  with  very  little  further  exer- 
tion on  his  part,  he  speedily  touched  the  bank,  jumped  out,  and 
moored  his  frail  bark  to  the  stem  of  a  tree  whose  branches  over- 
arched him,  as  they  bent  downwards  and  dipped  their  foliage  in 
the  stream. 

Having  thus  secured  his  vessel,  the  Pindarrie  lost  no  time  in  seiz- 
ing upon  his  prey.  Getting  into  the  coracle  again,  he  lifted  the 
insensible  Julia  upon  his  shoulder,  trussed  the  poor  infant  under  his 
arm,  and,  even  thus  encumbered,  sprang  nimbly  upon  the  shore,  and 
disappeared  in  the  windings  of  the  forest. 

Maddened  at  the  idea  of  his  thus  escaping  with  his  precious  spoil, 
I  urged  my  horse  forward  to  redoubled  exertion ;  while,  as  he  snorted 
and  pawed  the  flood,  he  seemed  anxious  to  give  me  one  last  proof  of 
unconquerable  spirit  and  fidelity.  But,  alas  for  my  gallant  Arab !  it 
was  his  last ;  for,  as  he  raised  his  head  aloft,  in  a  sudden  and  con- 
vulsive effort  to  reach  the  shore,  a  ball  from  the  matchlock  of  the 
concealed  Pindarrie,  which  was  well  aimed  for  my  body,  struck  him 
in  a  vital  part  behind  the  ear,  and  with  a  gasp  and  a  plunge,  he  sank 
into  the  boiling  flood,  carrying  me  down  with  him,  while  thePindar- 
rie's  shout  of  triumph  rang  bitterly  in  my  ear. 

Fortunately,  I  had  presence  of  mind,  in  that  critical  moment  of 


THE  KTJBBEER-BUR.  281 

my  fate,  to  stretch  my  arm  out  at  full  length,  so  as  to  keep  my  rifle 
above  the  water ;  then  slipping  my  feet  out  of  the  stirrups,  I  struck 
out  with  my  left  arm,  and  speedily  rose  to  the  surface. 

The  current  was  carrying  me  rapidly  past  the  spot  where  the  Piu- 
darrie  had  disappeared;  but  being  a  powerful  swimmer,  I  soon 
reached  the  shore  :  and  never  did  a  poor  drowning  wretch  bless  Pro- 
vidence so  heartily  for  escape  —  the  preservation  of  my  own  life 
weighing  but  little  in  the  scale,  when  compared  with  the  exultiug 
hope  of  still  rescuing  by  beloved  Julia  from  the  fangs  of  this  atrocious 
fiend. 

I  now  examined  the  priming  of  my  rifle,  and  was  delighted  to 
find  it  perfectly  dry  :  I  had  thus  a  double  death  in  my  hand ;  and, 
with  renewed  vigour  from  my  involuntary  bath,  I  set  forward  with 
as  much  celerity  as  the  obstacles  I  encountered  permitted. 

But,  much  as  I  had  been  struck  with  the  dense  magnitude  of  the 
foliage  in  which  this  solitary  island  was  embowered,  1  was  still  more 
amazed  to  discover,  on  landing,  that  it  did  not  spring  from  many  dis- 
tinct and  separate  trees,  but  from  one  gigantic  banyan,  whose  enor- 
mous branches,  spreading  out  horizontally,  sent  their  shoots  down  to 
the  earth.  There  taking  root,  they  grew  to  almost  equal  size  with  the 
parent  stem,  and  propagated  in  their  turn  fresh  stems,  shoots,  and 
branches,  in  singular  and  endless  variety. 

I  had  often  read  in  the  "  Wonders  of  India,"  of  the  Kubbeer-bur, 
or  gigantic  banyan-tree,  which  covered  a  whole  island  in  the  Ner- 
budda,  and  was  capable  of  giving  shelter  to  ten  thousand  men ;  this, 
it  seems,  was  the  identical  spot  in  which  I  now  so  unexpectedly  found 
myself. 

In  silent  awe  at  the  marvellous  works  of  creation,  I  wandered 
amidst  the  mazy  labyrinth,  which  lay  before  me  in  fantastic  vistas  ; 
at  times  resembling  the  rude  outlines  of  natural  grottos,  and  at  others, 
the  lofty  and  pillared  aisles  of  a  gothic  cathedral ;  while  a  stray  sun- 
beam, breaking  through  the  foliage,  produced  that  dim,  religious 
light  which  an  oriel  window  might  admit ;  and  the  solemn  and  im- 
pressive silence  that  prevailed  might  lead  one  to  anticipate  the 
pealing  of  an  organ,  to  speak  peace  and  comfort  to  the  suffering  and 
world-weary,  and  lift  the  enraptured  soul  to  heaven. 

But  it  was  not  by  the  divine  pealing  of  an  organ  that  the  silence  of 
the  banyan-tiee  was  at  length  interrupted ;  but  by  a  long  and  wail- 
ing cry?  that  seemed  to  issue  from  a  breaking  heart ;  followed  by  a 
succession  of  agonizing  shrieks,  that  too  clearly  spoke  the  deadly 
extremity  of  the  suft'erer. 

Maddened  at  the  sound,  I  sprang  forward  with  a  velocity  that 
nothing  could  retard ;  and  ere  long  I  beheld  a  scene  _  which  for  a 
moment  sent  the  life-blood  retreating  to  my  heart.  Julia  was  kneel- 
ing in  an  imploring  attitude  at  the  feet  of  the  Pindarrie,  who  held 
her  infant,  naked,  and  with  its  head  downwards,  in  his  left  out- 
stretched arm ;  while  with  his  right  he  brandished  his  tulwar,  ready 
to  strike  the  t'atal  blow  upon  the  screaming  innocent,  if  the  deci- 
sion of  its  hapless  mother  was  adverse  to  the  demands  of  the  ruthless 
monster  who  was  now  the  uncontrolled  master  of  her  destiny. 

There  was  not  an  instant  to  be  lost.    The  time  required  for  clear- 


282  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

ing  the  space  between  us  would  have  been  fatal,  even  if  my  presence 
was  not  sufficient  of  itself  to  hasten  the  catastrophe.  Summoning,* 
therefore,  that  coolness  in  extremity  which  had  never  failed  me,  I 
brought  my  rifle  to  a  level,  so  as  to  avoid  the  dear  objects  of  my 
solicitude ;  and,  in  another  instant,  a  ball  went  crashing  through  the 
skull  of  the  ruffian,  who  fell  a  lifeless  mass  upon  the  sod ;  while  Julia, 
catching  her  infant,  with  a  cry  of  joy  and  wonder,  covered  its  little 
body  with  fond  and  eager  kisses. 

I  approached  slowly,  to  give  the  poor  mother  time  to  vent  her 
maternal  emotions  ;  but  when  she  saw  who  it  really  was  that  had 
saved  her  from  a  more  dreadful  fate  than  death  itself,  the  poor  soul 
gave  way  to  the  ungovernable  impulse  of  feeling  and  gratitude,  and, 
rushing  into  my  arms,  shared  her  burning  kisses  between  me  and  her 
rescued  child.  At  length,  recollecting  herself,  she  withdrew  from  my 
embrace  with  all  the  dignity  of  an  English  matron;  and  sinking  on 
her  knees,  Avith  eyes  upturned  and  streaming  with  tears,  she  offered 
up  her  mute  thanksgiving  to  that  Power  which  alone  could  have  saved 
her  in  so  deadly  an  extremity. 

With  a  feeling  of  respect  commensurate  with  the  utter  helplessness 
of  my  protegee,  and  her  entire  dependence,  now,  upon  my  honour,  I 
waited  till  Julia  had  finished  her  prayer ;  and  then,  with  a  cheerful 
voice,  congratulated  her  on  her  escape. 

"  And  it  is  to  you,  Blake,"  she  replied,  "my  more  than  friend, — 
my  dear,  dear  brother !  that  I  am  indebted  for  this  unutterable  bless- 
ing. Ah !  little  did  I  think,  during  these  few  days'  terrible  capti- 
vity, which  appeared  to  me  as  so  many  ages, — when  incessantly 
hurried  from  one  place  to  another  by  my  ruthless  masters,  that  they 
fled  in  terror  before  the  man  whom  of  all  others  I  could  least 
expect  to  take  any  interest  in  my  fate.  Little  did  I  think — but, 
good  Heavens !  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  My  feet  are  in  the 
water,  though  but  a  moment  since  I  stood  upon  dry  ground !  'Tis 
like  enchantment ! " 

"  I  have  observed  it  for  some  time  past,  my  dear  Julia,"  I  replied, 
with  affected  unconcern  :  "the  river  is  rising  fast  beyond  its  ordinary 
level;  and  the  inundation  is  so  vast  that  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if 
the  whole  island  is  speedily  submerged." 

"  Gracious  Powers !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  what  shall  we  do  then  ? 
Must  we  perish  after  all  ?  " 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,  dearest,"  I  replied ;  "  we  are  perfectly  safe 
here,  so  long  as  this  noble  tree  shall  bid  defiance  to  the  flood,  as  it 
has  done  for  ages.  Here  we  are  at  the  original  trunk  which  has  pro- 
pagated so  many  stanch  supporters  that  it  is  impregnable  to  such 
accidents  as  this;  though  the  decay  of  age,  as  you  perceive,  has 
hollowed  it  into  various  cavities.  In  one  of  these  we  will  take  shelter, 
and  in  perfect  safety  from  the  rising  tide,  wait  patiently  till  our 
friends  come  in  search  of  us." 

I  now  assisted  Julia  to  ascend  the  rough  trunk  of  the  banyan-tree, 
whose  gnarled  and  time-fractured  exterior  offered  every  facility  for 
that  purpose.  Before  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  we  were  all 
securely  seated  in  one  of  its  many  hollows,  at  a  spot  where  the 
interlacing  of  two  or  three  enormous  branches  afforded  us  a  firm 


THE  KUBBEER-BTJR.  283 

and  tolerably  level  footing,  far  above  the  encroaching  element;  whose 
very  perceptible  progress,  however,  Julia  continued  to  gaze  on  with 
anxiety  and  terror. 

The  day  was  now  waning  fast,  and  the  short  twilight  of  the 
trophies  must  speedily  give  way  to  utter  darkness.  The  necessity, 
therefore,  of  passing  the  night  in  this  strange  position,  imparted 
much  uneasiness  to  us  both ;  and  though  I  affected  to  treat  the 
matter  lightly,  yet  I  felt  all  the  gravity  of  the  circumstance,  in  its 
various  bearings  upon  Julia  and  myself. 

The  consciousness  that  the  woman  I  had  so  long  adored  was  now 
so  completely  secluded  with  me  from  all  the  world,  while  her  head 
rested  911  my  shoulder,  and  her  weary  eyelids  were  closing  in  welcome 
sleep,  imparted  a  degree  of  _  rapture  to  my  breast  to  which  it  had 
been  long  a  stranger ;  but  this  was  speedily  chastened  by  the  thought 
that  she  was  now  the  wife  of  another,  and  sacred  in  my  eyes  by; 
every  principle  of  religion,  every  tie  of  honour,  and  every  impulse  of 
manly  feeling.  What  Julia's  thoughts  may  have  been  on  the  occasion 
it  would  be  equally  vain  and  impertinent  to  inquire ;  but  that  her 
dreams  were  happy  I  felt  assured,  by  the  placid  smile  upon  her 
lovely  features,  betrayed  by  a  straggling  moonbeam  as  she  lay  asleep 
and  all  unconscious  in  my  protecting  arms. 

Amongst  the  minor  considerations  which  served  to  render  our 
situation  exceedingly  irksome,  we  had  neither  of  us  tasted  food  for 
the  whole  day ;  and  I  confess,  to  my  shame,  that  visions  of  roast- 
beef  too  often  mingled  with  my  purest  thoughts  and  most  heroic 
resolutions :  nor  do  I  think  that  Sancho  in  Barrataria,  or  Athelstan 
the  Unready  in  the  burial  vault  of  the  monks  of  St.  Edmund's,  ever 
felt  more  truly  desirous  of  a  piece  of  the  chine  or  a  cut  from  the 
surloin.  Julia  bore  the  privation  with  greater  equanimity,  satisfied 
that  she  could  minister  to  the  wants  of  her  infant  by  that  maternal 
fount  supplied  by  all  bountiful  nature ;  and,  as  she  turned  aside  to 
fulfil  this  first  of  all  human  duties  and  delights,  I  mentally  vowed 
that  no  act  on  my  part  should  ever  sully  the  purity  of  mind  she  then 
enjoyed. 

Thus  wore  away  this  strange  eventful  night,  during  which  I  never 
once  closed  my  eyes  in  sleep,  but  continued  looking  dreamily  into  the 
palpable  obscure ;  which  was,  however,  enlivened  by  the  flitting  of 
myriads  of  fire-flies,  whose  tiny  sparkles  resembled  a  whole  firma- 
ment of  infinitesimal  stars  in  rapid  and  eccentric  motion.  I  deemed 
my  duty  but  half-performed,  if  I  kept  not  incessant  watch  and  ward 
over  my  helpless  and  confiding  proteges;  though,  perhaps,  the  reader 
will  feel  disposed  to  give  me  but  little  praise  for  this,  when  I  honestly 
tell  him  that  I  was  regularly  victimized  by  millions  upon  millions  of 
mosquitoes ;  who  seemed  amazingly  to  enjoy  the  novel  treat  of  a 
European  supper  in  the  dense  foliage  of  a  banyan-tree. 

Towards  morning  Julia  awoke ;  and  objects  becoming  visible,  she 
was  alarmed  at  the  great  height  attained  by  the  flood,  though  we 
still  were  some  feet  above  its  surface.  After  preparing  her  and  her 
baby  against  the  explosion,  I  n9w  iired  off  both  my  barrels  in  suc- 
cession, in  the  hope  of  attracting  any  of  my  party  that  might  be 
within  hearing ;  but  I  had  scarcely  done  so  when  myriads  of  blue 


284  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

pigeons  and  vampire-bats,  or  flying  foxes,  as  they  are  more  generally 
termed,  came  flapping  and  fluttering  around  us  in  terror  and  con- 
fusion; while  thousands  of  monkeys  hopped  about  from  branch  to 
branch,  chattering  and  making  horrible  faces  at  us,  for  thus  disturb- 
ing the  peace  of  their  hereditary  dominions. 

I  repeated  this  experiment  two  or  three  times ;  and  at  length  had 
the  gratification  of  hearing  several  shots  in  return,  while  prolonged 
shouts  came  faintly  over  the  waste  of  waters. 

Relief  was  now  evidently  nigh,  and  hope  kept  our  spirits  from 
sinking ;  but  it  was  late  in  the  day  before  our  brave  fellows  could 
find  a  boat  capable  of  releasing  us  from  our  island  prison.  The 
delight  with  which  we  could  at  length  distinguish  the  sound  of 
paddles  will  be  readily  conceived ;  and  I  confess  that  I  never  heard 
my  own  name  uttered  with  such  perfect  satisfaction,  as  by  those 
well-known  voices  which  now  incessantly  called  out:  "Bhote  burra 
salaam,  Blake  Sahib ! "  and  "  Percy  Blake  !  yoix,  yoix,  tally-ho !  " 

I  repeatedly  shouted  in  turn,  which  directed  our  deliverers  to  our 
place  of  refuge;  and  before  long,  a  boat  approached,  amidst  the  half- 
submerged  alleys  and  arcades  of  the  mighty  Kubbeer-bur ;  it  was 
impelled  with  rude  paddles  by  some  of  my  European  and  Sepoy  Light 
Bobs,  while  a  brother  officer  sat  in  the  stern-sheets,  steering  as  he 
best  might  with  a  long,  unwieldy  plank. 

We  embarked  right  merrily  under  the  hearty  congratulations  of  our 
friends,  who  had  been  sadly  alarmed  by  my  sudden  disappearance : 
and,  after  a  tedious  row  of  an  hour,  owing  to  the  extreme  width  and 
violence  of  the  river,  we  at  length  reached  the  shore.  Here  we 
found  a  palankin  waiting  for  Julia,  and  a  horse  for  me;  and  in 
another  half-hour  we  reached  the  bivouac  of  the  party,  which  was 
established  at  some  distance  from  the  village,  now  the  undisputed 
spoil  of  the  vulture  and  the  jackal.  With  a  good  substantial  fowl 
curry,  and  a  bottle  of  Maderia,  Julia  and  I  made  up  for  our  long 
previous  fast ;  and  we  prolonged  the  pleasure  of  the  night  in  the 
midst  of  our  rejoicing  friends. 

At  two  o'clock  the  following  morning,  we  marched  from  our 
bivouac,  with  a  long  train  of  heavily-laden  elephants,  camels,  bullocks, 
and  innumerable  horses,  the  valuable  fruit  of  our  exploit;  and  in  four 
days  arrived  at  Nagpore,  where  we  had  the  gratification  to  learn  that 
we  had  destroyed  and  dispersed  for  ever  the  last  of^  the  Pindarrie 
bands ;  the  leaders  of  which,  Secunder  Jah,  the  Affghan,  and  the 
Mahratta  Sevajee,  had  both  fallen  by  my  rifle. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  SUMMONS. 

WE  were  received  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  and  triumph  at 
Nagpore ;  where  I  was  looked  upon  by  the  natives  as  a  second  Ram- 
chunder,  and  by  my  brother  officers  as  a  deuced  lucky  chap,  to  have 
had  such  an  opportunity  of  paying  my  court  to  the  Burra  Sahibf  A§ 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SUMMONS.  285 

for  the  soldiers,  they  had  a  week's  jollification  on  the  strength  of  the 
general's  largesse  and  the  plunder  they  had  picked  up  after  the 
slaughter  of  the  Pindarries ;  for  the  elephants,  camels,  &c.,  with 
their  valuable  lading,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  prize  agent,  to  be 
accounted  for,  perhaps,  ten  or  twenty  years  after.  Some  of  the  men 
had  got  their  caps  full  of  pearls,  and  others  had  boxes  of  diamonds, 
rubies,  and  emeralds,  hawking  ab9ut  for  sale  at  any  prices  they  could 
get  for  them ;  while  many  of  their  wives  were  seen  strutting  about 
in  costly  Cashmere  shawls,  altogether  unconscious  of  their  value. 
'  Sir  Nicholas  Pipkin  honestly,  but  coldly,  paid  me  the  thousand  ru- 
pees promised  for  the  rescue  of  his  wife  and  child,  which  I  distributed 
amongst  my  companions  in  arms.  He  also  gave  a  series  of  enter- 
tainments to  celebrate  their  marvellous  rescue  ;  and  I  had  once  more 
the  happiness  to  be  received  by  Julia  in  her  splendid  mansion  as  a 
favoured  and,  indeed,  as  a  highly-honoured  guest. 

But  though  Sir  Nicholas,  or,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  "old 
Nick,"  could  not,  in  common  decency,  help  appointing  me  to  the 
rank  of  acting  captain,  pending  the  result  of  an  application  to  the 
governor-general  lor  permanent  promotion ;  yet  I  believe  he  never 
forgave  me  for  the  night  I  passed,  the  reader  knows  how  innocently, 
with  his  wife,  in  the  banyan-tree ;  for  he  not  only  would  not  oifer 
me  a  place  on  his  personal  staff,  as  everybody  expected  he  would, 
but  he  eagerly  availed  himself  of  an  opportunity  which  soon  after 
occurred  of  sending  me  into  honourable  banishment. 

As  this  opportunity  sprang  from  the  system  which  has  been  pursued 
in  India  for  the  multiplication  of  our  enormous  territories,  from  the 
days  of  Clive  to  the  present,  perhaps  the  reader,  however  little  dis- 
posed to  the  consideration  of  Indian  affairs,  may  not  dislike  a 
"wrinkle  "  on  so  interesting  and,  indeed,  so  picturesque  a  subject,  if 
I  may  use  that  term  to  anything  in  the  shape  of  political  swindling. 

Amongst  the  petty  independent  principalities  which  abound  in  this 
part  of  India,  was  that  of  Ruttunpoor ;  the  rajah  of  which  had  been 
implicated  in  the  hostile  proceedings  of  Apa  Sahib,  and  had  once 
given  that  ex-sovereign  shelter  in  the  course  of  his  flight  from  the 
Company's  troops.  The  British  having  now  so  completely  triumphed 
at  Poona  and  Nagpore,  and,  indeed,  throughout  the  whole  of  this 
warlike  region,  it  was  deemed  a  favourable  opportunity  to  give  the 
rajah  of  Ruttuupoor  a  good  hearty  squeeze,  if  not  to  crush  him 
altogether. 

A  vakeel  was  accordingly  despatched  to  the  capital  of  this  doomed 
monarch,  to  acquaint  him  that  his  complicity  with  Apa  Sahib  was 
known  to  the  governor-general :  it  was  further  hinted  that  his  lord- 
ship bahaudur  was  aware  of  a  certain  flaw  in  the  rajah's  title  to  the 
musnud ;  and  that  the  rightful  heir  was  living  in  exile  and  obscurity. 
It  was  not  that  we  cared  a  rush  about  the  justice  of  the  matter ;  for 
one  sovereign  de  facto  was  always,  in  our  eyes,  worth  fifty  sovereigns 
dejure.  But  the  fact  gave  us  an  advantage  over  the  rajah,  of  which 
we  were  determined  to  avail  ourselves. 

With  this  object  in  view,  he  was  invited  to  receive  a  British  resi- 
dent at  his  court,  an  honour  which  he  did  not  dare  to  refuse ;  and 
one  was  accordingly  sent  thither.  These  residents,  who,  generally 


286  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN 

speaking,  are  nothing  more  than  privileged  intriguers,  are  chosen  in- 
discriminately from  the  civil  and  military  classes ;  for  wherever  a 
young  man  evinces  a  ready  talent  at  acquiring  Oriental  languages, 
and  an  adequate  degree  of  that  sort  of  cunning  which  Bacon  calls 
"crooked  wisdom,'5  he  is  in  a  fair  way  of  filling  some  position  of  this 
description,  and  of  becoming,  sooner  or  later,  as  Jack  Dillon  said,  a 
milliner. 

The  small  end  of  the  wedge  being  thus  insinuated  into  the  princi- 
pality of  Ruttunpoor,  the  resident,  who,  to  do  him  justice,  was 
eminently  fitted  for  his  situation,  lost  no  time  in  driving  it  home.  He 
first  told  the  rajah  that  he  had  discovered  a  dangerous  internal  con- 
spiracy against  him,  for  the  purpose  of  replacing  the  rightful  heir 
upon  the  musnud ;  and  strongly  urged  him  to  apply  for  a  subsidiary 
force  of  British  troops,  to  guard  him  against  the  threatened  danger. 
The  rajah,  however,  declined  this  expedient,  with  many  thanks  to  the 
resident  for  his  protecting  care. 

The  latter  next  got  up  a  little  panic  about  an  intended  Pindarric 
incursion  into  the  country,  to  plunder  and  lay  waste  the  rajah's  capital 
and  palace,  and  again  proffered  a  subsidiary  force  as  the  grand  panacea  • 
but  the  rajah  said  that  the  Pindarries  were  his  very  good  friends,  and 
that  he  was  always  in  the  habit  of  purchasing  their  forbearance  by 
the  payment  of  an  annual  peishcush,  or  tribute. 

This  was  all  skilful  fencing  on  the  part  of  the  rajah,  but  the  resident 
was  not  _a  man  to  be  so  easily  baffled;  he  therefore  sent  a  private 
communication  to  the  rajah  of  Bopaul,  through  our  resident  at  that 
court,  directing  him  to  rake  up  an  old  claim  of  disputed  frontier 
agains^the  rajah  of  Ruttunpoor,  and  to  make  a  demonstration  as  if 
determined  to  carry  the  question  vi  et  armis;  thus  making  use  of 
one  subsidized rajah  to  subsidize  another,  as  tame  elephants  are  em- 
ployed in  the  jungle  to  conquer  their  savage  brethren. 

The  poor  rajah,  at  length,  worn  out  by  his  fears  and  the  resident's 
importunities,  began  to  entertain  the  notion  of  the  subsidiary  force, 
the  only  obstacle  now  being  the  enormous  expense  it  would  entail 
upon  him. 

"  Bah,  bah !  your  highness.  It  shan't  cost  you  a  single  rupee," 
said  the  resident. 

The  rajah  opened  his  large  eyes  in  amazement,  at  this. 

"  You  have,  I  think,"  said  the  resident,  "  a  district  in  the  Shalabala 
hills,  inhabited  by  Goands,  who  never  pay  their  chout  as  they  ought 
to  do." 

"  They  never  do,"  replied  the  rajah.  "  May  their  sisters  be  defiled 
for  the  same ! — unless  I  enforce  it  by  my  troops— a  remedy  which  is 
worse  than  the  disease." 

"  That  district,"  said  the  resident,  "  is  exactly  so  many  square  miles 
in  extent,  and  it  ought  to  produce  so  many  lakhs  of  Sicca  rupees 
annually." 

"  You  are  quite  right  in  your  calculation,"  said  the  rajah,  wonder- 
ing at  the  accuracy  of  his  information. 

"Now  then,"  continued  the  resident,  "  deducting  so  many  thousand 
rupees  annually  for  the  expense  of  collection  and  loss  by  runaways, 
&c.,  we  shall  have  a  net  income  from  Shalabala  of  so  many  hundred 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SUMMONS.  287 

thousand;  which  will  just  cover  the  pay  and  allowances,  cost  of 
equipments,  clothing,  arms,  accoutrements,  wear  and  tear,  &c.,  of 
one  thousand  British  troops— say  a  thousand ;  leaving  a  small  margin 
to  purchase  baubles  and  lollipops  for  the  Goand  chief's,  to  keep  them 
in  good  humour.  Now,  you  make  over  that  district,  in  full  jaghire, 
to  the  Honourable  Company  Bahaudur ;  leave  the  collection  of  the 
chout  to  me — I  understand  that  business — and  the  troojjs  shall  be 
speedily  in  full  march  for  your  capital." 

The  rajah  consented— how  could  he  possibly  do  otherwise  ?  Sir 
Nicholas  Pipkin  was  directed  to  organize  a  subsidiary  force  for  Rut- 
tuupoor ;  and  nine  hundred  sepoys,  together  with  my  company  of 
Europeans,  fifty  light  dragoons,  and  a  field  train  of  artillery,  were 
marched  thither,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  McClish. 

The  reader  is  now,  I  hope,  conversant  with  the  modus  operandi  by 
which  we  generally  gain  a  firm  footing  in  what  are  called  the  sub- 
sidized states  of  India.  It  may,  however,  be  as  well  to  acquaint 
him  that,  when  it  becomes  desirable,  in  Yankee  phrase,  to  annex  said 
territory  to  the  British  possessions,  properly  so  called,  the  resident 
picks  a  quarrel  with  the  rajah ;  generally  on  the  subject  of  a  long 
arrear  of  pay  and  allowances  for  the  subsidiary  force ;  or  else  of 
advances  to  the  rajah  out  of  his  own  money,  with  interest  and  com- 
pound interest  thereon.  Then  insues  a  long  series  of  bullying  on 
the  one  side,  and  concessions  on  the  other ;  till,  at  last,  the  unhappy 
rajah,  finding  himself  involved  in  an  inextricable  web  of  political 
legerdemain,  and  bewildered  by  the  complicated  nature  of  the 
accounts  perpetually  poked  before  his  eyes  in  huge  iron-bound 
ledgers,  consents  to  get  rid  of  the  imbroglio,  to  cede  his  rajahship  to 
the  Honourable  Company  Bahadur,  in  secula  seculorum:  in  consi- 
deration of  which  he  receives  a  handsome  pension, — a  small  per  cent- 
age  on  his  own  revenues,— and  retires  to  the  holy  city  of  Benares, 
where  we  have  frequently  more  dethroned  sovereigns  assembled, 
as  our  pensionaries,  than  ever  met  together  at  the  carnival  of 
Venice. 

Ruttimpoor  is  in  the  wildest  part  of  Gundwana,  a  vast  extent  of 
unexplored  country,  lying  to  the  eastward  of  Nagpore,  amongst  the 
hills  and  fastnesses  of  which  the  Mahanuddy  takes  its  rise,  and 
carries  down,  in  the  rainy  season,  an  immense  volume  of  water  to 
the  Bay  of  Bengal,  laden  with  agricultural  riches,  if  it  suited  the 
Company's  close-borough  system  to  admit  of  its  being  turned  to 
purposes  of  irrigation. 

As  we  marched  through  this  uncivilized  region,  I  was  delighted  to 
find  myself  once  more  amongst  mountains,  rocks,  lakes,  rivers,  and 
waterfalls,  and  gave  a  loose  to  my  fancy,  depicting  to  myself  the 
pleasures  I  should  enjoy  in  my  favourite  pursuits  of  hunting,  shoot- 
ing, fishing,  and  sketching  picturesque  scenery,  in  a  country  so  fresh, 
as  it  were,  from  the  hand  of  nature,  the  savage  features  and  romantic 
beauties  of  which  were  not  as  yet  marred  by  the  money-grubbing 
pursuits  of  trade,  commerce,  and  manufactures. 

Nor  was  I  disappointed.  For  the  first  three  months,  I  was  in  a 
species  of  elysium ;  and  shot,  fished,  and  hunted  so  much,  killing  so 
many  boars,  tigers,  and  boa-constrictors,  that  I  began  to  fancy  myself 


288  THE  YOUNG-  EIFLEMAtf. 

almost  as  great  a  junglewalla  as  the  mighty  Croker  himself.  I 
became  an  immense  favourite  with  the  simple  inhabitants  of  the 
country,  who  called  me  the  Burra  ITeringhee  Shikar,  or  great 
European  hunter ;  and,  as  I  constantly  freed  them  from  the  wild 
beasts  that  destroyed  their  gardens  and  ruined  their  harvests,  never 
abused  or  ill-treated  them,  and  always  gave  them  cherry-merry  when 
they  attended  my  hunting-parties,  they  looked  upon  me  as  one  of  a 
superior  species  to  the  ordinary  run  of  my  countrymen. 

Kuttunpoor  itself  was  a  large  rambling  town,  consisting,  as  usual, 
of  lofty  pagodas,  huge  ruts  or  procession  cars,  dusty,  hot,  oppressive 
bazaars,  green-mantled  stagnant  tanks,  and  clay-built  houses;  the 
walls  of  which  were  plentifully  plastered  with  cow-dung,  and  orna- 
mented with  perpendicular  stripes  of  various-coloured  pigment. 

But  the  palace  of  the  rajah  was  its  great  redeeming  feature.  This 
was  a  lofty  and  a  handsome  building,  so  far,  at  least,  as  Hindoo 
architecture  can  be  so  called;  situated  on  a  lovely  island  in  the  midst 
of  a  splendid  lake  that  stretched  away  amongst  surrounding  hills  of 
great  picturesque  beauty  in  form  and  outline.  The  palace,  covered 
with  polished  chunam,  of  dazzling  whiteness,  was  embowered  in 
extensive  gardens,  the  lofty  trees  and  shady  alleys  of  which  were 
minutely  reflected  in  the  deep  blue  waters  of  the  lake ;  and  here  the 
fancy  might  picture  to  itself  the  beauties  of  the  Zenana,  straying 
amidst  the  mazy  labyrinth,  or  gazing  complacently  at  their  own  lovely 
forms  in  the  natural  mirror  at  their  feet. 

A  light-built  cantonment  had  been  erected  for  us^n  a  rising  ground, 
on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  commanding  the  rajah's  palace ;  a  cir- 
cumstance which  he  did  not  at  all  relish;  but  his  objections  were 
over-ruled  by  the  plausible  arguments  of  Mr.  Siimley,  our  resident  at 
his  court. 

This  was  a  _  skeleton-looking  person,  of  middle  age,  whom  all  the 
good  feeding  in  India  had  failed  to  fill  out  to  the  ordinary  dimensions 
of  the  human  figure.  He  was  excessively  vain,  arrogant,  and  cun- 
ning;  distrustful,  to  a  degree  that  bordered  on  monomania,  of  the 
intentions  of  others,  and  equally  deceitful  and  treacherous  in  his  own. 
Being,  however,  a  man  of  some  education  and  knowledge  of  the 
world,  he  had  obtained  so  complete  a  mastery  over  McClish,  that  in 
a  little  time  the  latter  became,  through  his  instigation,  utterly  de- 
tested by  every  man  and  officer  under  his  command ;  while  courts  of 
inquiry  and  courts  martial  were  of  such  daily  and  almost  hourly 
occurrence,  that  one  might  say  we  had  been  sent  to  this  remote 
district  for  the  sole  purpose  of  studying  the  art  of  tormenting  by 
martial  law. 

Our  mess-room,  especially,  was  made  such  a  focus  of  intrigue  and 
espionage,  that  it  was  absolutely  unsafe  to  sit  there  long  after  dinner; 
but  when  the  resident  dined  with  us,  which  he  frequently  did,  we 
felt  as^if  the  very  demon  of  discord  was  amongst  us,  in  propria 
persona. 

My  great  delight  on  such  occasions,  when  I  could  get  away  after 
dinner  from  the  colonel  and  his  Mephistopheles,  who  were  eternally 
boring  me  with  questions  of  state  policy  and  diplomatic  intrigue,  was 
to  rush  down  to  the  lake,  throw  myself  into  my  boat,  and  push  off  by 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  SUMMONS.  239 

myself  into  the  silent  waters;  paddling  occasionally  along  the  glassy 
surface,  and  at  times  lying  down  with  my  face  towards  heaven,  inhaling 
the  delicious  breeze  of  evening,  as  I  woke  the  surrounding  echoes  with 
my  flute. 

There  is  something  in  the  contemplation  of  the  starry  host,  that 
exalts  and  purifies  the  mind,  sifting  it,  as  it  were,  from  the  worldly 
dross  with  which  it  is  so  heavily  clogged,  and  fitting  it  for  that 
celestial  intercourse  which  is  the  aspiration  in  every  age  and  clime, 
of  saint,  of  savage,  and  of  sage.  True  it  is,  however,  that  often,  as 
I  gazed  upon  the  chaste,  cold  moon,  as  she  held  her  peerless  course 
through  ttie  cloudless  ether,  thoughts  of  human  affections  would  rush 
into  my  breast ;  and  memory,  too  faithful  memory,  would  conjure  up  to 
view  the  sylph-like  forms  of  the  still  dear  objects  of  my  youthful  love  : 
my  tender  Harriet,  my  fascinating  Mary,  my  sainted  Juliana,  and  my 
gentle  Julia.  But  1  thought  of  them  as  of  so  many  angels,  who,  though 
lost  to  me  upon  earth,  I  vet  fervently  hoped  to  meet  again  in  heaven. 

Often,  also,  as  I  floated  in  the  deep  shadow  of  the  rajah's  palace, 
whose  luxuriant  gardens  stretched  down  to  the  water's  edge,  the 
plantain  and  the  acacia  dipping  their  beautiful  leaves  in  the  trans- 
lucent tide,  while  the  aromatic  fragrance  of  the  night-blowing  flowers 
loaded  the  sluggish  zephyr,  that  faintly  played  amongst  the  branches 
— often,  I  say,  when  gazing  on  the  marble-like  pile,  whose  glossy  sur- 
face shone  brightly  in  the  moonbeams,  as  it  rose  majestically  from  the 
dark  dense  foliage  that  clung  around  it  lovingly— often  have  I  thought 
of  the  sorrows  that  haply  wrung  the  breast  of  many  a  fair  captive, 
victim  to  the  caprice  or  jealousy  of  the  ugly  old  monster  who  now 
held  sway  within  its  \valls ;  and,  as  the  wild  notes  of  the  Peyop  came 
gushing  from  some  neighbouring  thicket,  I  would  say  to  myself,  "'Tis 
the  last  sad  wail  of  some  breaking  heart ! " 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  while  paddling  slowly  by  the  palace 
garden,  hidden,  as  I  thought,  from  all  eyes  in  the  broad  shadow  of 
its  lofty  trees,  a  voice  suddenly  exclaimed : 

"  Feringhee !    Feringhee  Sahib  ! " 

At  first  I  imagined  it  was  only  fancy ;  but  the  words  were  repeated 
in  that  soft  musical  voice  peculiar  to  the  Hindoo  female ;  and  looking 
towards  the  spot  whence  the  sounds  appeared  to  proceed,  I  observed 
a  figure  in  white  standing  by  the  water's  edge,  in  the  deep  shade  of  a 
mango-tope. 

Predisposed  as  I  was  for  some  romantic  adventure,  I  instantly 
pulled  for  a  flight  of  marble  steps  that  descended  deep  into  the 
water ;  and,  jumping  ashore,  found  myself  close  to  a  young  and  very 
handsome  woman,  whom;  in  the  delirium  of  the  moment,  I  caught  in 
my  arms  and  fervently  kissed. 

But  she  quickly  released  herself  from  my  grasp,  and  exclaimed, 
with  a  frown  that  was  almost  a  smile, — 

"Acha  ni,  sahib!" 

I  made  a  thousand  apologies  for  my  rudeness,  which,  however,  I 
was  about  to  repeat ;  but  she  kept  me  at  arm's  length,  and  said,  with 
a  voice  of  sweet  reproachful  gravity, — 

"  Stand  back,  Feringhee  Sahib,  and  behave  yourself;  or  I'll  have 
you  served  as  Bum  San  was  served  by  Bulbuddcr  Singh." 


290  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  Pray  how  was  that,  you  sweet  creature  ?"  I  demanded,  taking  a 
•place  beyond  the  line  or  demarcation,  the  better  to  hear  how  Bum 
Sah  was  served  by  Bulbudder  Singh. 

The  little  gipsy  was,  however,  on  the  alert,  and  took  a  side-step  to 
the  rear,  as  Pat  says  ;  preserving  her  distance  with  as  much  precision 
as  if  she  had  been  drilled  by  my  old  militia  friend,  Marshal  Saxe 
him  self. 

"  You  must  know,"  she  replied  with  arch  gravity,  "  that  Bum  Sah 
was  a  Goorkha  sirdar,  in  the  army  of  the  Rajah  Bulbudder  Singh;  and  a 
brave  and  handsome  man,  top,  as  you  yourself,  Feringhee  Sahib  -  " 

"  My  dear  soul  !  "  I  exclaimed,  about  to  make  a  rush,  for  all  my 
celestial  imaginings  had  vanished  into  thin  air  ;  but  the  provoking  little 
jade  kept  her  distance  very  adroitly,  as  she  went  on  with  her  story. 

"  Bum"  Sah,"  she  said,  "  had  the  temerity  to  fall  in  love  with  one  of 
the  rajah's  wives  ;  but  the  great  Bulbudder  Singh  had  him  inveigled 
into  this  very  garden,  tied  up  in  a  sack,  and  pitched  into  the  lake, 
from  the  very  spot  on  which  you  now  stand." 

This  was  a  damper  to  the  most  ardent  passion  ;  but  still  I  was 
about  to  continue  my  approaches,  in  spite  of  the  horror  I  always  felt 
at  drowning  in  a  sack  ;  when  the  sweet  girl,  for  such  she  certainly 
was,  intreated  me  to  be  patient,  and  to  answer  truly  such  questions 


, 

she  should  put  to  me. 
"  That  I  will,"  I  replied  ;  "  and 


I  swear  by  the  skull  chaplet  of 

Doorga  !  —  by  the  blue  throat  of  Mahadeo  !  —  by  the  soul-inspiring 
conch  of  Vish  -  " 

"  Hush,  hush  !  "  cried  the  pretty  Hindoo,  laying  her  dear  little 
hand  on  my  lips.  "  You  must  never  pronounce  that  sacred  name. 
Feringhee  Sahib." 

"  Then  I  swear  by  yourself  !  "  I  said,  giving  her  another  loving 
hug,  "  to  answer  truly  every  question  you  put  to  me." 

"Bhote  acha!"  she  replied.  "In  the  first  place,  then,  do  you 
belong  to  the  sahib  logue  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably/3  I  said,  the  blood  of  the  Blakes  silently  prompt- 
ing my  reply. 

"  Show  me  your  hands,"  said  the  inquisitive  monkey. 

I  held  out  my  hands,  and  she  passed  her  own  little  velvet  paws 
over  the  palms. 

"Acha!"  she  exclaimed,  with  an  accent  of  satisfaction.  "You 
malluk  -.*  you  no  working  man  —  you  no  bunya." 

"  Heaven  forbid  !  "  I  replied.  "  I  hate  the  whole  tribe  of  money- 
grubbers." 

"  Are  you  married  ?  "  she  next  demanded. 

"  No,"  I  replied  ;  "  but  hope  soon  to  be  with  you." 

She  shook  her  head  as  she  asked,  finally,— 

"Are  you  brave  enough  to  risk  your  life  for  the  rescue  of  a 
beautiful  and  injured  princess  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied,  "  and  I'll  convince  you  of  it  this  instant,  if 
.you  will  step  with  me  into  my  boat." 

"  It  is  not  for  myself,"  she  replied,  "  that  I  ask  these  questions, 
b.ut  for  one  a  thousand  times  more  good  and  beautiful  than  I  am; 

*  Of  gentle  blood. 


THE  RAJPOOTNt.  291 

and  if  you  have  spirit  enough  to  go  with  me,  you  shall  see  and 
converse  with  her." 

"  I'll  go  with  you,"  I  replied,  "  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

Upon  this,  the  pretty  she  Mercury  clapped  her  hands  thrice ; 
when  a  dingy-looking  figure  emerged  from  among  some  trees  at  a 
little  distance,  and  stood  in  an  attitude  of  deference  and  respect. 

" Trimbuckjee,"  said  my  guide,  "take  charge  of  the  Eeringhee 
Sahib's  boat,  and  see  that  it  be  not  discovered.  Then  wait  his  return, 
you  know  where ;  and  see  him  safe  out  of  the  island." 

"Acha!  Lachema  Beebee,"  responded  the  stranger,  in  a  deep 
voice ;  the  tones  of  which  I  thought  I  recognized,  as  he  glided  like  a 
ghost  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  disappeared  with  my  canoe. 


CHAPTER  LXL 

THE  RAJPOOTNI. 

LACHEMA,  then,  drawing  a  scarf  from  her  neck,  wound  it  several 
times  round  my  eyes  ;  and,  taking  me  by  the  hand,  she  led  me 
silently  ^011  to  a  chunam  walk,  along  which  we  glided  as  noiselessly 
as  possible,  till  we  came  to  some  obstruction,  apparently  a  door  or 
gateway.  Here  she  stopped,  and  whispered  softly  to  me  :— 

"  You  are  about  to  encounter  great  dangers ;  but  it  is  not  too  late 
to  retract,  if  you  don't  feel  your  heart  firm  enough  to  meet  them." 

"  Put  your  hand  on  my  heart,"  I  replied,  "  and  it  will  answer  your 
question." 

She  did  so,  and  said,  "  I.  don't  think  you  have  any  heart  at  all ;  for 
I  can't  feel  it  beat." 

"  It  is  in  your  own  keeping,"  I  said.  "  You  may  do  with  it  what 
you  please." 

She  pressed  my  hand  almost  imperceptibly,  and  we  resumed  our 
progress. 

I  could  perceive  that  we  had  now  quitted  the  open  air.  and  were, 
apparently,  going  along  an  inclosed  verandah ;  for  I  could  hear  the 
clang  of  arms,  as  if  of  sentinels  relieving  in  the  court-yard ;  but,  as 
we  were  not  challenged,  I  concluded  we  were  not  visible  to  them. 
We  ascended  one  or  two  flights  of  steps,  and  I  felt  myself  in  the  open 
air  again,  as  if  we  had  mounted  to  the  roof  of  the  palace ;  and  then 
we  descended,  down,  down,  as  if  plunging  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 

I  frankly  confess  that  the  fate  of  J3um  Sah,  tied  up  in  his  sack  at 
the  bottom  of  the  lake,  struck  once  or  twice  discordantly  on  my 
fancy ;  and  I  was  by  no  means  reassured  by  my  previous  knowledge 
of  the  rajah's  truculent  character.  This  might  be  an  episode  in  some 
plot  of  his  to  get  rid  of  his  subsidiary  force,  that  he  might  resume 
the  rich  jaghire  he  had  appropriated  for  their  payment ;  and  the 
dungeon  might  soon  extinguish  me,  as  effectually  as  the  lake  did 
the  poor  Goorkha  sirdar.  But  I  have  always  had  unlimited  con- 
fidence in  woman,  especially  if  young  and  handsome  ;  and,  as  I 
felt  the  pressure  of  my  guide's  soft  hand,  I  shook  off  the  horrible 

TT     9. 


292  THE   YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

imaginings  that  had  for  a  moment  disturbed  my  mind,  proceeding 
boldly  to  unravel  the  mystery  of  the  adventure. 

At  last  we  stopped  ;  ana  1  could  hear  the  sound  of  a  veena, 
touched  skilfully,  and  accompanied  by  a  sweet  voice  singing  a 
simple,  plaintive  melody.  The  heavy  purdehs  of  a  doorway,  ap- 
parently, were  then  drawn  aside ;  and  I  was  led  forward  a  few  steps 
on  a  carpet  in  whose  soft  texture  I  sank  almost  up  to  the  ankles,  in 
an  atmosphere  redolent  of  a  thousand  perfumes,  while  the  plash  of 
water  fell  upon  my  ear  with  a  lulling  sound,  intermingled  with  the 
dying  notes  of  the  veena,  which  ceased  altogether  as  the  scarf  fell 
from  my  eyes. 

In  looking  round,  I  found  myself  in  the  centre  of  a  small  apart- 
ment, richly  gilt,  and  adorned  _  with  allt  the  minute  and  delicate 
tracery  and  filagree  work  peculiar  to  Oriental  taste.  A  couple  of 
small  fountains  were  playing  rose-water  into  marble  basins ;  and 
three  or  four  perfuming  rods  were  burning  in  different  directions. 
At  the  farther  end  of  the  room,  a  female  figure,  closely  veiled,  was 
seated  on  a  musnud,  or  thick  gold-embroidered  cushion;  and  behind 
her  stood  four  female  attendants,  unveiled,  young  and  handsome, 
waving  snow  white  chowries,  richly  mounted,  over  her  head.  On  the 
right  hand  side  of  the  principal  figure,  and  at  a  little  distance,  stood 
my  pretty  conductress,  Lachema,  in  an  attitude  of  respectful  humility ; 
her  head  slightly  bent  down,  and  her  arms  crossed  upon  her  breast." 

I  made  a  profound  obeisance  to  this  mysterious  lady,  placing  my 
hand  upon  my  heart  in  token  of  devoted  service,  and  then  stood  erect 
to  await  her  commands. 

She  motioned  me  to  sit  down  on  a  musnud  that  was  placed  nearly 
in  her  front ;  and  having  gathered  up  my  legs  tailor-fashion,  as  well 
as  I  could  on  so  unwonted  a  seat,  she  touched  a  little  silver  gong  that 
stood  by  her  side,  with  a  bar  of  the  same  metal.  At  this  signal,  the 
purdehs  of  a  doorway  were  drawn  back,  and  ten  pretty  young  females 
entered,  bearing  silver  trays  covered  with  rich  velvet  cloths  embroidered 
with  pearls ;  all  but  the  two  first,  one  of  whom  carried  a  chillumchee 
with  rose-water,  and  the  other  a  kincaub  napkin  of  cloth  of  gold. 

Having  dipped  my  fingers  into  the  rose-water,  and  wiped  them  with 
the  napkin,  the  trays  were  set  down  before  me  on  the  beautiful  carpet, 
and  uncovered ;  they  contained  a  variety  of  fruits  and  confections, 
with  three  or  four  goblets  of  various  sorts  of  sherbet.  Some  of  these 
I  slightly  tasted,  and  sipped  a  little  of  the  sherbet,  when  a  fresh 
chillumchee  and  napkin  being  handed  to  me,  I  performed  my  ablu- 
tions as  before,  and  the  whole  apparatus  was  removed  in  perfect 
silence  and  good  order. 

The  veiled  lady  seemed  to  derive  much  satisfaction  from  the  manner 
in  which  I  went  through  this  first  act  of  the  drama,  as  indicating  an 
acquaintance  with  the  customs  of  good  society,  and  immediately  with- 
drew the  envious  screen  which  had  hitherto  concealed  her  peerless 
features.  Peerless  indeed  they  were,  of  the  most  perfect  contour 
and  faultless  proportions  ;  while  a  brighter  complexion  than  that  of 
the  fairest  Brahminee  I  had  ever  seen,  imparted  to  them  more  than 
ordinary  vivacity,  which  was  chastened  and  improved  by  the  soft, 
lovable,  expression  of  her  large  gazelle-like  eyes. 


THE  EAJPOOTNI.  293 

Whether  it  was  that  I  regarded  the  withdrawal  of  the  veil  as  a 
tacit  challenge,  or  was  electrified  by  such  a  blaze  of  the  most  perfect 
beauty,  I  cannot  well  say ;  but  I  sprang  to  my  feet  with  the  intention 
of  prostrating  myself  before  the  lovely  vision.  With  a  smile  of  iu- 
effaole  sweetness,  however,  she  motioned  me  to  resume  my  seat,  and 
I  obeyed  her  as  one  under  the  spell  of  an  enchantress. 

"  Aie  you,"  said  the  beautiful  rajpootni,  in  a  voice  of  soft  melody, 
"  are  3  ou  the  Burra  Eeringhee  Shikar,  whom  they  call  Blake  Sahib  ?  " 

" May  it  please  your  highness,"  I  replied,  "that  is  my  name." 

"1  have  heard  much  about  you,"  she  was  pleased  to  say.  "My 
people — for  you  see  before  you  the  Beebee  of  llutttmpoor — my  people 
tell  me  that  you  are  as  brave  as  Kamchunder,  and  as  bountiful  as 
Yicramaditya.  I  have  therefore  sought  your  assistance  in  an  enter- 
prise of  much  difficulty  and  peril :  tell  me,  frankly  and  boldly,  if  you 
feel  disposed  to  accord  it." 

I  arose  from  my  seat,  made  a  profound  inclination,  placed  my  hand 
upon  my  heart,  and  said  that  in  all  things,  and  in  defiance  of  every 
peril,  I  was  ready  and  willing  to  obey  her  commands. 

With  another  smile  of  heavenly  sweetness,  the  princess,  whose  high 
heroic  name  was  Coornandati,  thanked  me  for  my  ready  acquiescence ; 
and  then  proceeded  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  enterprise. 

The  rajah,  it  seems,  who  then  occupied  the  musnud,  and  who  was 
father  to  the  beautiful  creature  before  me,  was,  as  I  before  hinted,  a 
usurper;  his  nephew,  Pertaub  Singh,  being  the  rightful  heir,  as  son 
to  the  late  rajah.  Pertaub  and  Coornandati  had  been  betrothed  at  an 
early  age  by  that  sovereign,  who  was  brother  to  the  present ;  but  the 
latter,  by  a  piece  of  treachery  common  enough  in  Asiatic  courts,  had 
not  only  set  his  nephew  aside  and  driven  him  into  banishment,  but 
also  deprived  him  of  his  betrothed  bride,  whom  he  kept  in  his  palace, 
a  hostage,  as  it  were,  for  the  forbearance  of  her  lover.  To  rejoin  this 
lover  now,  though  in  exile,  was  the  first  wish  of  Coornandati's  heart ; 
and  to  enable  her  to  do  this,  was  the  service  she  sought  for  at 
my  hands. 

Though  somewhat  disappointed,  I  confess,  at  being  thus  Called  on 
to  convey  to  another,  beauty  which  I  coveted  for  myself,  I  never 
hesitated  for  an  instant,  but  entered  zealously  into  the  plan  of  es- 
cape ;  according  to  which  I  was  to  be  ready  with  a  boat  and  three  or 
four  trusty  servants,  on  the  third  night  thence,  at  the  spot  where  I 
had  landed,  which  was  a  very  retired  part  of  the  palace  grounds.  In 
the  mean-time,  the  princess  was  to  give  notice  of  her  coming  to  Per- 
taub Singh,  that  he  might  be  ready  to  meet  her  on  the  furthest  shore 
of  the  lake,  with  horses  and  attendants,  to  convey  her  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  her  cruel  parent. 

All  points  being  adjusted,  the  princess  again  struck  the  silver 
gong,  and  two  female  attendants  entered ;  one  of  whom  bore  a  silver 
tray,  containing  the  usual  offering  of  pawn-siparec,  or  betel-nut,  the 
ordinary  manner  in  which  visitors  are  licensed  to  depart  from  the 
royal  presence.  But  jnstead  of  allowing  a  menial  to  present  it,  the 
princess,  as  an  especial  mark  of  honour,  arose  from  her  musnud, 
thereby  displaying  a  majestic  figure  of  faultless  symmetry  and  pro- 
portions ;  with  a  bewitching  smile  she  handed  me  the  salver  herself; 


294;  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

while,  with  bended  knee,  I  accepted  the  gracious  compliment,  and 
thus  took  leave  of  the  lovely  Coornandati,  whose  hand  I  was  graciously 
permitted  to  kiss. 

I  was  led  out  by  my  pretty  conductress,  Lachema ;  but,  as  a  delicate 
proof  of  confidence,  1  was  not,  on  this  occasion,  blindfolded  as  before, 
and,  therefore,  had  an  opportunity  of  admiring  many  of  the  beauties 
of  the  palace.  Indeed,  I  rather  prolonged  this  indulgence ;  less, 

Serhaps,  to  gratify  my  taste  for  Oriental  art,  than  for  the  pleasure  of 
irting  a  little  with  my  pretty  guide. 

At  the  outer  gate,  Lachema  gave  me  in  charge  to  the  male  attend- 
ant I  before  had  a  glimpse  of;  and  in  him,  to  my  surprise,  I  recog- 
nized a  brother-sportsman,  named  Trimbuckjee,  who  had  frequently 
assisted  at  my  hunting-matches.  Indeed,  1  began  now  to  suspect 
that  he  had  been  sent  thither  expressly  to  sift  my  character  and  dis- 
position ;  and  this  I  found  was  the  fact,  for  he  was  a  prime  confidant 
of  the  Princess  Coornandati.  This  trusty  fellow  led  me  to  my  boat, 
which  he  had  effectually  concealed  under  the  wide-spreading  branches 
of  an  enormous  fig-tree ;  and  having  given  him  a  suitable  largesse, 
I  returned,  unobserved,  to  cantonments. 

The  following  day  I  received  a  visit  from  Trimbuckjee  ;  who  having 
satisfied  me  by  his  credentials  that  he  was  fully  authorized  by  the 
princess  to  act  in  the  matter,  we  concocted  between  us  a  final  plan 
of  proceedings.  In  pursuance  of  this,  on  the  third  night  after,  at 
twelve  o'clock  precisely,  for  the  Hindoos  are  an  early  people  in  re- 
tiring, I  arrived  at  the  same  spot  of  the  rajah's  garden,  with  a  larger 
and  more  commodious  boat ;  accompanied  by  my  pay-sergeant  and 
three  trusty  Light  Bobs,  with  their  arms  and  accoutrements,  ready  in 
every  respect  to  act  against  any  enemy  whom  I  might  indicate  as  such. 

We  had  not  waited  here  above  five  minutes,  when  the  lovely 
rajpootni  arrived,  with  Lachema  and  Trimbuckjee  her  only  attend- 
ants. I  handed  her  into  the  boat,  and  Lachema  and  Trimbuckjee 
followed :  the  latter  placed  himself  in  the  stern  sheets  to  steer ;  my 
trusty  Light  Bobs  grappled  the  muffled  oars,  at  which  they  were 
very  expert ;  and,  amidst  the  most  profound  silence,  we  were  soon 
beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit. 

After  a  pretty  sharp  row  of  nearly  two  hours,  we  at  length  reached 
our  destination ;  where  we  found  the  young  prince  waiting  for  us, 
with  a  souwarrie  of  thirty  mounted  rajpoots,  determined-looking 
fellows,  all  armed  to  the  teeth :  there  were  also  two  kujavas,  or  car- 
riages slung  between  camels, — an  expeditious  mode  of  travelling  in 
the  East,— for  the  accomodation  of  the  princess  and  Lachema. 

Pertaub  Singh  was  really  a  fine-looking  fellow ;  upwards  of  six 
feet  high,  elegantly  formed,  and  of  a  majestic  presence.  <  When  the 
princess  introduced  me  as  her  rescuer  from  captivity,  he  immediately 
took  off  his  richly-jewelled  turban,  and  laid  it  at  my  feet ;  the  greatest 
compliment  in  the  East  that  one  human  being  can  pay  to  another. 
With  every  mark  of  profound  respect,  I  took  the  turban  from  the 
ground,  and  replaced  it  on  the  head  of  the  prince ;  who  then  embraced 
me,  exclaiming  in  a  fine  manly  voice, — 

"  Noble  Eeringhee,  fortune  has  placed  it  out  of  my  power  at  present 
to  acknowledge  the  deep  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  you ;  but  you  have 


ALPHABET  HOPKIXS.  295 

given  iuto  my  possession  a  treasure  more  precious  thaii  the  heaven  of 
Jndra ;  and  if  I  ever  forget  it,  may  the  fires  of  Patala  burn  me  here- 
after, and  for  evermore ! 

"  Blake  Sahib,"  said  the  princess,  "  accept  this  trifle  from  me,  as  a 
slight  token  of  my  gratitude."  Then,  taking  a  bracelet  from  her  arm, 
she  clasped  it  on  the  wrist  of  my  right  hand,  exclaiming,  with  a  smile 
that  is  still  fresh  in  my  memory,  "  Now  you  are  my  rakhee-buud 
bae."  * 

Tims  I  parted  from  the  illustrious  Hajpoots,  whom  I  then  saw  for 
the  last  time ;  and  after  a  rapid  row  across  the  lake  we  arrived  at 
cantonments,  unobserved  by  all  except  a  couple  of  drowsy  sepoy 
sentries,  who  naturally  concluded  that  we  had  been  out  on  duty.  On 
going  to  my  room,  my  pay-sergeant  showed  me  a  lig  of  two  hundred 
rupees,  which  Trim  buck  jee  had  put  into  his  hand  when  coming  away, 
as  cherry-merry,  he  said,  for  the  rowers ;  and  thus  terminated,  for  the 
present,  an  adventure  which  had  originally  promised,  as  I  thought, 
a  very  different  denoumenl. 


CHAPTER    LXII. 

ALPHABET   HOPKINS. 

THE  sudden  and  unaccountable  disappearance  of  the  beebee  of 
Kuttunpoor  caused,  as  may  be  imagined,  a  degree  of  wonder  and 
consternation,  not  only  in  the  palace,  but  throughout  the  country, 
unequalled  since  the  abduction  of  Sita  by  the  ten-headed  giant  or 
Lankadwipa.  Nine  people  out  of  ten  looked  upon  it  as  a  super- 
natural eyent  altogether ;  an  escapade  of  Mahadeo,  out  on  the  loose 
from  his  jealous  consort,  and  longing  for  a  mortal  mistress  of  such 
unequalled  charms.  But  the  rajah  was  of  a  different  opinion,  and  so 
was  the  resident ;  both  being  somewhat  sceptical  on  points  of 
mythology,  and  even  more  than  doubtful  about  spiritual  interference 
in  mundane  matters  generally — especially  in  the  abduction  of  pretty 
young  women. 

These  two  astute  persons,  therefore,  laid  their  heads  together,  with 
a  view  to  discover  the  retreat  of  the  princess  ;  as  also  to  outwit  each 
other,  and  gain  some  personal  advantage  in  the  course  of  the  inquiry. 
The  resident  was  nott  long  in  fixing  upon  me,  as  in  some  way  or 
other  connected  with  this  mysterious  affair ;  taking  up  the  matter, 
therefore,  in  a  jocular  strain,  he  said,  shaking  his  lanky  sides  with 
affected  laughter. 

"  Blake,  my  dear  boy,  you  are  such  a  rolicking  fellow,  and  such  a 
favourite  with  the  ladies,  that  I'll  lay  my  life  you  know  something  of 
the  matter.  Come,  let  us  have  the  particulars :  'tis  a  capital  joke, 
to  be  sure,  to  carry  off  the  heiress  of  that  old  curmudgeon.  Your 
countrymen,  we  know,  are  famous  for  running  away  with  heiresses. 
Ha  !  ha  !  ha !  " 

But  there  was  a  lurking  devil  in  his  eye,  that  kept  me  wide-awake 

*  Bracelet-bound  brother. 


296  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

to  his  treachery,  and  I  turned  off  the  joke  upon  himself,  with  a  little 
of  his  own  persiflage,  which  nettled  him  exceedingly,  though  he  still 
maintained  the  mask,  and  appeared  even  more  friendly  and  familiar 
than  ever.  A  thousand  conjectures  were  hazarded  on  the  subject  at 
mess,  bijt  all  equally  absurd  and  wide  of  the  mark ;  the  colonel  pro- 
foundly remarking  that  it  was  probably  one  of  those  hyrcaniums  of 
natur'  that  would  never  be  enveloped,  like  Junius  with  the  iron 
mask,  and  the  magical  books  of  Sybil  Grey. 

At  length  the  mystery  was  solved  by  the  arrival  of  a  vakeel  from 
the  court  of  Oqdipoor;  where  Pertaub  and  the  princess  had  taken 
refuge  with  their  kinsman,  the  rana  of  that  state,  which  was  under 
the  Company's  protection,  though  not  yet  subsidized. 

The  vakeel  was  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  his  highness,  Pertaub 
Singh,  legitimate  rajah  of  lluttunpoor,  to  the  usurper,  Gorumchun- 
der,  summoning  him  to  vacate  the  musnud  of  that  state  within  the 
period  of  three  lunar  months,  under  penalty  of  being  punished  as  a 
contumacious  rebel  to  his  rightful  sovereign  ;  promising  him,  in  the 
event  of  due  and  prompt  compliance  with  this  royal  mandate,  a 
pension  befitting  the  uncle  and  father-in-law  of  the  rajah  aforesaid ; 
that  he  might  retire  to  the  holy  city  of  Bernares,  and  live  there  in 
ease  and  luxury,  with  other  ex-sovereigns,  who,  tired  of  the  cares  of 
royalty,  had  yielded  their  crowns  and  sceptres  to  their  dearly  beloved 
ally,  the  Honourable  Company  Bahaudur :  resting  perfectly  satisfied 
that,  when  death  should  come  to  them  in  that  divine  abode,  which 
was  formed  of  musk  instead  of  common  earth,  and  supported  upon 
the  trisul  of  Mahadeo,  their  next  transmigration  must  necessarily  be 
happy,  if  even  it  did  not  amount  to  final  absorption  into  the  essence 
of  the  Deity,  which  all  good  Hindoos  look  forward  to  as  the  consum- 
mation of  eternal  bliss. 

His  Highness,  the  Rajah  Pertaub  Singh,  further  acquainted  the 
usurper,  Gorumchunder  aforesaid,  that  the  final  nuptial  rite  had 
passed  between  him  and  the  Beebee  Coornaudati,  in  the  great  temple 
of  Vishnu,  at  Oodipoor ;  that  her  highness,  now  ranee  of  Ruttuu- 
poor,  sent  her  dutiful  and  affectionate  respects  to  her  father  afore- 
said ;  and  besought  him.  of  all  good-will  and  loving  kindness,  to 
comply  at  once  with  the  demand  of  her  husband  and  sovereign,  the 
only  legitimate  rajah  of  lluttunpoor,  Pertaub  Singh,  Bahaudur  Jung, 
Protector  of  the  stars,  Grasper  of  the  lightning,  &c. 

The  explosion  of  wrath  which  shoqk  the  frame  of  the  old  usurper, 
on  receipt  of  this  lofty  mandate,  was  absolutely  tremendous.  He 
smashed  to  atoms,  with  his  battle-axe,  the  valuable  crystal  bell  of  the 
hookah  he  was  smoking;  a  present,  by  the  way,  from  the  Honourable 
Company  Bahaudur ;  he  ordered  the  vakeel  to  be  stitched  up  in  a 
sack,  and  sent  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  to  keep  company  with  Bum 
Sah ;  and  directed  thirty  of  his  daughter's  female  attendants  to  be 
buried  alive,  for  not  discovering  their  mistress's  intended  flight. 

The  ladies  very  stoutly  declared  their  readiness  to  die ;  but,  as  pure 
Rajpoqtnis,  they  never  would  betray  their  salt.  Their  heroism  was, 
accordingly,  on  the  point  of  being  put  to  this  formidable  test,  when 
the  resident,  who  had  been  apprised  of  the  posture  of  affairs,  arrived 
in  his  state  barge ;  demanded  a  private  audience  of  the  usurper ;  told 


ALPHABET  HOPKINS.  297 

him  plainly  that  he  must,  on  no  account,  lay  violent  hands  on  the 
vakeel  of  a  state  under  the  Company^  protection,  and  that,  for 
every  individual  murder  he  might  commit,  even  in  his  own  palace,  he 
would  be  tried  by  the  laws  of  England,  and  dealt  with  accordingly. 

This  drove  the  old  man  frantic :  he  danced  about  the  room,  tore 
down  the  window-curtains,  smashed  the  valuable  English  chandelier, 
and  swore,  by  the  skull-chaplet  of  Doorga,  that  if  the  resident  pre- 
sumed to  utter  another  word  on  such  matters,  he  would  have  him 
stitched  up  in  the  same  sack  with  the  vakeel,  and  they  might  com- 
pare notes  together  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

"Will  your  highness  do  me  the  favour,"  said  the  resident,  very 
coolly,  "to  look  out  of  this  window,  and  tell  me  what  you  see  on 
yonder  rising  ground  ?  " 

"What  do  I  see ? "  cried  the  rajah,  foaming  with  rage;  for  he  had 
taken  a  more  than  usual  dose  of  opium  that  morning,  and  it  was  now 
in  full  operation ;  "  I  see  your  cursed  cantonment,  of  course." 

"What  do  you  see  in  front  of  that  cantonment?"  asked  the 
resident  very  demurely. 

"  I  see  a  battery  of  three  twelve-pounders,  three  nines,  six  sixes, 
and  two  howitzers,"  replied  the  rajah,  with  astonishing  accuracy  for 
an  Asiatic  prince. 

"If  I  am  not  back  in  the  cantonment  in  half  an  hour  from  this," 
said  the  resident,  very  composedly  looking  at  his  watch,  "those 
guns  and  howitzers  are  to  open  instantly  on  your  palace,  and  knock 
both  you  and  it  into  a  million  fragments." 

This  was  an  argumentum  ad  hominem  which  the  rajah  could  not 
get  over :  he  threw  himself  upon  an  ottoman,  covered  his  face  with  a 
kincaub  napkin ;  and,  after  five  minutes'  profound  meditation,  rose 
with  the  most  calm  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  shook  the  resident 
cordially  by  the  hand,  and  said  that  everything  should  be  settled 
according  to  his  wish. 

Slimley,  whose  great  boast  it  was  that  nobody  had  ever  yet  sur- 
passed him  in  gentlemanly  deportment,  returned  the  rajah's  pressure 
with  interest ;  assured  him  of  protection  against  all  the  machinations 
of  Pertaub  Singh ;  and  further  told  him  that  he  had  a  clue  to  the 
principal  agent  in  his  daughter's^  flight,  who  should  be  punished  to 
his  heart's  content.  In  the  evening,  Slimley  told  us  at  mess  as  much 
of  this  interview  as  he  thought  proper ;  and  on  this  occasion  he  was 
so  kind,  so  friendly,  and,  indeed,  so  affectionate  towards  myself  in 
particular,  that  I  began  to  think  I  had  mistaken  his  character,  and 
that  so  much  candour  could  not  possibly  conceal  an  arriere  pensce  to 
my  disadvantage. 

The  following  morning,  while  I  was  admiring  the  bracelet  bestowc-A 
upon  me  by  the  princess  of  Ruttunpoor,  which  was  of  real  diamonds, 
worth,  as  I  supposed,  four  or  five  thousand  rupees,  the  Tappall 
arrived ;  and,  amongst  my  letters,  there  was  one  from  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Governor-General,  which  were  then  on  the  banks  of 
the  Chumbul.  Wondering  what  correspondent  I  could  have  in  that 
distinguished  quarter,  I  broke  the  seal ;  and,  running  my  eye  down 
to  the  bottom  of  the  page,  I  saw  that  it  came  from  Alphabet  Hop- 
kins. 


298  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

This  very  unexpected  epistle  was  conceived  in  the  following 
terms  :— 

"Mr  DEAR  BLAKE,  —  Acting  as  military  sec.,  pro  tern.,  in  the  absence  of 
Colonel  Gait,  a  secret  report,  of  which  you  are  the  object,  has  necessarily  passed 
through  my  hands,  in  its  progress  to  the  eyes  of  the  Governor- General. 

"  Without  stopping  to  animadvert  on  the  nefarious  system  of  secret  reporting, 
which  has  crept  into  the  army,  Heaven  knows  how,  though  fit  only  for  the  Spanish 
Inquisition,  I  hasten  to  send  you  a  copy  of  this  atrocious  document,  which, 
without  containing  a  single  distinct  or  properly  defined  charge,  has,  by  its  vague 
generalities,  cast  such  a  mesh  of  inferences  around  you,  as  may  be  productive  of 
ill  consequences  if  not  at  once  met  and  refuted.  It  purports  to  come  from  your 
own  commanding  officer;  but  I  suspect  that  limb  of  Satan,  Slimley,  has  had  more 
than  one  finger  in  the  pie  ;  therefore  be  on  your  guard  against  his  proffered 
friendship. 

"  I  need  not  hint  to  you  that  I  should  like  my  name  not  to  appear  in  this 
transaction ;  but  if  it  be  necessary  for  your  justification,  make  use  of  it  and 
welcome. 

"  Your  late  exploit  in  rescuing  Lady  Pipkin  from  the  Pindarries  is  much  talked 
of  here,  and  lauded  by  all,  not  excepting  your  old  antagonist,  and  now  faithful 
friend,  "  G.  W.  B.  A.  C.  HOPKINS." 

The  inclosure  was  certainly  conceived  in  the  most  wily  and 
Jesuitical  terms  that  ever  disciple  of  Machiavel  put  upon  paper ;  the 
composition  being  far  beyond  the  ability  of  poor  McClish.  It  repre- 
sented me  as  always  in  the  jungle,  surrounded  by  hosts  of  wild  and 
warlike  natives,  whose  ill-t'eeling  towards  the  reigning  rajah  was 
patent  to  all ;  that  I  had  made  myself  excessively  popular  with  all 
the  subsidiary  force,  men  and  officers,  Europeans  as  well  as  natives; 
that,  instead  of  sitting  with  my  brother  officers  at  the  mess  of  an 
evening,  I  was  in  the  constant  habit  of  paddling  my  boat  round  the 
rajah's  palace  and  gardens  in  the  lake,  as  if  to  reconnoitre  points  of 
attack,  &c.  &c. ;  and  that,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
seeing  that  a  desperate  pretender  was  actually  hatching  plots  to 
disturb  the  settlement  of  the  country,  which  was  the  most  conform- 
able to  the  wishes  and  interests  of  the  Honourable  Company,  he, 
Colonel  McClish,  could  no  longer  refrain  from  bringing  to  the  notice 
of  the  governor-general  the  very  suspicious  conduct  of  Acting- 
Captain  Blake ;  especially  as  he  was  a  young  man  of  wild,  enthu- 
siastic notions,  capable  of  any  enterprise,  however  desperate,  in 
pursuit  of  a  fanciful  theory  of  military  heroism,  altogether  at  vari- 
ance with  the  fixed  and  settled  principles  of  our  diplomatic  relations 
with  the  protected  states  of  Central  India.  Finally,  without  assert- 
ing that  Acting-Captain  Blake  was  actually  influenced  by  any  sinister 
views  or  motives,  it  might  perhaps  be  as  well  to  advert  to  the  diffi- 
culties, troubles,  and  losses  occasioned  at  different  times  bv  desperate 
adventurers,  both  English  and  French,  who  had  deserted  from  our 
service  to  that  of  certain  native  powers  in  India;  and  especially 
during  the  government  of  one  of  his  lordship's  predecessors,  the 
most  noble  the  Marquis  Wellesley. 

"  My  excellent  Hopkins !"  1  exclaimed,  after  the  first  ebullition  of 
wrath  and  astonishment  had  subsided,  "  your  name  shall  certainly 
not  appear  in  this  transaction  •"  and  I  wrote  him  a  letter  to  that 
effect,  full  of  the  gratitude  which  I  really  felt  for  his  kind  intervention. 
I  then  drew  up  a  copy  of  the  secret  report,  and  sent  it  direct  to 
Colonel  McClish,  with  a  letter  demanding  if  it  was  a  true  copy  of 


ALPHABET  HOPKINS.  299 

any  document  forwarded  by  him  to  the  governor-general ;  and  if  so, 
calling  upon  him  to  forward  charges  against  me,  which  I  was  pre- 
pared instantly  to  meet. 

After  four  or  five  hours'  deliberation,  during  which  Slimley^  and  the 
colonel  were  closeted  together,  I  received  a  communication  from  the 
latter ;  in  which,  shirking  altogether  my  demand  for  a  court-martial, 
he  called  upon  me  to  state  immediately,  and  in  writing,  the  source 
from  which  I  had  derived  the  presumed  copy  of  his  secret  report. 

I  instantly  replied  that  I  would  not  give  him  the  required  infor- 
mation ;  but  that  his  silence  leaving  me  no  room  to  doubt  the 
authenticity  of  the  document  in  question,  I  must  reiterate  my 
demand  for  a  court-martial. 

In  answer  to  this,  the  adjutant  was  sent  to  my  quarters,  with  in- 
structions to  insist  on  my  compliance  with  the  commanding  officer's 
demand ;  for  which  he  was  to  wait  ten  minutes,  and  in  default  thereof 
he  was  to  place  me  in  arrest. 

During  this  brief  space,  the  adjutant  and  I  chatted  together  on 
indifferent  subjects ;  and  when  the  ten  minutes  had  expired,  I  delivered 
up  my  sword,  declared  my  firm  intention  never  to  discover  by  what 
means  I  had  obtained  the  copy  of  the  secret  report,  and  once  more 
demanded  a  court-martial  on  my  conduct. 

Eor  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  I  remained  thus  in  a  state  of  sus- 
pense ;  at  the  end  of  which  period  the  following  general  order  was 
promulgated  and  transmitted  for  my  guidance. 

"  GENERAL  ORDER. 

"  Camp  on  the  Chumbul. 

"  Acting  Captain  Blake  is  released  from  arrest,  and  will  return  to  his  duty. 
"  As  Acting  Captain  Blake  is  now  effective  in  the  first  battalion  of  his  regiment, 
he  will  proceed  to  Europe  forthwith  to  join  that  battalion. 

"  This  officer  will  accordingly  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  the  Pre- 
sidency, there  to  wait  the  departure  of  the  next  Company's  ship  for  Europe." 

I  was  thus  about  to  be  got  rid  of  by  a  side  wind.  But,  resolving  not 
tamely  to  be  treated  in  this  summary  manner,  I  drew  up  and  forwarded 
direct  an  appeal  to  the  -governor-general ;  in  which  I  brought  before 
his  excellency  every  possible  argument  against  a  decision  which  must 
necessarily  be  injurious  to  my  future  military  prospects.  This  appeal 
was  couched  in  language  which  I  vainly  imagined  would  not  only 
satisfy  the  judgment,  but  touch  the  heart  of  the  governor-general ; 
but  the  only  answer  I  received  was  the  following  coldly  official  letter 
from  the  acting  military  secretary  : — 

"  SIR, — In  reply  to  your  letter  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor- General,  I  have 
it  in  command  to  say,  that  it  should  have  been  forwarded  in  the  usual  channel, 
through  your  commanding  officer,  and  the  general  of  division  at  Nagpoor. 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  however,  and  in  order  to  prevent  delay,  1  am  directed 
to  inform  you  that  the  Governor- General  has  nothing  to  add  to  the  Order  already 
issued  in  your  case.  "  I  have  the  honour,  &c., 

"  G.  W.  B.  A.  C.  HOPKINS, 
"Acting  Military  Secretary,  pro  tcm." 

Under  the  same  official  cover,  I  found  the  following  private 
note : — 

"  MY  DEAR  Br.AKE, — Painful  as  it  was  to  me  to  pen  the  accompanying  official, 
you  are  too  well  acquainted  with  the  service  not  to  know  that  I  had  no  alternative. 


300  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

"  I  hasten,  however,  to  tell  you  that,  although  Slimley  and  Co.  have  declared 
themselves  in  possession  of  the  fullest  evidence  of  your  agency  in  the  flight  of  the 
rajah's  daughter,  no  despatch  whatever,  either  public  or  private,  is  going  home 
from  this,  likely  in  the  slightest  degree  to  militate  against  your  future  prospects. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  my  dear  fellow,  I  put  it  to  your  own  good  sense, 
•whether  it  is  not  better  to  cry  quits  with  enemies  who  are  too  powerful  for  you, 
too  vindictive,  and  too  unscrupulous  in  their  means  of  annoyance.  You  have 
already  gained  a  virtual  triumph  in  being  released  from  arrest,  without  even  a 
reprimand,  which  throws  all  the  odium  of  the  transaction  upon  your  adversaries. 
Consider,  my  dear  Blake,  that  the  war  in  India  is  at  an  end;  there  are  no  more 
Pindarries  to  shoot,  and  no  more  Pipkins  to  roost  with  in  the  banyan-tree  !  Aha ! 
old  fellow,  have  I  got  you  there  on  the  hip  ?  Seriously,  be  advised ;  it  is  the 
opinion  of  many  long  heads  in  my  department,  and  I  hope  will  soon  be  your  own. 

"  Many  thanks  for  not  blabbing;  it  is  what  I  fully  expected  from  your  manly 
character.  "  Yours,  ever  faithfully, 

"  G.  W.  B.  A.  C.  HOPKINS." 

JBut  I  fear  I  have  become  tedious,  in  my  wish  to  make  the  reader 
acquainted  with  the  base  system  of  secret  reporting  which  once  pre- 
vailed in  the  British  army,  and  of  which  the  foregoing  narrative  is  an 
"  ower-true  tale."  To  be 'brief,  then,  I  at  length  embraced  the  opinion 
of  Hopkins,  and  wrote  to  him  to  that  effect.  I  then  arranged  my 
affairs  :  gave  over  my  company  of  Light  Bobs,  with  many  a  sincere 
regret  on  both  sides  ;  and,  having  taken  an  affectionate  leave  of  my 
brother  officers,  who,  one  and  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  colonel's 
little  clique,  accompanied  me  on  the  first  stage  of  my  journey,  I  set 
off  tappall  for  Madras  ;  my  baggage  being  reduced  to  a  convenient 
weight  and  compass  for  half  a  dozen  bangy-wallas. 

When  I  reached  the  Presidency,  which  I  did  without  any  adven- 
tures worth  recording,  I  learned  that  the  ships  were  not  expected 
from  China  for  five  or  six  weeks  ;  to  my  great  joy,  therefore,  as  this 
period  was  likely  to  hang  heavy  on  hands,  I  found  that  my  old  friend 
Croker  had  also  arrived  on  sick-leave,  from  another  part  of  the  field- 
force  ;  and  greatly  surprised  he  was  to  hear  of  my  misadventures. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

THE  LAUL-COPRA  BAZAAK. 

C&OKER  and  I  lived  together  in  Black  Town,  very  properly  so  called,, 
within  a  few  paces  _  of  the  Laul-copra  Bazaar,  the  hottest,  the 
noisiest,  and  the  dustiest  market  in  all  Asia ;  which,  according  to  my 
old  friend  McCracken's  phrase,  is  "saying  a  muckle  deal."  Our 
house,  consisting  of  three  rooms,  a  bath,  and  a  verandah,  was  all  on 
the  ground  floor :  the  verandah  was  open  to  and  on  a  level  with  the 
street ;  and  this  being  the  principal  thoroughfare  to  the  market,  our 
after-breakfast  perambulations  were  not  unfrequently  interrupted  by 
a  furious  charge  of  hairy  sheep  or  staring  buffaloes,  who  sometimes 
even  forced  an  entrance  into  our  salle-a-manger,  to  the  great  endan- 
germcnt  of  our  glass  shades  and  tea-equipage. 

I  disliked  the  place  very  much  myself,  and  often  proposed  to 
Croker  that  we  should  pitch  our  tents  on  the  south  beach ;  where,  at 
least,  we  should  have  the  sea-byeeze  to  refresh  us,  and  the  mountain 


THE  LAUL-COPEA  BAZA  AH.  301 

surf  to  gaze  at,  as  it  sent  the  Masoolah  boats  with  fearful  velocity 
high  and  dry  upon  the  sands,  or  pitched  its  catamarans  aloft  like 
straws  upon  "  the  vexed  Bermoothes." 

But  Croker  had  got  hold  of  a  dozen  jungle-wallahs,  who  paid  him 
regular  visits  every  market  day ;  and  lie  would  sit  squat  upon  his 
hams  with  these  fellows  for  hours  together,  jabbering  Malabars  and 
Telinga,  about  bears  and  boars,  and  peacocks  and  jungle-fowl,  and 
cheetahs  and  antelopes  ;  till  I  would  mount  my  nag  in  despair,  and 
canter  off  to  the  fort,  or  the  Mount-road,  in  the  sun,  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  old  Indians,  who  scarcely  dared  to  venture  out  in  their 
palanquins  or  bullock-bandies. 

One  morning,  as  we  paraded  up  and  down  this  verandah  of  ours, 
standing  by  for  a  bolt,  should  any  of  our  hairy  visitants  make  a 
plunge  "at  us;  to  my  great  astonishment,  in  walked  Trim  buck  jee, 
with  a  very  elaborate  salaam  to  myself,  and  the  great  Eeringhee 
jungle-wallah,  Croke  Sahib,  with  whose  name  and  fame  he  seemed  to 
be  quite  familiar. 

Having  introduced  Trimbuckjee  to  our  parlour,  I  insisted  on  his 
sitting  down  in  a  chair ;  though,  with  characteristic  modesty,  he 
would  have  stood,  or  squatted  himself  down  upon  the  chunam  floor, 
which,  in  this  casa  of  ours,  was  sadly  dilapidated ;  displaying  a 
variety  of  cracks,  fissures,  and  small  gulfs,  for  the  reception  of  dust, 
cockroaches,  centipedes,  lizards,  &c.  &c. 

After  refreshments  had  been  offered  to  Trimbuckjee,  and  sparingly 
partaken  of  by  him,  I  inquired  about  the  health  and  welfare  of  his 
master  and  mistress ;  and  he  immediately  gave  me  a  narrative  which 
very  much  surprised  Croker  and  myself. 

Soon  after  my  departure  from  lluttunpoor,  it  seems,  Prince 
Pertaub  Singh,  finding,  by  the  shifts  and  delays  of  his  father-in-law, 
that  he  was  not  likely  to  give  up  the  musnud  peaceably,  appealed  to 
the  patriotism  of  his  adherents.  The  consequence  was  that  the 
whole  country  flew  to  arms  to  put  down  the  usurper ;  the  canton- 
ments were  surrounded,  and  though  the  _  troops  were  not  attacked, 
their  supplies  were  cut  off.  All  communication  was  intercepted  with 
Nagpoor ;  and  there  is  no  knowing  to  what  extremities  matters  might 
have  proceeded,  but,  at  this  critical  period,  Slimley,  influenced  by 
his  own  personal  fears,  betrayed  his  interesting  protege  Gorum- 
ch under  into  the  hands  of  his  son-in-law,  who  was  forthwith  installed 
as  the  legitimate  sovereign  of  the  country,  taken  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Honourable  Company  Bahaudur,  and  peace,  tranquillity, 
and  general  happiness  fully  restored.  The  life  of  Gorumeli  under 
was  not  only  preserved  from  the  fury  of  the  people  by  his  generous 
son-in-law,  but  he  was  sent  with  a  handsome  pension  to  Benares ; 
where,  by  the  last  accounts,  he  had  become  excessively  devout, 
spending  the  whole  of  his  time  and  income  in  the  unbridled 
enjoyment  of  opium,  tomtoms,  dancing  girls,  and  religious  pro- 
cessions. 

"  The  rajah  and  ranee,"  continued  Trimbuckjee.,  in  his  best  English, 
"  send  plenty  compliments  to  you,  Blake  Sahib,  and  plenty  sorry  for 
the  trouble  of  their  beloved  friend." 

"I  am  deeply  indebted  to  their  Iiighnesses3  Trimbuckjee/3  I 


302  THE  YOUNG  EEFLEMAN. 

replied,  "  for  their  kind  remembrance  of  me.  'Tis  a  rose-bud  in  the 
desert  of  my  grief— a  nightingale  in  the  garden  of  my  happiness." 

"  They  not  write,  sahib,"  returned  Trirnbuckjee,  after  a  profound 
salaam,  '"  fear  of  doing  you  bad ;  but  something  I  got  here  iiis  high- 
ness hope  you  take  for  love  of  him  and  Princess  Coornandati." 

Here  Trimbuckjee  produced  from  the  multitudinous  foldings  of  his 
turban,  a  small  piece  of  a  goose-quill,  stopped  at  both  ends  with  wax. 

"What,  Trimbuckjee!"  I  exclaimed,  laughing;  "has  the  rajah 
sent  me  a  dose  of  poison  ?" 

"Ho!  sahib!"  replied  Trimbuckjee,  very  sententiously.  "You 
right;  'tis  poison,  and 'tis  not,  poison,  all  de  same  how  you  use  it." 

"  Well,  my  good  friend,"  I  exclaimed,  "  1  confess  I  cannot  under- 
stand the  marvellous  properties  of  that  which  is,  and  at  the  same 
time  is  not,  poison." 

"  There  it  is,  sahib,"  said  Trimbuckjee,  unfolding  the  contents  of 
the  quill.  "  You  may  make  that  poison  if  you  like ;  but  me  tink  you 
know  better." 

It  was  a  hoondie,  or  bill  of  exchange,  on  the  principal  Armenian 
house  in  Black  Town  for  ten  thousand  rupees. 

"  Oh  !  my  generous  rajpoot ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  Indeed  I  cannot 
accept  this  bounty  of  his.  I  am  already  more  than  rewarded  for  my 
trifling  services  by  the  splendid  present  of  her  highness,  and  the  dis- 
tinguished honour  it  has  conferred  upon  me.  Therefore,  Trimbuckjee, 
take  it  back,  with  my  grateful  thanks >: 

"  That,"  interrupted  Trimbuckjee,  "  would  cost  me  my  life.  When 
I  come  away,  rajah  make  me  swear  upon  de  Shastras,  dat  I  no  leave 
you  quiet  till  you  take  hoondie." 

"It  can't  be  helped,  Trimbuckjee,"  I  said;  "you  must  be  forsworn 
then,  for  I  cannot  take  it." 

"  But  dat  not  all,  sahib ;"  returned  Trimbuckjee.  "  Rajah  know 
you  not  like  take  money,  all  same  as  one  bunya ;  den  he  tink  first 
send  you  jewels  and  diamonds  ;  but  den  he  say  you  robbed  and 
swindled,  and  after  all  money  is  best,  and  he  swear  himself  by 
Shastras,  if  you  not  take,  he  will  cut  off  my  head." 

"  Then,  Trimbuckjee,"  I  replied,  "  you  must  go  headless  to  Indra's 
heaven,  for  I  cannot  accept  this  money;  and  I'm  sure  my  friend 
Croker  is  entirely  of  my  opinion." 

"  By  Jupiter,  then,  I'm  not ! "  said  Croker  with  vivacity.  "  Sec 
here,  now,  Percy  Blake,  this  is  the  state  of  the  case :  through  your 
means  the  rajah  has  got  a  most  beautiful  wife,  who  might  otherwise 
have  pined  to  death  in  her  cruel  captivity." 

"Dat  plenty  true,  Croke  Sahib,"  said  Trimbuckjee. 

"Not  only  that,"  continued  Croker;  "but  he  has  also  recovered 
his  kingdom,  for  which  he  did  not  dare  to  strike  a  blow  while  she 
was  a  prisoner." 

"Acha,  sahib!"  chimed  in  Trimbuckjee.  "No  pundit  in  all 
Benares  can  say  better  dan  Croke  Sahib." 

"  Now  I  understand,"  said  Croker,  "  that  the  revenue  of  Ruttun- 
poor  is  a  crore  and  a  half " 

"  Two  crore,"  interrupted  Trimbuckjee ;  "  two  crore,  every  cowrie 
of  it,  Croke  Sahib." 


THE  LAtJL-COPttA  BAZAAfc.  303 

"  Now  only  think,"  continued  Croker,  "  what  a  mere  flea-bite  ten 
thousand  rupees  is,  out  of  such  a  revenue  as  that." 

"  Acha !    Croke  Sahib  !    Bhote  acha ! "  cried  Trimbuckjee. 

"  Then,  again,"  resumed  Croker,  "  think  what  an  insult  you  would 
offer  to  the  proudest  people  on  earth,  if  you  reject  the  gift  of  this 
noble  Rajpoot ;  who  has  received  from  you  the  service  of  a  hero,  and 
.repays  it  like  a  generous  monarch." 

"  Jey  Baldeo ! "  exclaimed  Trimbuckjee.  "  You  plenty  too  much 
sense  got,  Croke  Sahib.  Me  tink  you  find  one  muutra*  in  jungle, 
when  you  hunt  ashgur  and  nilgaw." 

In  short,  I  was  at  length  prevailed  on  by  these  two  special 
pleaders,  and  at  length  accepted  the  hoondie,  which  removed  a  load 
of  cares  and  anxieties  from  the  mind  of  Trimbuckjee.  He  accord- 
ingly went  on  his  way  rejoicing,  the  bearer  of  two  very  grateful 
letters  from  me  to  the  rajah  and  ranee;  written  in  my  very  best 
Hindostanee,  with  a  broad-nibbed  reed  pen,  that  would  have  been  a 
treasure  to  Jean  Jacques  when  he  copied  music  for  his  livelihood. 

A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  Trimbuckjee,  Croker  exclaimed 
as  we  sat  down  to  breakfast,  rubbing  his  hands  in  high  glee, 

"  Percy,  my  boy,  I  have  such  a  treat  for  you ! " 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

"  You  are  always  wishing  for  a  change,"  he  replied ;  "  going  to 
this  tope,  or  to  that  pagoda,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash ;  as  if 
any  rational  being  ever  wished  to  go  anywhere  but  the  jungle." 

"  Quite  a  rational  place  of  amusement,"  I  said. 

"Now,  I'll  tell  you  where  we'll  go  to,"  continued  Croker;  "for 
you're  a  good  boy,  Percy,  in  spite  of  your  sneering.  We'll  go  to 
tulicat." 

"  Where  is  Pulicat?"  I  demanded. 

"  Oh,  Jupiter !"  exclaimed  Croker ;  "  you  don't  know  where  Pulicat 
is ;  and  you  a  poet,  and  painter,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash." 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  some  faint  recollection  of  having  read 
that  Pulicat  was  one  of  the  original  Dutch  settlements  on  the  Coro- 
mandel  coast,  where  they  made  the  famous  Pulicat  handkerchiefs " 

"  And  all  the  rest  of  the  balderdash,"  exclaimed  Croker,  breaking 
in  abruptly,  "  that  you  read  of  in  books.  Did  any  one,  I  wonder, 
ever  learn  anything  useful  from  books  ?  I  never  did,  for  I  never  read 
one  in  my  life.  Talk,  man,  talk  is  the  thing  to  drive  sense  into  a 
fellow's  noddle ;  learn  Telinga  and  Malabars,  and  talk  with  the 
jungle-wallahs ;  them's  the  fellows." 

"  But  what  of  Pulicat  ?"  I  demanded. 

"Why,  it's  the  loveliest  lake  you  ever  saw  in  your  life,"  he 
replied :  "  a  sheet  of  water  a  hundred  miles  in  circumference,  as 
smooth  as  a  mill-pond,  and  fringed  all  round  with  a  belt  of  the 
most  beautiful  jungle,  twenty  miles  across,  swarming  with  peacocks, 
jungle-fowl,  flamingos,  florikens,  and  the  most  lovely  boars,  with 
tusks  five  inches  long,  that  would  rip  you  up  before  you  could  say 
Jack  Robinson." 

"  That  is  an  inducement,"  I  replied. 

"  Silence,  you  monkey ! "  exclaimed  Croker,  absolutely  foaming 

*  A  wisdom-giving  spell. 


304  THE   YOTJXG   RIFLEMAN. 

with  the  onctlon  of  his  eloquent  description ;  "  antelopes,  cheetahs, 
and  black  bears." 

"  Are  there  any  boa-constrictors  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  by  Jupiter ! "  replied  Croker ;  "  see  if  I  don't  get  you  one  to 
sit  upon,  as  big  as  the  last.  But  you'll  come,  Percy,  won't  you?" 
he  continued,  in  a  wheedling  tone ;  "just  for  a  week's  sport  or  so." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  I  replied.  "  Anywhere  is  better  than  the 
Laul-copra  Bazaar  in  the  hot  winds." 

We  made  our  preparations  accordingly ;  and,  in  a  day  or  two  set 
off  with  rifles,  fowling-pieces,  shot-bags  and  game-bags,  hams,  tongues, 
Bengal-humps,  Laul  shraub,  tiger's  milk,  &c.  &c.,  attended  l)y  a 
score  of  dogs  of  all  breeds  and  nations,  with  as  many  peons,  maty- 
boys,  and  cowrie-coolies.  We  looked  like  a  Scythian  migration  from 
one  of  the  steppes  of  Tartary,  going  to  seek  a  new  settlement  in  some 
fresher  desert. 

After  a  pleasant  passage  of  six  hours  by  the  canal,  from  Madras, 
we  at  length  arrived  with  bag  and  baggage,  scrip  and  scrippage,  guns 
and  dogs, 

"  Mongrel,  puppy,  whelp,  and  hound, 
And  cur  of  low  degree," 

at  the  Kerrimungalum,  or,  as  it  is  called  by  Europeans,  the  Bentinck 
Bungalow,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake ;  where,  without  let  or 
hinderance,  we  established  our  head-quarters. 

"  My  dubash,  Moqto  Kistua,  having  hunted  up  a  couple  of  fine 
fowls  and  some  eggs  in  a  neighbouring  village,  soon  manufactured  a 
delectable  curry  for  us ;  which,  with  a  fry  of  fish  from  the  lake,t 
varied  with  cold  tongue  and  Bengal-hump,  satisfied  the  cravings  of 
the  inward  man.  We  then  adjourned  to  a  finely  chunamed  verandah, 
where,  each  with  a  cheroot  in  his  mouth  and  his  legs  cocked  up  on 
the  balustrade,  one  with  a  glass  of  sangaree  before  him  and  the  other 
a  ditto  of  brandy-paunee,  we  enjoyed  amazingly  the  scene  before  us. 

The  opposite,  or  western,  shore  of  the  lake,  which  is  here  about 
three  miles  wide,  was  flat,  and  seemed  prettily  diversified  with 
hamlets  and  villages,  embowered  in  the  deep  shade  of  mango  and 
tamarind  groves,  which  were  charmingly  reflected  in  the  glassy 
bosom  of  the  water;  and  over  these,  at  some  distance,  a  majestic 
range  of  mountains  stretched  their  blue  vapoury  outline  on  the 
horizon.  To  the  left  stood  the  ancient  and  almost  uninhabited  town 
of  Pulicat,  nearly  hidden  by  its  surrounding  foliage;  over  which 
peeped  the  dome  of  a  mosque,  the  tiny  spire  of  a  Christian  church, 
and  the  urns  that  crowned  a  few  lofty  tombs,  wherein  reposed  the 
ashes  of  the  earliest  European  settlers  on  this  side  of  India.  To  the 
right,  or  north  of  our  bungalow,  the  lake  stretched  away  to  a  distance 
of  forty  miles  ;  its  shores  fringed  with  masses  of  deep  foliage,  which 
vanished  by  degrees  in  the  vapoury  _  distance,  where  the  waters 
seemed  to  lave  the  base  of  a  lofty  chain  of  cerulean  mountains  that 
bounded  the  prospect. 

The  surface  of  this  splendid  piece  of  water  was  diversified  with 
several  islands,  all  luxuriantly  wooded ;  and  as  we  gazed  on  the  mag- 
nificent view,  we  laid  our  plans  for  the  morrow's  sport  in  that  won- 
derfully attractive  jungle,  which  seemed  to  offer  its  woodland  charms 


THE  LATJL-COPRA  BAZAAR.  305 

to  our  acceptance  in  such  glorious  profusion.  Happily,  as  if  to  faci- 
litate our  project,  a  handsome  boat  lay  moored  close  to  the  sandy 
beach  that  bounded  the  green  slope  which  stretched  from  our  bunga- 
low down  to  the  water-side :  this,  on  inquiry,  we  found  belonged, 
together  with  the  bungalow,  to  the  Madras  government ;  and  the 
peon  in  charge  of  the  whole  gave  us  carte  blanche  in  the  use  of  both, 
for  a  few  of  those  rupees  that  work  such  wonders  in  the  East. 

We  lost  no  time  in  availing  ourselves  of  the  sylvan  pleasures 
within  our  reach ;  ploughing  the  peaceful  waters  of  the  lake  with 
adventurous  prow  in  all  directions,  and  living  for  three  or  four  days 
together  in  the  wild  recesses  of  the  jungle ;  slaughtering  in  that  time 
more  of  the  ferae  naturce  than  any  two  idle  gentlemen  in  the  whole 
Carnatic. 

During  this  period  we  returned  occasionally  to  Bentinck  Bungalow, 
to  recruit  our  stock  of  European  luxuries,  and  to  despatch  presents 
of  game  to  our  numerous  friends  at  Madras,  and  other  places  in  its 
vicinity :  also  to  receive  and  answer  such  letters  on  business,  or 
pleasure,  as  might  find  us  out  in  our  solitude.  These  duties  de- 
spatched, we  returned  with  increased  zest  to  our  beloved  jungle. 

At  length  the  approach  of  the  north-west  monsoon  warned  me  to 
return  to  Black  Town,  that  I  _  might  be  ready  to  embark  without 
delay ;  as  the  arrival  of  the  China  fleet  was  looked  for  every  instant, 
and  ships  never  stopped  long  during  that  season,  at  their  dangerous 
anchorage  in  the  roadstead  of  Madras. 

Croker,  however,  prevailed  on  me  to  have  one  or  two  days'  more 
sport,  and  we  accordingly  started  one  morning  for  the  extreme  con- 
fines of  the  lake  about  forty  miles  distant;  our  only  companion  being 
Mustapha  Beg,  or  big,  as  we  called  him,  from  his  diminutive  size. 
This  was  a  Mussulman  maty-boy  of  Croker's ;  who  was  very  smart 
in  handling  the  sails,  tending  the  rigging,  and  running  aloft  to  over- 
haul tacks  and  sheets  that  sometimes  got  foul  in  our  manoeuvres : 
more  especially,  and  though  last  not  least  of  his  qualifications,  he 
was  an  admirable  hand  at  a  curry. 

After  a  good  long  sail,  for  there  was  not  much  of  a  breeze,  we  at 
length  arrived  at  a  part  of  the  jungle  that  was  altogether  fresh 
ground  to  us  ;  and  immediately  plunged  into  its  recesses  with  that 
undefinable  feeling  of  delight  which  the  free  and  independent  enjoy- 
ment of  nature  in  all  her  primeval  rudeness  never  fails  to  inspire. 

1  only  wish  the  reader  could  have  seen  us  in  this  savage  life  of 
ours?i  that  surpassed  in  simple  physicalt  enjoyment  any  other 
description  of  life  with  which  1  am  acquainted.  We  prepared  for 
the  labours  of  the  day  by  an  early  and  substantial  breakfast  of  tea, 
coffee,  eggs,  curry  and  rice,  and  wild-boar  steaks,  the  most  delicious 
thing  in  the  whole  range  of  gastronomy.  We  then  struck  into  the 
woods,  with  dogs  and  guns,  rifle  and  fowling-piece  each ;  which,  with 
game-bags  and  shot-belts,  were  carried  for  us  by  such  jungle-wallahs 
as  we  pressed  into  the  service  ;  who  also  carried  our  game  as  it  fell 
before  us— peacocks,  florikens,  antelopes,  boars,  &c. — for  we^rarely 
stooped  to  smaller  prey.  This  we  continued  till  five  or  six  o'clock, 
going  over  an  immense  space  of  ground  in  the  interim  :  being  gene- 
rally sheltered  from  the  sun  by  the  tamarind,  mango,  banyan,  and 

x 


306  THE  YOUNG  EIPLEHAK. 

numerous  other  lofty  trees ;  and  plunging  into  tlie  lake,  as  the  wind- 
ings of  our  course  brought  us  occasionally  upon  its  woody  banks. 
We  then  returned  to  our  bivouac,  where  Mustapha  had  our  table- 
cloth spread  under  the  huge  branches  of  a  wide-spreading  tree,  and 
loaded  with  all  sorts  of  roast,  and  boiled,  and  broiled,  and  devilled, 
and  barbecued  comestibles,  till  jaded  appetite  cried  "  Hold !  enough ! " 
Then,  with  coffee,  delicious  fruit,  pure  Madeira,  and  Bengal  cheroots, 
we  concluded  the  happy  day;  and  at  ten  o'clock  retired  to  our  boat, 
where  we  slept  secure  and  undisturbed  till  morning,  beneath  a  simple 
awning  of  cotton. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

THE  BREAK-UP  OF  THE  MOXSOON. 

THE  latter  part  of  this,  our  last  day,  had  been  uncommonly  sultry : 
the  breeze  had  died  away,  and  an  almost  suffocating  heat  compelled 
us  to  throw  off  every  article  of  dress  which  we  could  do  without,  as 
we  sat  enjoying  our  cheroots  and  brandy  pawnee,  after  a  late  and  ex- 
cellent jungle  dinner  in  which  the  culinary  powers  of  Mustapha 
had  been  exerted  to  the  utmost,  and  nothing  had  been  left  undone  to 
tempt  the  flagging  appetite  to  the  high  top-gallant  of  gastric 
happiness. 

But  a  nervous  restlessness  still  marred  the  fruition  of  our  festive 
pleasure.  Every  now  and  then  a  hollow  gust  would  sweep  moaning, 
as  it  were,  amongst  the  heavy  foliage  that  surrounded  us ;  and,  again 
subsiding,  would  leave  us  sweltering  in  intolerable  heat.  Occa- 
sionally, a  few  large  drops  of  rain  would  come  pattering  amongst  the 
leaves,  spreading  around  a  momentary  freshness ;  to  be  instantly 
succeeded,  however,  by  a  close  and  fetid  atmosphere,  charged  with 
mephitic  miasma,  and  bearing  upon  its  sluggish  tide  myriads  of  mus- 
quitoes,  »and-flies,  and  flying-bugs;  the  latter  incessantly  flouncing  into 
our  tumblers,  and  causing  an  immediate  necessity  for  a  fresh  brew. 

There  was  a  strange  unwonted  sound  also  in  the  jungle :  which  I 
can  no  otherwise  describe  than  as  a  congregating  and  a  creeping- 
together  of  all  its  savage  denizens,  to  hold  a  hushed  and  terrified 
consultation  on  some  approaching  convulsioi^  of  nature  that  was 
taming  their  innate  ferocity,  and  driving  them  into  unnatural  fellow- 
ship ;  while,  loud  and  stern,  the  deep,  hoarse  croaking  of  ten  thou- 
sand bull-frogs  soared  painfully  over  the  "  whispering  silence,"  in  a 
dismal  and  ominous  thorough  bass. 

"  Acha  ni,  sahib !  "  said  Mustapha,  with  a  suspicious  glance  at  the 
heavens,  which  still  displayed  a  clear,  unclouded  field  of  ether. 
"  S'pose  master  like  go  now ;  by-me-by  plenty  bobbery  come." 

We  lingered,  however,  for  another  hour,  talking  over  the  pleasures 
of  the  day,  and  the  occupations  of  the  morrow ;  and  we  then  pre- 
pared to  'depart  for  the  shelter  of  our  bungalow,  which  we  began 
already  to  wish  for.  Everything  was,  therefore,  huddled  into  the 
baskets  with  very  little  ceremony;  the  baskets  bundled  into  the 


THE  BREAK-UP  OF  THE  MONSOON.  307 

boat,  the  dogs  impatiently  ( scrambling  in  altogether,  yelping  and 
floundering  in  the  water :  the  painter  was  then  cast  loose  from  the 
stem  of  a  cocoanut-tree  to  which  our  vessel  had  been  moored ;  and, 
jumping  aboard  ourselves,  we  pushed  off  from  the  shore. 

Our  "boat  was  one  of  the_ flat-bottomed  class  in  general  use  .upon 
the  lake  ;  which,  abounding  in  shoals  and  shallows,  requires  vessels 
of  small  draught  for  its  difficult  and  sometimes  dangerous  naviga- 
tion. It  was  cutter-rigged,  with  a  heavy  mast  and  booms,  a  very 
large  fore-and-aft  mainsail,  and  a  large  mizensail.  It  was,  in  fact, 
overrigged  and  topheavy,  not  having  ^  sufficient  hold  of  the  water  to 
counterbalance  the  strain  aloft ;  but  it  being  almost  a  dead  calm,  we 
had  every  stitch  of  canvass  spread,  in  hopes  to  catch  the  faint  breeze 
that  scarcely  rippled  the  smooth  surface  of  the  lake. 

We  did  accordingly  catch  it,  and  with  a  vengeance  •  for  suddenly 
the  sky  was  overcast  with  thick  portentous  clouds.  The  wind  blew 
in  fierce  and  hollow  gusts  that  sent  us  spinning  through  the  water, 
gunwale  under;  while  the  tops  of  incipient  billows  began  to  curl 
aloft  on  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  lately  as  calm  and  tranquil  as  a  trea- 
cherous smile  on  the  features  of  my  friend  Slimley. 

"'Tis  the  break-up  of  the  monsoon,  sure  enough,"  said  Croker, 
whose  features  assumed  a  livid  paleness,  as  a  tremendous  flash  of 
lightning  burst  from  an  angry  cloud  overhead  j  while  heaven's  dread 
artillery  poured  forth  a  continuous  series  of  frightful  explosions,  that 
seemed  to  shake  the  earth  to  its  very  centre. 

"  llun  up,  Mustapha ! "  I  shouted,  as  I  held  a  firm  grasp  of  the 
tiller,  "  and  clear  that  topsail  halyard ;  for  we  must  strike  our  sky- 
scrapers, or  we  shall  soon  go  to  Davy  Jones's  locker." 

The  boy  bounded  up  with  alacrity,  clinging  like  a  mountain-cat  to 
our  simple  rigging ;  and  he  was  speedily  seated  astride  on  the  cross- 
trees,  taking  in  the  topsail. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Croker,  "  if  the  lake  is  deep  hereabouts,  for  by 
Jupiter,  I  can't  swim  a  stroke  ;  but  as  I'm  a  tall  fellow,  I  may  have 
some  chance  of  keeping  my  chin  above  water,  if  I  can  only  touch  the 
bottom  with  my  toes." 

He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words,  when  a  hurricane  blast  struck 
us  with  such  fury,  that  we  upset  in  an  instant ;  and  all  were  engulfed 
in  the  boiling  flood,  which  now  raged  with  unmitigated  strife,  as  if 
lashed  into  endless  commotion  by  all  the  winds  of  heaven. 

But  I  speedily  regained  the  surface,  and  eagerly  grappled  with  the 
first  object  that  met  my  hand.  This  was  a  conglomeration  of  mast, 
booms,  and  sails,  which  had  fortunately  been  blovvn  all  together  right 
out  of  the  boat,  and  floated  buoyantly  upon  the  billowy  surface  of  the 
lake.  The  mast  had  fallen  across  the  booms ;  and  all  three  being 
connected  together  by  the  sails  and  rigging,  a  species  of  raft  was  thus 
formed,  which  now  alone  stood  between  us  and  destruction. 

To  my  delight,  as  I  grappled  one  end  of  the  mast,  I  saw  Croker 
holding  on  firmly  at  the  other.  Our  boat  was  gone  to  the  bottom, 
where  I  took  it  for  granted  that  poor  Mustapha  was  also  lodged ;  as 
my  repeated  calls  on  his  name  met  with  no  other  response  than  the 
steady  and  tremendous  howling  of  the  wind.  The  dogs  were  all 
scattered  about,  swimming  for  bare  life,  and  yelping  piteously.  I 


308  THE  YOUNG  BIFLEMAN. 

gave  two  or  three  of  them  shelter  on  our  raft ;  but  the  remainder 
soon  after  disappeared  in  the  deepening  gloom  and  thundering  noise 
of  the  tempest. 

It  was  pitch-dark ;  but  a  lurid  gieam  occasionally  swept  over  the 
waste  of  waters,  imparting  to  every  object  a  sickly  and  mysterious 
tinge ;  while,  as  I  looked  on  my  fellow-sufferer,  now  within  a  few 
yards  of  me,  methought  the  hue  of  death  was  already  impressed  upon 
nis  features. 

"  Hollo  !  Croker,"  I  exclaimed  in  a  cheerful  voice,  "  how  goes  it, 
old  fellow  ?  " 

"By  Jupiter,  Percy,"  he  replied,  "that  was  a  blast!  I  wonder  if 
we  shall  ever  get  out  of  this  infernal  mess." 

"  To  be  sure  we  shall,"  I  said.  _ "  Some  boat  or  other  will  pick  us 
up,  when  the  first  fury  of  the  gale  is  past." 

"  But  when  will  that  be  ? "  demanded  Croker.  t "  You  don't  know 
these  storms  as  well  as  I  do,  Percy.  They  sometimes  last  for  three 
or  four  days ;  sometimes  for  a  whole  week,  as  bad,  ay,  and  worse 
than  the  present ;  so  that  no  boat  will  venture  to  cross  the  lake  for 
some  time  to  come." 

"  That's  a  bad  look  out,"  I  returned ;  "  but  let  us  hope  for  the 
best,  and  never  say  die  till  we're  kilt." 

"  Whatever  you  do,"  said  Croker,  "  don't  let  go  your  hold  on  that 
end  of  the  mast ;  for  if  you  do,  I  must  sink." 

"Fear  not,  old  fellow,  I  said ;  "though  I  know  I  could  easily  swim 
to  shore,  I'll  never  do  so  at  your  expense." 

It  was  indeed  a  very  frail  and  uncertain  bulwark  that  now  stood 
between  us  and  our  fate;  for  the  mast  lay  across  the  booms  in  so 
slippery  a  manner,  that  the  slightest  extra  motion  at  either  end,  to 
which  Croker  and  I  clung  with  tenacious  death-grasp,  would  destroy 
the  balance  on  which  our  lives  depended.  Self-preservation,  there- 
fore, kept  us  very  quiet  and  watchful  of  our  equilibrium ;  and  I  had 
frequently  even  to  scold  the  poor  dogs  for  endangering  it,  when,  in 
their  solicitude,  they  would  creep  from  the  centre  of  the  raft,  and  lick 
our  hands  in  token  of  affection. 

Meanwhile,  the  tempest  was  raging  with  ungovernable  fury.  It 
seemed  like  the  "  crack  of  doom ;"  and  I  almost  expected  that  every 
instant  the  solid  globe,  unable  to  sustain  the  battling  of  the  elements, 
would  split  into  millions  of  fragments,  and  all  fly  off  into  interminable 
space.  The  lightning  flashed  incessantly,  rending  the  massy  curtains 
of  the  clouds  with  streaks  of  unimaginable  brilliancy;  while  the 
awful  peals  of  thunder,  reverberating  through  the  hollow  concave, 
startled  the  very  soul  with  their  unspeakable  grandeur. 

Anon,  the  flood-gates  of  heaven  were  let  loose,  and  the  rain  de- 
scended, not  in  torrents,  but  in  water-spouts ;  masses  of  the  angry 
fluid,  beating  us  down  with  irresistible  fury;  as  if  determined  to 
dispute  the  honour  of  drowning  us,  with  the  world  of  waters  in  which 
we  were  already  engulfed,  and  struggling  for  existence.  It  was 
awful  to  witness  the  contest  that  seemed  to  rage  between  two  such 
dissimilar  bodies  of  the  same  element :  the  rain  one  moment  beating 
down  the  waves  into  something  like  a  sullen  calm,  and  the  next,  the 
waves  dashing  upwards  their  saucy  heads,  as  if  in  bold  defiance ; 


THE  BREAK-TIP  OF  THE  MONSOOK.  309 

while,  ever  and  anon,  a  furious  blast  would  come  skirling  along,  and 
scatter  the  impotent  combatants  in  showers  of  vapoury  mist  along 
the  agitated  surface. 

"  By  Jupiter  !  this  is  a  regular  forlorn  hope,"  sighed  poor  Croker. 
"  I  have  never  led  one  myself,  but  you  have,  Percy,  and  can  tell  us  if 
there  be  any  difference." 

"  So  much,"  I  replied.  "  that  I  would  rather  lead  fifty  than  endure 
this  agonizing  life  in  death  for  another  day.  In  a  storming  party, 
Croker,  you  have  the  certainty  of  speedy  conquest,  or  sudden  death  : 
the  hope  of  glory,  the  excitement,  the  emulation,  the  actual  frenzy  of 
the  fight ;  with  the  shouts  of  admiration  that  urge  you  on,  and  crown 
you  on  the  summit  of  victory.  But  this  is  dying  like  a  dog ;  suffering- 
whole  hours  and  days  under  the  infliction  of  every  physical  evil, 
while  the  mind  itself  is  chilled,  cowed,  and  beaten  down  with 
despair." 

That's  it,"  returned  Croker ;  "  I've  stood  face  to  face,  both  bar- 
rels empty,  with  a  tiger  in  the  jungle ;  and  I  never  had  the  feeling  of 
dread  that  is  now  coming  over  me." 

I  endeavoured  to  laugh  Croker  out  of  his  panic;  and,  strange  to 
say,  there  was  a  momentary  lull  in  the  tempest,  as  if  the  very  ele- 
ments were  startled  at  the  ghastly  merriment  of  a  perishing  wretch 
like  me.  But  it  soon  came  on  again,  with  tenfold  fury  ;  the  constant 
howling  of  the  wind  surpassing  everything  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge  or  conception,  except  it  be  the  continuous  roaring  of  teii 
thousand  lions  :  and  though,  occasionally,  a  pale  glimmer  would  steal 
over  j.he  leaden  hue  of  the  heavens,  a  feeble  indication  of  the  still 
existing  sun,  it  would  speedily  disappear,  and  all  again  resume  the 
sable  tint  of  death.  Our  long  immersion  in  the  water  had  benumbed 
our  limbs,  the  extremities  of  which  were  seized  with  frequent  cramps; 
our  half-naked  bodies  were  shivering  with  cold ;  our  entrails  torn 
with  the  pangs  of  hunger ;  and  our  throats  parched  with  a  raging 
thirst  (Pulicat  being  a  salt-water  lake),  which  it  was  useless  to 
endeavour  to  assuage  by  holding  our  mouths  open  to  receive  the 
rain-drops,  as  they  fell  thick  and  heavy  upon  us  and  around  us. 

But  vain  are  the  efforts  of  language  to  describe  the  breaking  up  of 
the  Indian  monsoon,  a  periodical  phenomenon  that  must  be  seen  and 
felt  to  be  thoroughly  understood.  With  a  mortifying  consciousness 
of  my  own  feeble  powers,  I  retire  from  the  hopeless  task,  and  beg  the 
reader  to  imagine  that  for  two  whole  days  and  nights  we  were  thus 
exposed  to  the  unmitigated  fury  of  the  tempest ;  drenched,  cold, 
shivering,  hungry,  and  hopeless.  During  that  period  not  a  sail  had 
appeared  in  sight ;  and  nothing  had  responded  to  our  frequent  cries 
and  shouts,  but  the  wild  shrieking  of  a  sea-gull  equally  helpless  as 
ourselves. 

The  morning  of  the  third  day,  which  rose  gloomy  and  tempestuous 
like  the  preceding,  found  us  dreadfully  stiff,  benumbed  and  exhausted ; 
especially  poor  Croker,  whose  strength  had  been  much  reduced  by  a 
long  attack  of  jungle  fever.  Pie  frequently  slipped  from  his  hold, 
which  with  difficulty  he  recovered  again,  and  was  evidently  becoming 
weaker  at  every  effort.  At  last,  he  said,  in  a  tremulous  voice: — 

"  By  Jupiter !  Percy,  there's  no  use  in  it.    I'm  as  weak  as  water, 


310  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

and  my  bands  have  lost  their  grip  entirely.  You  must  cut  and  run, 
Percy.  Swim  for  your  life,  my  boy,  and  leave  me  to  my  fate. 

"3$To!"  1  said,  "Croker,  I'll  never  desert  you  while  there's  a 
spark  of  life  in  your  body.  Besides,  to  tell  God's  truth,  I  don't  think 
I  have  strength  enough  left  to  swim  ashore  now." 

"  Percy,"  said  my  poor  friend,  as  he  turned  his  now  feeble  gaze 
upon  me.  "  You're  are  a  great  book  fellow,  Percy,  and  have  read  a 
thousand  things  that  I  never  even  dreamt  of.  What  do  you  think  the 
next  world  is  like  ?  " 

""Who  can  tell?"  1  replied,  "nobody  has  ever  returned  to  describe 
it;  and  we  have  really  nothing  to  depend  upon,  on  that  point  at  least, 
but  imaginary  pictures  drawn  by  poets,  philosophers,  and  religious 
enthusiasts." 

"  Oh,  murder ! "  exclaimed  Croker,  "  is  that  all  ?  Then  it's  a  blue 
look-out,  Percy." 

"But,  instead  of  a  fanciful  description  of  the  9ther  world,"  I  said, 
"we  have  the  consolations  of  religion,  the  promise  of  salvation,  and 
the  innate  and  unquenchable  conviction  of  the  justice  and  mercy  of 
the  Creator,  who  will  reward  or  punish  us  according  to  our  works." 

"Ay,"  said  Croker,  "that's  my  hope  after  all:  for  I  have  done  as 
much  good  and  as  little  harm  as  I  could  in  this  world,  unless  shooting 
tigers  and  wild  boars  be  a  crime  ;  and  I  always  observed  the  ten  com- 
mandments. I  never  drew  a  graven  image  in  my  life,  Percy ;  and  I  never 
could  make  even  pot-hooks  and  hangers  like  anything  in  this  world, 
or  the  world  above.  I  never  committed  a  robbery  or  a  murder,  Percy, 
except  stealing  apples  at  school,  and  shooting  Pindarries  in  the  way 
of  business.  I  never  bore  false  witness  on  a  court-martial ;  or  other- 
wise and  never  coveted  any  man's  wife  but  Old  Nick's,  and  he  was 
no  neighbour  of  mine.  I  honour  my  father  and  mother,  Percy,  and 
have  sent  them  several  tiger-skins,  besides  China  crape  shawls  and 
strings  of  carnelians  to  my  sisters.  I  never  coveted  any  one's  goods, 
except  once  an  American  rifle — such  a  beauty,  Percy;  stock  and 
barrel  all  the  same  piece  of  iron,  but  still  only  feather-weight,  it  was 
so  nicely  balanced.  Adultery,  I  believe,  _  means  manslaughter,  or 
bigamy,  and  I  don't  rightly  understand  which ;  but  thank  goodness, 
I  never  committed  either  of  them  to  my  knowledge.  As  for  keeping 
holy  the  Sabbath,"  said  the  poor  penitent,  "  Pm  afraid  I  must  plead 
guilty,  and  throw  myself  on  the  mercy  of  the  court ;  but  not  to  the  full 
extent  of  the  crime  charged :  for  I'never  had  sous  and  daughters  to 
break  the  Sabbath,  unless  you  count  three  or  four  little  whitey-brown 
pagans,  that  haven't  a  soul  to  be  saved  amongst  the  whole  lot.  As  for 
men-servants  and  maid-servants,  there  are  no  such  things  in  India. 
Percy,  they're  all  boys  and  finished  women  in  this  country ;  and  I'll 
engage  that  my  Irish  mastiff,  Morgan  Rattler,  would  soon  settle  the 
hash  of  any  stranger  that  ventured  within  myt  gates  :  that  means,  I 
suppose,  the  milk  hedge  of  my  compound,  which  had  a  great  many 
gates,  as  you  well  know,  Percy.  In  everything  else,  Percy,  I've  done 
my  duty  like  a  man,  and  all  the  rest  is  balderdash — ' 

With  this  favourite  and  comprehensive  term  on  his  lips,  poor 
Croker  let  go  his  hold,  and  went  guggling  to  the  bottom. 

Soon  after  the  final  disappearance  of  my  lamented  friend,  I  made  an 


A  GLIMPSE   OF  HEAVEN,  311 

attempt  to  swim  ashore ;  but  I  found  it  vain  to  struggle  with  the 
tempest,  in  the  exhausted  state  of  my  physical  powers.  I  therefore, 
returned  to  the  mast,  booms,  and  sails,  which  were  now  lumped 
together  in  a  way  that  oft'ered  something  in  the  shape  of  a  resting 
place.  Having  succeeded  to  the  sole  inheritance  of  this  last  asylum, 
I  threw  myself  down  upon  it,  with  my  body  half  immersed  in  water ; 
while  my  spaniel,  Dash,  the  only  dog  now  left,  crouched  down  by  my 
side,  occasionally  licking  my  hands  and  face,  and  looking  dolefully 
upwards,  as  the  tempest  beat  against  his  shivering  sides. 

In  this  helpless  position,  recommending  my  soul  to  the  mercy  of 
its  divine  Author,  I  patiently  await  the  stroke  of  death.  It  came,  at 
length,  as  I  imagined;  for  a  period  of  tranquillity  succeeded  the 
hungry  gnawing  which  had  so  long  disturbed  me,  and  closing  my  eyes, 
I  slept,  as  I  supposed,  to  awake  in  eternity. 


CHAPTER  LXV.   - 

A  GLIMPSE  OF  HEAVEN. 

BUT  I  was  mistaken :  the  end  was  not  yet,  and  further  scenes  and 
trials  lay  before  me. 

I  must  have  been  insensible  for  several  hours ;  and  when  at  length 
I  came  to  my  recollection,  and  contrasted  the  scene  of  complicated 
horrors  I  had  last  witnessed,  with  the  perfectly  tranquil  state  in 
which  I  now  was,  I  could  only  come  to  one  conclusion — that  my 
spirit  had  winged  its  flight  from  the  troubled  scenes  of  earthly  exist- 
ence, and  was  now  at  last  in  the  regions  of  the  blest. 

Oh  !  what  rapture  filled  my  bosom  at  the  thought  of  my  beatitude ! 
What  unspeakable  ecstasy  thrilled  through  my  veins,  and  vibrated  in 
my  heart  of  hearts ;  to  find  that  I  was  at  length  released  from  the 
heavy  load  of  early  corruption,  and  that  yet  my  spirit  was  free  from 
those  unendurable  and  never-ending  pangs  to  which  poor  humanity 
is  doomed  for  the  few  fleeting,  transitory,"  momentary  frailties  of  its 
mortal  state!  What  delight  to  be  within  the  very  precincts  of 
heaven— in  the  awful  presence,  perhaps,  of  the  Deity  himself !  To 
be  summoned  to  add  my  feeble  voice  to  the  universal  hymn  of  praise 
resounding  eternally  from  the  angelic  choir !  To  be  called  upon  in 
my  turn  (for  the  mortal  soldier  still  prevailed  in  my  breast)  to  join 
the  heavenly  host  of  guardian  seraphim,  who,  night  and  day,  or  rather 
throughout  the  one  glorious  and  eternal  sunshine,  keep  watch  and 
ward  around  the  throne  of  ineffable  brightness,  before  which  even  the 
angelic  gaze  falls  abashed  in  awe  and  wonder  ! 

And  then,  again,  what  bliss  did  I  not  anticipate  from  beholding 
once  more  amidst  the  heavenly  host,  purified  from  every  mortal  stain, 
those  dear  beings  with  whom  my  affections  had  been  closely  linked  in 
a  prior  state  of  existence!  To  blend  my  spirit  with  theirs  in^that 
seraphic  communion,  the  unspeakable  reward  of  the  good  and  just ! 
To  fly  with  them  over  illimitable  space,  in  speechless  admiration  of 
the  power  of  God,  evinced  in  the  countless  worlds  of  his  boundless 
creation  ;  and  to  watch  and  guard,  if  so  permitted,  the  erring  foot 


312  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

steps  of  those  dear  beings  who  still  lingered  upon  earth !  Nor  with 
less  joy  did  I  look  forward  to  a  mutual  recognition,  and  a  happy 
meeting  with  those  poets,  sages,  legislators,  patriots,  and  warriors  of 
antiquity,  who  might  be  deemed  worthy  of  admission  into  paradise, 
without  reference  to  age  or  clime :  those  "  Christians  before  Chris- 
tianity," in  short,  who  like  Socrates  had  given,  in  the  p_urity  of  their 
lives  and  the  unerring  wisdom  of  their  precepts,  certain  indications 
of  the  divine  spirit  that  inspired  them.  To  mingle  on  an  equal  footing 
with  these  immortal  luminaries,  and  to  listen  to  their  seraphic  dis- 
course, filled  my  bosom  with  anticipations  of  insupportable  joy ;  till, 
overwhelmed,  as  it  were,  by  the  bright  ecstatic  vision,  my  senses 
wandered,  and  I  slept  again. 

From  this  ethereal  doze— and  I  now  found  that  even  the  angels 
sleep — I  was  soon  after  awakened  by  a  delightful  strain  of  simple 
melody  that  pervaded  the  place  in  which  I  lay;  so  soft,  so  delicate, 
so  pathetic,  that  my  soul  was  touched,  tears  gushed  from  my  eyes, 
and  I  mentally  ejaculated,  "  This  sure,  is  heaven !  Nothing  earthly 
can  resemble  this  !  " 

And  yet,  every  object  around  me  bore  so  close  a  resemblance  to 
things  familiar  to  me  in  the  other  world,  that  I  was  _  quite  amazed  at 
the  trifling  change  which  had  occurred  in  the  transition.  I  was  lying 
in  a  delightfully  soft  bed,  the  sheets  and  curtains  of  which  were  white 
as  the  driven 'snow,  while  the  sun  was  shining  brightly  through 
an  open  casement,  and  fell  upon  chairs,  tables,  and  other  well- 
known  objects,  of  highly-polished  teak  and  blackwood.  _  A  ma- 
hogany embroidery-frame  stood  by  the  casement — and  near  it  sat  an 
angel ! 

An  angel !  Yes,  there  could  be  no  question  about  that,  at  least : 
she  was  so  young,  so  lovely,  so  perfect  in  form  and  feature,  and  so 
redolent  of  ethereal  bliss,  that  my  doubts,  if  any  I  had,  all  vanished, 
and  I  listened  with  intense  delight  to  the  sweetly  plaintive  notes 
she  was  drawing  from  a  tiny  flageolet,  or  serenata, — the  music  which 
had  first  struck  my  ravished  ears  when  I  awoke  from  all  the  gross 
delusions  of  my  earthly  naturean  a  world  of  pure  celestial  spirits. 

I  spoke  not,  1  moved  not,  I  scarcely  breathed,  lest  my  guardian 
angel,  as  1  took  the  form  to  be,  should  vanish  into  air  and  leave  me 
once  more  alone  and  desolate.  But  a  few  minutes  only  had  elapsed 
when,  the  spirit  moving  its  head,  our  eves  encountered.  With  a  sudden 
spring,  half  joyful,  half  terrified,  she  threw  away  the  flageolet,  clapped 
her  hands,  and  ran  out  of  the  apartment,  uttering  something  or  other 
which  I  could  not  comprehend,  in  Dutch. 

Yes,  Dutch  it  certainly  was — Low  Dutch !  In  that,  at  least,  I 
could  not  be  mistaken ;  and  exceedingly  mortified  I  felt  on  finding 
so  vile  a  language  spoken  in  heaven.  A  terrible  suspicion,  however, 
crossed  my  mind,  and  I  asked  myself,  "  Can  it  be  possible  that  I  am 
still  upon  earth,  in  that  horrid  land  of  frogs,  and  vrows,  and  agues  ?  " 
But  in  my  fancied  wisdom,  I  exclaimed,  "  There  is  an  infallible  test, 
—the  teeth  !  the  teeth !  " 

The  vision  had  now  returned,  and  approached  my  bedside  with 
noiseless  footsteps.  I  immediately  exclaimed,  in  Erench  :— 

"  Sweet  angel !  let  me  look  at  your  teeth ! " 


A  GLIMPSE  OF  HEAVEN.  313 

"  Voila  ! "  she  replied,  in  the  same  language,  "  behold  !  "  and 
drawing  back  her  lips,  she  displayed  two  perfect  rows  of  the  purest 
and  most  pearly  texture.^ 

"That  settles  the  point,"  I  said  to  myself;  "no  earfhly  Dutch- 
woman ever  had  such  a  mouthful  of  ivory  as  that.  An  angel,  of  course, 
she  must  be  ;  purified  from  all  the  dross  of  her  earthly  nature." 

At  that  moment,  another  spirit,  of  matronly  appearance,  bearing 
a  singular  likeness  to  the  first,  entered  the  apartment ;  and  ap- 
proaching the  bed,  the  younger  one  said,  in  French,  "  His  mind  still 
wanders,  mamma :  the  first  words  he  uttered  were,  that  I  should 
show  him  my  teeth." 

The  matronly  angel  smiled  benignantly;  then  retiring  for  a 
moment,  she  returned  with  a  salver  in  her  hand,  on  which  stood  a 
china  basin  that  emitted  a  savoury  odour,  while  a  light  curling  vapour 
ascended  from  its  brim. 

Taking  a  spoon,  that  looked  like  earthly  silver,  she  fed  me  from 
the  contents  of  the  basin ;  which  seemed  to  me  so  like  delicious  soup, 
that  I  said  to  myself,  as  if  thinking  aloud,  "  3Tis  strange  that  every- 
thing should  be  so  like  the  world  I  have  left ;  and  still  more  singular 
that  I  should  retain  my  earthly  appetite  to  a  degree  which  this 
ambrosia  cannot  satisfy." 

A  smile  of  intelligence  passed  between  the  two  spirits ;  the 
younger  one  glided  from  the  apartment,  and  soon  returned  with 
another  salver,  bearing  a  china  plate  with  a  leg  and  wing  of  a  chicken, 
to  all  appearance ;  and  a  wine-glass  of  amber-coloured  fluid,  which 
on  tasting  I  found  to  resemble  Madeira.  These  good  things  having 
despatched,  I  felt  satisfied,  consoled,  as  it  were  in  the  regions  of 
the  stomach  ;  and  silent  smiles  of  mutual  gratification  were  exchanged 
between  me  and  my  celestial  attendants. 

My  mind,  as  1  thought,  was  perfectly  collected  at  the  time ;  and 
yet  I  could  not  recollect  that  I  had  ever  heard  enumerated  amongst 
the  enjoyments  of  heaven,  and  the  beatitudes  of  the  blest,  the  luxury 
of  lying  in  bed  all  day,  and  being  fed  by  ministering  angels  with  am- 
brosia resembling  so-upe  a  la  Julienne.  But  I  argued  the  matter  in 
this  way:  I  was  either  ^dead  or  alive,  that  was  certain  :  if  dead,  how 
could  I  possibly  be  subject  to  the  gross  appetites  of  material  exist- 
ence ?  And  if  alive,  how  could  I  be  ministered  unto  by  angels,  as 
they  evidently  were  ?  My  mind  was  sadly  perplexed  by  the  gravity 
of  this  dilemma ;  between  the  horns  of  which,  laying  my  head  back 
upon  my  pillow,  my  eyes  closed,  my  thoughts  became  confused,  a 
deep  slumber  usurped  all  my  faculties. 

On  awaking,  I  again  heard  the  music  of  the  evening  before.  My 
guardian  angel  was  at  her  post ;  but  her  strain  was  now  more  cheer- 
ful and  more  elaborate,  displaying  a  perfection  of  skill  that  brought 
out  the  whole  powers  of  the  instrument ;  while,  as  the  divisions  fol- 
lowed each  other  in  a  rapid  series  of  ad  libitum  passages,  the  whole 
were  embellished  with  trills,  graces,  and  appogiaturas,  that  made  me 
fancy  I  was  listening  to  a  concert  of  the  most  delightful  singing-birds 
that  ever  were  created  in  earth  or  heaven. 

It  seemed  to  be  morning,  for  the  light  was  chaste  and  silvery;  the 
air  was  fresh,  and  the  perfume  of  a  thousand  flowers  pervaded  the 


314  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

apartment.  I  felt  wonderfully  renovated  by  the  balmy  breath  of 
early  day,  and  entirely  free  from  that  sultry  oppressiveness  that  was 
wont  to  weigh  down  my  spirits  when  clogged  with  all  my  fleshly 
incumbrances.  My  mind  was  in  a  delirium  of  joy ;  and,  though  I 
felt  excessively  weak  in  my  bodily  _  functions,  yet  I  knew  that, 
being  just  born  into  a  new  state  of  existence,  I  could  as  vet  be 
nothing  more  than  a  little  child,  for  "  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven ! " 

At  the  conclusion  of  these  reveries,  my  eyes  met  those  of  my 
guardian  angel,  radiant  with  joy,  and  happiness,  and  love. 

As  usual,  when  the  bright  spirit  saw  that  I  was  awake,  she 
vanished  from  the  apartment,  but  soon  returned  with  her  elderly  com- 
panion, both  laden  with  the  morning  refection,  which  bore  so  strong 
a  resemblance  to  an  earthly  breakfast  that,  after  1  had  partaken  of 
it  very  heartily,  I  began  to  suspect  that  my  vision  was  not  of  so 
celestial  a  nature  as  I  at  first  supposed.  My  thoughts,  however,  still 
wandered,  my  mental  and  physical  powers  being  those  of  an  infant ; 
my  body  was  exceedingly  weak,  my  head  confused,  and  I  sank  again 
into  a  long  and  refreshing  slumber. 

But,  not  to  tire  the  patience  of  the  reader,  it  will  suffice  to  say, 
that  three  days  more  of  this  kind,  judicious  treatment  effectually 
brought  me  to  my  senses ;  the  scales  fell  from  my  eyes,  and  I  saw 
everything  in  its  real  state  :  a  discovery  which  at  first  gave  me  infi- 
nite pain  and  vexation,  though  the  continued  presence  of  my  angelic 
mortal  attendants  soon  reconciled  me  to  the  change. 

From  them  1  learned  that  I  owed  my  preservation  to  Mynheer  Van 
Hogendorp,  a  Dutch  gentleman  of  Pul'icat,  in  whose  house  I  now  lay. 
After  the  fury  of  the  tempest  had  abated,  he  was  fortunately  return- 
ing in  a  market  boat  from  a  village  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the  lake, 
when  he  discovered  me  lying  upon  the  raft  which  Providence  had  so 
kindly  formed  for  my  preservation.  A  dog  was  found  lying  across 
my  apparently  dead  body,  as  if  to  keep  it  warm  •  and  being  in  the 
last  stage  of  existence,  with  a  faint  yelp  he  yielded  up  his  life  and 
charge  together.  Finding  that  the  vital  spark  was  not  yet  extinct, 
Yan  Hogendorp  had  the  charity  t9  bring  me  to  his  house ;  where, 
confiding  me  to  the  care  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  to  their  gentle 
and  skilful  attentions  I  owe  my  almost  miraculous  rescue  from  the 
tomb. 

In  a  few  days  more,  Elise,  for  so  my  guardian  angel  was  called, 
and  Madame  Hogendorp,  her  mother,  a  lady  of  French  extraction 
from  Pondicherry,  finding  that  I  was  now  so  much  better,  were  less 
frequent  in  their  visits  to  my  bedside.  The  further  progress  of  my 
cure  was  confided  to  two  careful  and  attentive  domestics,  under 
whose  skilful  management  I  was  soon  enabled  to  leave  my  bed,  and 
walk  about  a  little;  being  treated  every  now  and  then,  with  a  glimpse 
of  Elise,  as  she  looked  in  smilingly,  to  see  how  I  was  getting  on. 

But  1  pined  for  that  glorious  apparition  which  had  first  struck  my 
sight,  on  awaking  from  my  trance ;  and  I  soon  left  my  apartment,  to 
mingle  with  the  family,  partaking  of  their  meals  with  all  the  easy 
familiarity  of  a  son  and  a  brother;  thus,  in  the  delicious  cool  of  the 
evening,  seated  in  the  garden,  between  the  mother  and  daughter, 


THE  MAID  OP  THE  LAKE.  315 

Mynheer  smoking  his  meerschaum  at  a  little  distance,  I  enjoyed  the 
melody  of  Elise's  flageolet,  and  the  simple  but  edifying  conversation 
of  her  parents. 

With  pain,  however,  I  saw  that  my  worthy  Dutch  preserver  was 
rather  straitened  in  his  circumstances  ;  for  he  had  little  or  nothing 
to  support  his  family  but  the  pension  allowed  by  the  Company  to  all 
the  surviving  descendants  of  those  early  settlers  who  founded  this 
once  flourishing  colony.  I,  therefore,  proposed  to  Mynheer  Van 
Hogendorp,  that  he  should  receive  me  as  a  boarder  in  his  house,  and 
accept  of  the  first  month's  stipend  in  advance,  which  latter  stipula- 
tion he  only  agreed  to  after  much  solicitation  on  my  part. 

Having  procured  a  messenger  for  Bentinck  Bungalow,  I  ordered 
my  dubash  to  come  over  to  Pulicat,  with  all  the  luggage,  as  speedily 
as  possible  ;  and  he  soon  after  arrived,  with  a  boat-load,  which  made 
the  simple  inhabitants  of  this  decayed  settlement  look  upon  me  as  a 
person  of  some  consequence.  Mooto  Kistna,  I  thought,  would  have 
gone  out  of  his  wits  with  joy,  when  he  saw  me  thus  like  one  restored 
from  the  dead;  but  he  did  not  evince  much  sorrow  for  the  loss  of 
Croker.  This  was  not  for  want  of  proper  feeling,  of  which  he  had  a 
reasonable  share ;  but  the  Hindoos  do  not  grieve  as  we  do  for  the 
dead,  whom  they  rather  look  upon  as  fortunate  in  being  provided  for, 
and  freed  from  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  this  difficult  world.  _  The 
custom  of  cremation,  also,  by  removing  from  their  eyes  all  visible 
mementos  of  departed  relatives  and  friends,  materially  tends  to  this 
apparent  want  of  sensibility. 

Mooto  Kistna  brought  me  a  packet  of  letters  from  friends  in  various 
parts  of  India,  including  one  which  had  arrived  the  day  before,  from 
Colonel  Gordon,  brigade  major  of  king's  troops,  with  whom,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  I  had  left  my  address  on  coming  to  Pulicat.  This 
snuffy  old  functionary  informed  me,  in  his  cold,  hard,  official  style, 
that  the  China  ships  were  now  in  the  offing,  and  that  I  must  be 
prepared  to  embark,  the  very  moment  I  received  the  order  to  do  so. 

This  was  the  the  first  startling  summons  to  dissipate  the  dream  in 
"which  I  was  indulging ;  and  it  brought  me  to  book,  rather  abruptly, 
as  to  my  future  plans  and  prospects  :  but,  wearied  and  worried  with 
the  speculation,  I  crushed  the  unwelcome  missive  in  my  fingers, 
threw  it  into  a  corner,  and  hurried  off  to  keep  an  appointment  with 
Elise. 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

THE  MAID  OF  THE  LAKE. 

IT  was  that  delightful  interval  between  noon  and  night,  which  suc- 
ceeds the  fervour  of  the  Indian  day  ;  when  labour,  "  with  its  weary 
task  foredone,"  hies  home  to  its  humble  cot  and  welcome  repose ; 
when  the  evening  breeze  rustles  among  the  broad-leaved  plantains, 
wafting  the  perfume  of  the  night  flowers  upon  the  sluggish  air ;  and 
the  glimmering  lire-fly  begins  to  show  his  tiny  lamp  amidst  the  deep 
shadow  of  the  mango,  flitting  and  sparkling  through  its  mountain  of 


316  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN1. 

dense  foliage.  It  was  at  this  sweet  hour,  which  the  Indian  sojourner 
alone  can  appreciate,  that  Elise  and  I  strolled  out  to  enjoy  the  fresco, 
accompanied  by  her  ayah,  and  a  little  playful  spaniel  that  skipped 
and  bounded  before  her  and  ever  and  anon  returned,  wagging  his 
tail  and  looking  up  into  her  beautiful  features  with  his  intelligent 
eyes,  as  if  admiring  her  loveliness  or  seeking  at  her  hand  the  reward 
or  his  humble  but  zealous  services. 

Nothing  could  be  more  in  unison  with  the  peaceful  serenity  of  the 
hour,  than  the  singularly  dreamy  aspect  of  this  ancient  settlement. 
The  town  of  Pulicat  had  once  been  extensive  and  populous ;  lying 
along  the  southern  shores  of  ^ the  lake,  and  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  a  belt  of  mazy  jungle,  which  was  fast  disappearing  before  the  pro- 
gress of  arts,  commerce,  and  manufactures,  those  deadly  enemies  of 
pastoral  life  and  sylvan  solitudes.  But  the  superior  energy  and  enter- 
prise of  the  English  laid  the  foundation  of  Dutch  ruin  both  at  home 
and  abroad :  the  reverses  of  the  mother  country  were  speedily  felt  at 
Pulicat;  its  commerce  and  manufactures  declined,  its  wealth  decayed, 
and  its  inhabitants  fled  in  numbers  to  scenes  of  greater  promise; 
while  those  who  preferred  remaining  by  the  tombs  of  their  ancestors, 
dwindled  perceptibly  into  scsircely  animate  memorials  of  the  past. 

The  jungle,  also,  as  if  conscious  of  its  enemies3  decay,  had  long 
been  asserting  its  ancient  rights,  and  was  now,  in  its  turn,  taking 
possession  of  the  empty  tenements  of  the  foe  ;  a  fine  young  cocoa- 
nut-tree  pushing  its  proud  head  through  a  tiled  roof  in  once  place, 
and  the  broad-leaved  peepul  forcing  its  way  through  a  solid  wall  in 
another;  while  lizards,  snakes,  scorpions,  centipedes,  and  jackalls 
crawled  or  ran  about,  and  peeped  through  the  windows,  in  mockery, 
as  it  were,  of  the  short-lived  vanities  of  the  human  race. 

The  mango,  the  tamarind,  the  bamboo,  the  aloe,  the  cactus,  and  a 
thousand  other  trees,  shrubs,  and  inferior  vegetables  springing  thus 
spontaneously,  in  all  directions,  from  the  fruitful  soil,  usurped  not 
only  the  silent  mansions  of  the  departed,  but  intruded  even  through 
every  chink  and  crevice  of  the  still  occupied  houses,  as  if  impatient 
of  the  lingering  presence  of  their  lethargic  inhabitants.  There  was 
thus  an  intermingling  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  and  death  that 
was  affecting  in  a  high  degree,  seeming  to  indicate  the  approaching 
end  of  all;  when  the  last  man,  gazing  around  upon  the  growing 
wilderness,  finally  sinks,  helpless  and  almost  hopeless,  into  the  bosom 
of  his  parent  earth. 

But  it  was  not  alone  in  the  jungle  that  the  rapid  vegetation  of  the 
East  evinced  itself ;  the  very  streets  of  Pulicat  were  overgrown  with 
thick  grass,  through  which  a  few  straggling  pathways  seemed  to 
maintain  their  positions  with  difficulty  against  the  herbal  encroach- 
ments which  threatened  before  long  to  ^xtinguish  them  altogether. 
The  few  houses  that  were  still  occupied,  were  so  completely  em- 
bowered in  luxuriant  vegetation,  as  to  be  nearly  hidden  from  the  gaze 
of  the  traveller ;  while  their  idle  inhabitants  lingered  on  upon  the 
company's  allowance,  sufficient  for  their  simple  wants,  and  precluding 
the  necessity  of  personal  exertion  on  their  parts. 

Thus  secluded  from  the  world,  and  having  little  or  no  communica- 
tion with  the  busy  haunts  of  man,  Pulicat  might  well  be  called,  in 


THE  MAID  OP  THE  LAKE.  317 

the  figurative  language  of  the  East,  "the  city  of  the  silent;'"  that 
portion  of  the  melancholy  precinct,  expressly  so  termed,  exhibiting 
a  degree  of  repose  scarcely  more  solemn  or  affecting  than  the  rest. 

This  ancient  receptacle  of  the  dead,  which  comprised  many  tomb- 
stones one  hundred  and  sixty  years  old,  was  situated  immediately  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  overlooked  its  various  windings  and  mazy 
woodlands  to  a  vast  extent.  Here  seated  with  Elise  upon  a  soft, 
mossy  mound  of  earth,  which  haply  covered  the  bones  of  some  in- 
glorious Van  Tromp,  I  listened  delighted,  like  another  Sterne,  to  this 
modern  Maria,  as  on  her  pretty  little  pipe  she  warbled  her  native 
wood-notes  wild  ;  gazing  in  her  eyes,  and  drinking  deep  draughts  of 
love  from  a  fount  the  most  artless  and  innocent  that  ever  inflamed 
the  breast  of  man. 

Elise  was  a  child  of  nature,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term.  She 
had  never  been  out  of  Pulicat,  except  on  a  short  visit  or  two  to 
Madras;  and  she  knew  no  one  but  her  parents  and  some  half-dozen 
old  residents,  as  simple  and  secluded  as  themselves.  ^  Of  the  great 
world  beyond  the  belt  of  jungle  that  enfolded  her  in  its  sylvan  em- 
brace, she  knew  absolutely  nothing,  either  from  oral  tradition,  or 
literary  communication,  her  acquaintance  even  with  books  being  of  the 
most  limited  nature.  The  wonder,  therefore,  and  delight  with  which 
she  listened  to  my  various  recitals  and  descriptions  of  scenes,  events, 
and  personages,  of  which,  even  in  dreams,  she  had  never  conceived 
any  idea,  may  well  be  imagined.  She  laughed,  admired,  wept,  or 
frowned,  as  corresponding  emotions  were  excited  in  her  breast  by  the 
interest  of  the  narrative  which  called  them  forth ;  and  her  eloquent 
eyes  amply  repaid  me  for  the  pleasure  I  imparted :  while,  on  my  side, 
the  feeling  I  entertained  of  her  helpless  innocence  and  confiding 
simplicity,  hallowed  in  my  breast  the  sentiment  she  inspired,  and 
gave  it  all  the  enduring  brightness  of  a  pure  and  holy  flame. 

Thus,  many  days  were  passed  in  sweet,  yet  dangerous  communica- 
tion with  the  gentle  unsophisticated  being  whose  tender  cares  had 
been  mainly  instrumental  in  recalling  me  to  life.  In  her  dear  society 
I  had  no  other  wants  or  wishes ;  while,  on  her  part,  my  presence 
alone  seemed  to  fill  her  cup  of  joy  to  the  brim.  This  was  natural :  I 
was,  as  it  were,  a  waif  of  humanity  cast  at  her  feet  by  the  waters  of 
that  lake  which  bounded  the  horizon  of  her  humble  existence ;  and 
in  me,  her  cares  had  introduced  a  new  being  upon  the  earth.  Eor 
my  part,  blase  from  a  long  intercourse  with  the  great  world,  where 
I  liad  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  human  affections,  and  found  nothing 
but  disappointment  in  the  chase,  I  was  like  the  thirsty  traveller  when 
he  discovers  the  pearly  fountain  in  the  desert,  or  the  needy  one,  when 
he  finds  the  priceless  gem.  Of  all  our  themes  of  conversation,  war, 
and  its  attendant  horrors,  seemed  to  yield  her  the  most  unqualified 
amazement  and  disgust ;  for,  accustomed  all  her  life  to  nothing  but 
an  interchange  of  kind  offices  with  her  peaceful  and  humble  friends 
and  neighbours,  she  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  the  savage  scenes 
which,  to  vary  our  discourse,  I  occasionally  related  to  her.  Like 
Desdemona, — 

"  She  swore  'twas  strange — 'twas  passing  strange! 
'Twas  pitiful— 'twas  wondrous  pitiful ! " 


318  THE  YOUNG  EIPLEMAN. 

Like  the  same  unhappy  lady,  alas  !  she  also, — 

"  Lov'd  ine  for  the  dangers  I  had  pass'd, 
And  I  lov'd  her  that  she  did  pity  them." 

But  the  reader  is  not  to  imagine  that  we  were  entirely  devoid  of 
social  intercourse  even  in  this  woodland  solitude;  so  remote  from 
the  ordinary  haunts  and  busy  hum  of  men,  that  it  might  well  be 
likened  to  one  of  those  fabulous  cities  of  Eastern  romance,  whose 
inhabitants  have  been  laid  asleep  for  centuries  by  the  potent  touch  of 
the  magician's  wand. 

Let  me  introduce  him,  therefore,  to  Mynheer  Canterfischer,  fiscal, 
or  magistrate,  of  Pulicat,  when  time  was ;  a  venerable,  free-hearted 
old  fellow,  with  an  amiable  wife  and  daughter.  The  next  in  dignity 
was  my  worthy  host,  Mynheer  Van  Hogendorp ;  the  last  descendant 
of  a  highly  distinguished  family  in  the  mother  country,  and  a  perfect 
gentleman  in  every  respect.  Then  there  were  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Heri ;  the  former  captain  of  a  privateer,  who  had  realized  a  small 
income  by  his  cruises  in  the  Indian  seas ;  his  wife  being  the  daughter 
of  a  former  governor  of  Pulicat,  long  since  gathered  to  his  fathers. 
Mr.  Leslie,  the  master  attendant,  comes  next :  a  broad-set,  strong- 
built  fellow,  who  had  been  boatswain  of  a  man-of-war,  and  was  no\v, 
in  his  old  age,  planted,  with  a  small  salary,  at  Pulicat ;  his  especial 
duties  being  to  look  through  his  telescope  at  the  flag-staff,  to  see  that 
no  one  purloined  the  union  jack ;  and  to  register  by  guess  the  num- 
ber of  market-boats  that  passed  uaily  on  their  way  to  Madras.  We 
had  also  two  or  three  other  Dutch  families,  of  minor  consequence ; 
and  Dr.  Mclntire,  a  broad  Scotchman,  who  had  medical  charge  of  the 
settlement,  and  enjoyed  a  moderate  salary  for  administering  the  con- 
tents of  his  medicine  chest,  gratis,  to  the* inhabitants. 

These  worthy  individuals  constituted  our  society ;  and  a  subscrip- 
tion ball  got  up  in  honour  of  my  arrival,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Leslie's  son,  who  played  the  fiddle,  and  exercised  the  treble  functions 
of  orchestra,  ballet-master,  and  master  of  the  ceremonies,  served 
to  give  an  air  of  gaiety  to  Pulicat  to  which  it  had  long  been  a 
stranger. 

Oh  !  had  the  gentle  reader  but  witnessed  our  morning  visits ;  our 
political,  literary,  and  philosophical  discussions ;  our  evening  parties 
of  tea,  long  whist,  and  eau  sucree  ;  our  musical  meetings,  with  instru- 
mental performances  by  flute,  violin,  and  flageolet,  and  vocal  duets, 
trios,  and  Dutch  choruses,  where  every  one  sang  his  own  tune  inde- 
pendent of  his  neighbour ;— had  he  but  shared  m  our  quadrilles  and 
country  dances ;  and  strolled  with  Elise  and  me  amidst  embowering 
shades  impervious  to  the  noon-day  sun,  on  grassy  slopes  where  the 
simple  Hindoo,  with  his  unsophisticated  loom,  wove  those  gorgeous 
handkerchiefs  which  once  were  famed  throughout  Europe ;  and  down 
by  the  pebbly  beach  of  the  lake,  to  witness  the  gambols  of  the  jump- 
ing fish,  or  watch  the  placid  flowing  of  the  tide  rolling  its  tiny  billows 
on  the  wrinkled  shore — he  would  at  once  conclude  that  I  was  the 
happiest  of  human  beings,  and  would  pity  me — ah !  how  he  would 
pity  me  when  this  little  gleam  of  sunshine  had  also  vanished,  and  like 
the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision, — 

"  Left  not  a  wrack  behind."         - 


THE  OLD  SEA-DOG.  319 

It  is,  I  believe,  the  lot  of  our  earthly  pilgrimage  never  to  feel 
such  perfect  enjoyment,  when  pleasure  is  within  our  reach,  as  we 
suffer  misery  from  its  loss.  The  truth  of  this  I  was  now  soon  to 
experience. 

The  tappall  came  in  one  morning  when  I  was  sitting  with  some 
visitors  in  Madame  Hogendorp's  drawing-room,  and  my  boding  heart 
sank  within  me  as  an  official  letter  was  placed  in  my  hand.  With  a 
look  of  prophetic  sadness,  I  broke  the  seal,  and  found  it  was  an 
order  to  proceed  forthwith  on  board  the  Streatham  Indiamau, 
one  of  the  homeward-bound  China  fleet,  then  lying  in  Madras 
lloads. 

My  agitation  was  too  apparent  to  be  overlooked,  and  I  was  forced 
to  reveal  its  cause.  A  general  outcry  of  sorrow  arose  at  the  announce- 
ment ;  poor  Elise  turned  deadly  pale,  tears  gushed  from  her  eyes,  and 
she  was  forced  to  retire.  Her  mother  was  scarcely  in  a  better  plight, 
for  she  knew  how  seriously  her  daughter's  happiness  was  compro- 
mised :  in  short,  all  my  friends  bewailed  my  approaching  loss  as  a 
universal  calamity. 


CHAPTER  LXVII. 

THE  OLD  SEA-DOG. 

BUT  my  two  most  stanch  supporters  on  thisj  melancholy  occasion 
were  Leslie  and  Mclntire.  These  two  worthy  fellows  had  been  daily 
and  constant  visitors  of  mine  ever  since  my  convalescence ;  dropping 
in  regularly  at  half-past  twelve  every  day,  when  they  were  sure  to 
find  some  creature-comfort  in  my  private  apartment,  as  cold  ham, 
Bengal-hump,  tongue  and  capon,  &c.,  with  a  couple  of  bottles  of 
cognac  ;  and  never  leaving  me  till  five,  the  family  dinner-hour.  Their 
conversation,  it  is  true,  was  not  very  instructive,  but  it  was  always 
amusing ;  especially  when  they  began  to  quarrel,  which  generally 
took  place  towards  the  conclusion  ol  the  second  bottle. 

In  the  present  critical  ^state  of  affairs  these  trusty  friends  were 
both  loud  and  vehement  in  their  reprobation  of  so  harsh  a  mode  of 
proceeding  against  "  a  gentleman  and  an  officer,"  as  Leslie  remarked 
while  we  adjourned  to  our  ordinary  place  of  consultation. 

"  A  gentleman  and  an  officer,  sink  my  heart !  do  you  see  ?  "  con- 
tinued Leslie,  sticking  his  fork  into  a  beautiful  Westphalia,  and 
helping  himself  to  a  wedge  of  the  same ;  "a  gentleman  and  an  officer, 
who  has  shed  his  blood  for  his  country  and  crown,  sink  my  heart ! 
and  skivered  those  Pindarries,  and  other  black  rascals,  like  so  many 
sparrows." 

"  Hech,  sirs  ! "  sighed  the  Doctor,  pouring  out  a  tumbler  of  conso- 
lation from  the  brandy  bottle :  "Hech,  sirs  !  but  'tis  unco  fashions  to 
be  sae  stric'  in  a  matter  like  the  present,  where  the  happiness  or 
meesery  of  twa  desarving  eendividooals — : 

"  Blood  and  thunder  ! "  cried  Leslie,  snatching  the  bottle  from  the 
Doctor,  and  taking  what  he  called  a  thimbleful ;  viz.,  three  parts  of 


320  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

a  tumbler,  "  neat  as  imported."  "Blood  and  thunder,  man  !  is  that 
all  you  can  say  in  your  snivelling  Scotch  fashion,  for  one  of  the 
bravest  young  fellows  in  the  service,  and  one  of  the  loveliest  angels, 
sink  my  heart !  that  ever  swung  in  a  sailor's  hammock — " 

"  Hoot  awa,  mon  !  "  cried  the  Doctor,  interrupting  him.  "  Let  me 
tell  ye,  Meester  Leslie,  that  oor  sneeveling  Scotch  fashion,  as  ye 
ca't,  is  not  to  be  pit  down  by  ony  sic  blusthering  bletherum-skite  as 
ye  are,  mon — ' 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha ! "  shouted  Leslie,  winking  at  me,  as  he  tossed  off 
another  bumper.  "  Sink  my  heart  !  I  knew  I'd  soon  rouse  his  Scotch 
blood  to  boiling  heat.  Go  it  now,  Doctor ;  I've  got  the  steam  up  for 
you,  sink  my  heart ! " 

"  Weel,  then,"  said  the  Doctor,  wetting  his  whistle  ere  he  spoke  ; 
"my  opeenion  is  jest  this — let  oor  friend  Blake,  first  and  foremost, 
try  "the  effec'  of  a  mollifying  epeestle  to  the  commander-in-chief, 
praying  for  twa  months'  leave,  on  urgent  preevate  affairs ;  and  that 
will  jest  gie  us  time  to  look  aboot  us  a  wee." 

"  Good,  again ! "  sputtered  Leslie,  with  his  mouth  full  of  capon. 
"  Doctor,  sink  my  heart !  you're  a  long-headed  fellow.  Here's  to 
you,  my  boy ! " 

And  both  clashed  their  full  tumblers  together,  as  if  they  would 
shiver  them  to  atoms. 

"  But  what  if  he  refuses  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Ay,  what  if  he  refuses?"  repeated  Leslie:  "sink  my  heart! 
that's  the  point." 

"  In  sic  a  case  as  that,"  said  the  Doctor,  draining  off  his  tumbler, 
and  smacking  his  lips  under  the  operation;  "in  sic  a  case  as  that, 
noo,  could  ye  na  get  yerself  arrested  for  a  sma'  debt,  mon  F " 

"  Bravo  !  "  cried  Leslie. 

"An  jest  gang  into  quod,"  continued  the  Doctor,  "for  a  day  or 
twa,  till  we  can  bail  ye  oot,  mon." 

"  Bravissimo  ! "  roared  Leslie,  finishing  the  first  bottle.  "  Sink  my 
heart !  I'll  be  one  of  his  bail.  I'm  a  housekeeper  and  a  burgess  of 
Pulicat ;  and  I  pay  scot  and  lot,  and  parish  taxes,  to  the  amount  of 
sixpence  halfpenny  per  annum." 

"  An  by  that  time,  ye  ken,"  continued  the  Doctor,  as  he  uncorked 
the  second  bottle,  "  the  ships  \nll  have  sailed  awa,  and  ye'll  be  safe 
for  a  bonny  twa  months,  at  least,  mon." 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  ! "  shouted  Leslie,  "  Give  us  your  fist,  my 
hearty  old  cock.  Sink  my  heart  !  but  you're  a  brick,  and  no 
mistake." 

Here  they  grasped  each  other  by  the  hand,  with  a  vehemence  that 
shook 'the  whole  building.  But  I  damped  their  zeal,  by  decidedly 
objecting  to  the  Doctor's  expedient. 

"  I  owe  nothing  in  the  world,"  I  said ;  "  and  getting  up  a  sham 
debt  for  such  a  purpose  might  be  thrown  in  my  teeth,  as  unofficer- 
like." 

"  Sink  my  heart !"  cried  Leslie,  "  that's _well  thought  on.  I'm  an 
officer  myself — that  is,  a  warrant-officer — sink  my  heart !  and  I  have 
a  proper  feeling  for  the  honour  of  the  service." 

"  Weel  then,"  said  the  doctor,  "  if  that  cock  winna  fight,  and  we 


THE  OLD   SEA-DOG.  321 

canna  hit  upon  ony  ither  expedient,  I  suld  na  mind  gieing  ye  a  sick 
certeeficate,  inon." 

"  Bravo !  again,"  cried  Leslie,  with  a  choking1  gulp  of  brandy- 
and- water — "  Sink  my  heart !  the  water  is  always  bad  in  this  house ; 
— it  weakens  every  think  it  touches — hand  me  the  bottle,  Mclntire." 

"  Ye  dinna  look  sae  weel,"  continued  the  doctor,  first  helping  him- 
self, "  but  that  ane  may  stretch  a  point  in  ye'r  favour." 

"  To  be  sure,  he  doesn't,"  chimed  in  Leslie.  "He's  very  red  in  the 
face,  and  sink  my  heart,  but  I  think  he's  dropsical !" 

"  Nae,  nae,"  said  Mclntire,  "  ye're  oot  there,  mon ;  but  there's  a 
white  and  a  yalla  aboot  his  een,  as  ae  body  may  ken  that  spiers  intul 
'em ;  which  eendicate  a  vara  beelious  state  of  the  seestem." 

"  That's  it,  by  the  Lord  ! "  cried  Leslie.  "  Blood  and  thunder  ! 
didn't  I  tell  you  so?" 

'  Hoot !  toot ! "  replied  Mclntire ;  "  ye  said  dropseecal,  mon." 

"Well,  isn't  it  all  the  same  ?"  shouted  Leslie,  who  had  now  made 
a  deep  inroad  into  the  second  bottle.  "  Bilious  and  dropsical— sink 
my  heart ! — don't  they  both  rise  from  the  what  do  you  call  'em  state 
of  the  system?" 

"  Hoot  awa,  mon,  nae  sic  a  thing ;"  returned  Mclntire,  still  further 
diminishing  the  contents  of  No.  2.  "  They  rise  from  different  causes 
a'thegither.  Let  me  explain  to  ye,  Meester  Leslie  — 

"I  want  no  explanations,  sink  my  heart!"  cried  Leslie,  who  was 
now  getting  pugnacious.  "  Explanations  are  always  the  last  shift  of 
a  fellow  that  won't  fight,  sink  my  heart !" 

"  An  he  that  winna  hearken  tul  explanations,"  retorted  the  doctor, 
"is  leetle  better  nor  ane  o'  the  brute  creation." 

"What's  that  you  say  ?"  cried  Leslie,  seizing  the  bottle,  as  if  about 
to  fling  it  at  his  adversary's  head ;  but,  pouring  its  last  contents  into 
his  tumbler,  he  drank  it  off,  exclaiming, — 

"  Here's  confusion  to  you,  sink  my  heart !  for  a  Scotch  quack  !" 

"And  to  yersel',"  retorted  the  doctor,  snatching  back  the  bottle, 
and  taking  a  last  drain,  "  for  an  eegnorant  sea-going  monster  ! " 

Both  worthies  now  staggered  out  of  the  room,  and  out  of  the 
house,  in  a  paroxysm  of  mutual  wrath  and  hostility ;  but,  finding  they 
•could  neither  of  them  walk  home  singly,  they  locked  arms,  and  tod- 
dled off  together  to  their  respective  quarters. 

Little  as  I  hoped  for  from  the  doctor's  plan,  still  I  followed  it, 
when  I  looked  at  the  tearful  eyes  and  changing  hue  of  poor  Elise's 
delicate  complexion ;  and  applied  for  two  months'  leave,  on  most 
urgent  private  business :  but  my  application  was  rejected  point- 
blank.  I  then,  as  a  dernier  ressort,  sent  in  Mclntire' s  sick-certificate; 
and  for  a  couple  of  days  had  no  answer,  from  which  I  began  to  hope 
it  was  taking  effect.  > 

On  the  third  morning,  I  was  practising  with  the  mukdnrs,  the  steel 
bow,  and  other  Oriental  gymnastics,  on  the  green  before  our  door, 
•with  young  Leslie  and  two  or  three  of  my  Dutch  friends,  when 
JVIclntire  approached,  arm-in-arm  with  a  stranger,  whom  he  intro- 
duced as  his  excellent  friend  Dr.  McNab. 

This  was  a  pleasant,  smiling,  soft-looking  person ;  who,  addressing 
himself  to  me,  spoke  of  the  invigorating  nature  of  my  exercise,  and 


322  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

asked  a  number  of  questions  about  the  effects  it  produced  on  my 
health,  strength,  and  appetite. 

"  Nothing  could  possibly  be  better,"  I  replied.  "  The  Oriental 
gymnastics  are  the  best  ever  invented  for  improving  and  preserving- 
all  the  physical  functions." 

"  Ana  to  judge  from  your  appearance,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  should  take 
the  air  of  Pulicat  to  be  particularly  salubrious." 

"  It  agrees  remarkably  well  with  me,"  I  replied ;  "  for  I  never  was 
better  in  all  my  life." 

The  stranger  now  took  a  polite  and  friendly  leave,  and  walked  off 
with  his  friend  Mclntire.  The  latter,  poor  fellow,  whether  suffering 
from  bowel-complaint  or  an  overdose  of  brandy,  had  greatly  amused 
me  by  making  the  most  horrible  wry  faces  during  our  short  colloquy; 
in  which,  however,  he  did  not  utter  a  word. 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  he  burst  into  Madame  Hogendorp's 
drawing-room,  foaming  with  rage,  and  exclaiming, — 

"  Deel  tak  it  a3  sir !  Ye  hae  ruined  me  and  yersel'  too,  by  yer  seelly 
conduc'." 

"  Hollo,  doctor !  "  I  replied,  "  what's  the  matter,  man  ?  " 

"  Matter  enoo  to  mak  a  mon  ban  his  ain  faither  and  mither,"  cried 
the  doctor,  stamping  about  the  room. 

"But  explain,  my  dear  sir,"  I  said.  "I  can  listen  to  explanations 
better  than  Leslie." 

"  Did  ye  na  see  me  makkin'  faces  at  ye  a'  the  time  ?  "  demanded 
poor  Mclntire. 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied ;  "  horrible  faces." 

"  An'  could  ye  na  guess  what  it  was  aboot,  mon  ?  "  he  continued. 

"Well,"  I  replied,  "I  at  first  thought  you  had  been  taking  an 
overdose  of  your  own  physic;  and  then  it  occurred  to  me  that  it  might 
be  spasmodic  cholera."  _ 

"  Spasmodic  deeyil,  sir  ! "  cried  the  doctor,  foaming  at  the  mouth. 
"'Twas  the  physician-general  to  the  forces,  sir  !  " 

"The  phvsician-general ! "  I  exclaimed.  "What  your  excellent 
friend,  Dr.  McNab!" 

"  To  the  deevil  I  pitch  sic  freendship,  sir ! "  cried  Mclntire.  "  He 
has  suspended  me  for  signing  yon  sick-certeeficate,  like  a  gowk  an  a 
fule  as  I  was." 

"My  dear  doctor,"  I  said,  "I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  it." 

"  Ye'll  be  unco  mair  for  yersel',  I'm  thinking,"  returned  the  doctor, 
who  was  not  to  be  conciliated.  "  Ye'll  be  sent  ower  the  surf*  noo? 
sir,  wi  a  flea  in  yer  lug;  and  sae  gude  bye  to  ye,  sir." 

"  But  stay,  my  dear  fellow,"  I  said,  "  and  take  a  drop  of  brandy 
before  you  go." 

"Brandy  be  d ;  nae,  nae,  I  dinna  mean  that  exactly,"  said  the 

poor  doctor.  "  Gie's  the  bottle,  mon ;  but,  in  fac',  I'm  in  sic  a 
swither,  that  deil  tak  my  saul  gif  I  ken  ony  mair  either  what  I'm 
savin'  or  doin'.  Here's  wussin'  ye  a  pleasant  voyage,  mon,"  he  con- 
tinued, as  I  poured  him  out  a  tumbler ;  "  for  e'en  go  ye  must  the 
noo,  in  spite  of  the  deevil." 

*  The  familiar  term  at  Madras  for  deportation  from  India. 


THE  OLD   SEA-DOG.  323 

"  I'll  have  a  fight  for  it  first,"  I  exclaimed,  as  I  looked  at  my  poor, 
trembling  Elise. 


smacked  his  lips,  after  a  good  swig  of  the  same.    "And  may  I  be 

teetotally hem — ahem.     I  beg  pardon,  ladies ;  I  didn't  see  you 

before.    But  curse  me,  I  say,  if  I  don't  back  your  tack.    Let  'em 
come  on  now.    Sink  my  heart !  I'm  ready  for  a  dozen  of  'em  ! " 

"Whom  do  you  mean?"  I  exclaimed. 

"  The  police  peons,  to  be  sure,"  replied  Leslie.  "  There's  a  posse 
of  them  coming  up  the  street  at  the  heels  of  the  inspector." 

"  Close  the  doors  !  "  I  shouted ;  "  and  keep  the  rascals  out." 

But  the  doors  were  already  in  possession  of  the  civil  force ;  and 
the  inspector,  an  old  English  sergeant,  entered  the  drawing-room, 
followed  by  a  dozen  of  his  peons,  with  tulwars  stuck  in  their  girdles; 
while  the  ladies  all  fled  screaming,  and  even  the  doctor  slunk  out, 
muttering  to  himself  as  he  absconded  :— 

"Ma  certie,  this  is  unco  shairp  practice;  but  I  ha  nae  peety  for  the 
puir  seelly  fule  wha  canna  keep  his  ain  coonsel." 

Leslie,  however,  stood  by  me  like  a  trump,  and  bared  his  huge 
wrists  for  the  onslaught. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  infamous  outrage  ?  "  I  demanded  of 
the  inspector. 

"  'Tis  no  outrage,  sir,"  replied  the  latter,  in  a  firm  but  respectful 
tone.  "We  are  come  in  the  discharge  of  our  duty,  acting  under  the 
authority  of  government." 

Here  the  inspector  handed  me  a  copy  of  his  warrant,  authorizing 
and  directing  him  to  seize  the  person  of  Lieutenant  and  Acting-Captain 
Blake,  wheresoever  he  might  be  found ;  and  to  convey  him  on  board 
the  Streatham  Indiaman,  by  main  force,  if  necessary ;  in  virtue  of  an 
Act  of  Parliament,  which  confers  upon  the  Honourable  East-India 
Company,  in  full  possession,  the  power  of  deportation,  to  enable 
them  to  remove  from  India,  "  individuals  whose  conduct,  or  intentions, 
they  might  find,  or  suspect,  to  be  dangerous." 

This  precious  document,  founded  upon  an  Act  which  rivals  any- 
thing that  ever  emanated  from  the  Council  of  Ten,  was  signed 
"  Frederick  Slimley,  Principal  Secretary  to  Government." 

*  What ! "  I  exclaimed,  V  is  that  the  late  resident  at  Ruttunpoor?" 

"  The  same,  sir,"  replied  the  inspector. 

"  Then,  by  Heavens ! "  I  cried,  "  I'll  not  budge  a  foot  on  the  warrant 
of  such  a  scoundrel.  'Tis  a  palpable  conspiracy,  and  I  claim  the 
rights  of  a  British  subject." 

"  That's  all  very  well  in  England,  sir,"  replied  the  inspector,  "  but 
our  laws  are  more  summary  on  this  side  of  the  Line." 

He  then  ordered  two  of  the  peons  to  lay  hold  of  me ;  but  these  I 
knocked  down,  as  I  did  three  or  four  others  in  succession;  till,  at 
last,  they  overpowered  me  from  behind,  holding  me  firmly  pinioned 
and  unable  to  move  hand  or  foot. 

Meantime,  Leslie  had  also  come  to  action,  and  knocked  the  police 
peons  about  like  nine-pins.  It  was  in  vain  that  they  rushed  at  liim 


32-1  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

in  threes  or  fours :  all  went  down  before  his  conquering  fist,  and 
nothing-  could  withstand  the  tremendous  cross-buttocks  of  the  sturdy 
old  tar. 

Some  of  the  peons  at  length  drew  their  weapons;  but  the  inspector 
shouted  amidst  the  fray, — 

"  Tulwar  ni !  Langooty !  Langooty !  " 

Thereupon  a  cunning  old  peon  rapidly  unfolded  fifty  yards  of 
turban,  the  ample  covering  of  his  crafty  skull ;  one  end  of  which  he 
held  himself,  giving  the  other  to  an  equally  experienced  hand.  These 
two  fellows  then  commenced  running  round  the  gallant  Leslie  in 
opposite  directions,  winding  about  his  sturdy  legs  such  a  Gordian 
knot  as  Alexander  himself  couldn't  cut ;  till,  at  last,  with  a  pull 
together,  they  brought  my  champion  down  upon  his  back!  and  he  fell 
like  a  Martello  tower,  shaking  the  whole  building  to  its  foundation. 

Being  thus,  like  another  Gulliver,  at  the  mercy  of  his  Lilliputian 
foes,  the  brave  old  tar  was  tied  neck  and  heels,  and  left  alone  with 
his  glory;  while  1  was  marched  off  to  a  boat,  and  conveyed  to 
Madras,  the  agonizing  screams  of  poor  Elise  still  ringing  in  my  ears. 

At  Madras  my  friends  all  came  round  me,  and  represented  in  its 
true  light  the  utter  madness  of  a  struggle  with  the  government,  on  a 
point  wherein  its  right  was  as  clear  as  the  sun  at  noon-day.  ! 
reluctantly  yielded  at  length  to  my  fate,  and  gave  my  parole  that  I 
would  go  on  board  without  further  resistance,  which  I  did,  my 
luggage  having  been  all  shipped  before  me. 

Ere  I  left  Madras,  however,  I  got  my  hoondie  cashed,  and  pur- 
chased a  splendid  cashmere  shawl,  for  one  thousand  rupees  ;  which, 
with  a  most  affectionate  letter,  I  despatched  by  a  trusty  messenger 
to  my  dearly-beloved  Elise.  The  following  morning  we  sailed  with 
the  ebb-tide,  and  I  bade  adieu  for  ever  to  a  country  which  had  been 
so  productive  to  me  of  good  and  evil. 


CHAP  TEE    L  XVI II. 

THE  TWO  BRACELETS. 

I  SHALL  not  inflict  upon  my  patient  readers  a  narrative  of  my  passage 
home,  which  comprised,  however,  many  curioiis  incidents  of  foreign 
adventure.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that,  after  touching  at  Colombo,  Cape- 
Town,  St.  Helena,  where  I  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  "the 
great  European  culprit"  and  Ascension,  where  I  assisted  in  the 
capture  of  some  splendid  turtle,  I  arrived,  at  length,  in  the  D9wns, 
after  a  passage  of  five  months  and  six  days.  I  landed  immediately 
at  Dover,  and  was  speedily  in  the  world's  metropolis. 

I  must  also  leave  to  the  reader's  imagination  the  delight  I  ex- 
perienced at  finding  myself  once  more  in  this  ne  plus  ultra  of  modern 
civilization,  after  so  many  years  of  half-savage  life  in  the  Spanish 
bivouac  and  the  jungles  of  India;  where  the  refinements  of  society 
are  so  little  attended  to,  and  the  humanizing  intercourse  with  the 
"better  part  of  creation  is  of  such  rare  occurrence,  that  the  mind 


THE  TWO  BRACELETS.  325 

becomes  cynical,  and  the  manners  coarse  and  awkward,  under  the 
privation.  Like  a  captive  just  escaped  from  a  dungeon,  and  mad  to 
enjoy  the  liberty  for  which  he  has  pined  in  vain,  I  eagerly  sought 
those  social  enjoyments  from  which  I  had  been  so  long  debarred;  and 
fortune  seemed  to  meet  iny  wishes  hall'- way ;  for  many  of  my  old 
militia  and  Peninsular  friends,  who  had  either  attained  high  army 
rank,  or  were  accustomed  to  move  in  the  fashionable  world,  were 
glad  to  renew  our  former  intimacy,  and  vied  with  each  other  in 
introducing  me  to  their  respective  circles,  wherein  I  was  received  as 
favourably  as  my  most  sanguine  hopes  could  anticipate. 

But,  happily,  I  did  not  lose  myself  in  the  vortex  of  dissipation  so 
entirely  as  to  neglect  my  military  prospects— still  the  ruling  passion 
of  my  breast.  Having  frequently  heard  of  the  superior  efficacy  of  a 
campaign  at  the  Horse  Guards,  over  those  anywhere  else,  I  resolved 
to  try  its  virtues.  I,  accordingly,  prepared  a  memorial,  and  attended 
the  levees  of  the  military  secretary,  Sir  Herbert  Taylor,  the  most 
amiable  man  in  office  I  have  ever  encountered.  Through  his  inter- 
vention with  the  commander-in-chief,  then  the  Duke  of  York,  justly 
and  significantly  styled  "  the  soldier's  friend,"  I  was  soon  gazetted  to 
a  company  in  the  — th,  wherein  I  subsequently  met  several  of  my  old 
Peninsular  companions. 

Having  wetted  my  new  commission  in  the  most  approved  fashion, 
received  the  congratulations  of  numerous  friends,  and  enjoyed  for  a 
couple  of  months,  sagely  and  judiciously,  I  trust,  the  "never-ending, 
still-beginning  "  pleasures  of  London,  I  resolved  to  pay  a  visit  to  my 
relatives  in  Ireland.  I  accordingly  wrote  to  inform  my  brother  and 
sister,  that  I  was  coming  over  to  beat  up  their  quarters,  previously  to 
joining  my  new  regiment,  which  was  then  at  the  Cape. 

Before  I  left  London,  however,  I  submitted  my  splendid  bracelet 
to  the  inspection  of  a  lapidary,  who  valued  it  at  six  hundred  pounds, 
and  offered  me  that  sum  for  the  stones  alone ;  but  I  refused  to  part; 
with  the  jewel,  being,  I  confess,  somewhat  vain  of  such  a  present 
from  a  sovereign  princess,  and  the  handsomest  woman  I  had  ever 
beheld.  Nay,  I  could  not  help  contrasting  its  brilliancy  with  the 
dulness  of  the  little  hair  bracelet  that  still  occupied  its  original 
position  on  my  left  wrist ;  smiling  at  the  same  time  with  great  self- 
complacency,  and  a  species  of  contempt,  at  the  humble  offering  of  my 
little  cousin. 

But  my  heart  smote  m^ras  I  did  so,  and  my  eyes  filled  with  tears 
as  I  thought  of  that  morning  when  the  dear  little  creature  clung  to 
me,  sobbing  her  very  soul  out,  as  the  only  good  she  longed  for  on 
earth ;  binding  me  to  her  for  ever,  as  it  were,  with  all  her  worldly 
possessions — her  little  bracelet,  woven  by  herself  with  her  own  rich 
auburn  tresses.  With  a  feeling  of  deep  contrition  for  the  momentary 
baseness  into  which  I  had  been  betrayed,  I  replaced  the  splendid 
bauble  on  my  wrist,  exclaiming :  "  Lie  thou  there,  a  valued  gift  it  is 
true,  from  one  who  is  the  willing  bride  of  another  •  but  nearer  and 
dearer  to  my  heart  is  this  unpretending  relic  of  true  love,  whose  pure 
ethereal  flame  can  never  be  rivalled  by  the  cold  glitter  of  the  bright- 
est diamond ! " 

"  Poor  Honoria ! "  I  thus  continued  to  soliloquize,  "  into  which  of 


326  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

the  numberless  paths  of  life  has  fortune  directed  your  footsteps? 
Are  you  now  the  homespun  wife  of  some  sturdy  farmer,  surrounded 
by  your  children,  your  cattle,  and  your  poultry ;  every  thought  di- 
rected to  the  due  fulfilment  of  your  rustic  duties,  and  all  ambition 
bounded  by  the  periodical  splendours  of  the  market-day  ?  Or,  are 
you  the  less  fortunate  spouse  of  some  high-born  spendthrift,  some 
needy  artist,  or  some  wandering  soldier,  who  can  but  ill  appreciate 
the  sterling  value  of  your  heart  ?  Wherever  you  are,  and  however 
employed,  my  poor  little  cousin,  may  your  happiness  equal  the  sum 
of  your  own  merits,  and  of  my  wishes  !  Providence  can  do  no  more 
for  you,  in  this  world,  at  least.'" 

Inwardly  gratified  by  this  apostrophe  to  the  virtues  of  my  dear 
little  cousin,  I  now  made  preparations  for  my  visit  to  the  natale  solum  ; 
but,  strange  to  say,  in  spite  of  reason  and  reflection,  I  could  still  look 
upon  her  in  no  other  light  than  as  the  little  girl  who  fainted  in  my 
arms  thirteen  years  before,  on  my  quitting  her  for  ever. 

I  cannot  now  recollect  what  it  was  that  took  me  round  by  Bristol 
''and  Cork,  in  my  journey  to  Ireland  on  the  present  occasion.  Perhaps 
it  was  that,  being  so  much  accustomed  to  light  infantry  manoeuvres,  I 
was  desirous  of  coming  upon  my  friends  by  a  flank  movement,  when 
they  would  naturally  look  for  my  front  approach  via  Dublin  :  perhaps 
.  it  was  the  finger  of  destiny,  which  governs  and  controls  the  course  of 
human  events ;  while  man,  "  proud  man,"  in  his  own  conceit  is  a  free 
agent,  forsooth,  and  unlimited  master  of  his  thoughts  and  actions ! 

But,  leaving  the  solution  of  this  knotty  point  to  future  metaphysi- 
cians and  ideologists,  to  the  "  Beautiful  City"  I  went,  by  the  Bristol 
steamer ;  and  thence  to  Michelstown  by  the  mail.  l"rom  the  latter 
place  I  took  a  post-chaise,  to  cross  the  Galtie  mountains  to  Tipperary ; 
a  wild  and  dreary  piece  of  road  which  I  have  seldom  seen  equalled, 
except,  perhaps,  in  the  Apennines  between  Florence  and  Bologna. 

Everv  one  recollects  the  old  joke  about  Irish  posting,  in  which 
Judy,  the  cook,  is  represented  bringing  out  a  red-hot  poker  to  give 
the  mare  a  burn  before  she'd  start ;  and  if  I  might  form  a  judgment 
from  the  specimen  of  cattle  I  was  favoured  with,  there  was  really 
very  little  exaggeration  in  the  caricature.  Such  a  rickety  fabric 
of  a  post-chaise,  dangling  at  the  heels  of  such  a  pair  of  raw-boned, 
broken-kneed  hacks,  had  never  come  under  my  observation  before  : 
but  it  was  Hobson's  choice ;  and,  as  the  post-boy  very  pithily  re- 
marked, I  must  "either  pad  the  hoof,  or  contint  myself  widthe  hand- 
some illegant  carriage  that  the  Prince  Raygent  himself  might  be 
proud  to  ride  in."  We  accordingly  started  on  our  ill-omened  journey ; 
and  the  dislocation  of  bones  I  experienced  for  the  first  three  miles, 
still  occupies  a  very  prominent,  though  not  a  very  verdant  spot  in 
memory's  waste. 

We  at  length  began  to  ascend  the  Galties,  which  brought  a  little 
relief,  for  this  Dimple  reason,  that  our  progress  being  necessarily  very 
slow,  the  jolting  was  not  so  incessant  as  before.  But  now  a  still 
more  serious  difficulty  began  to  manifest  itself ;  for  the  steep  ascent 
was  evidently  knocking  up  my  half-starved  jad.es,  and  I  began  seri- 
ously to  entertain  the  agreeable  prospect  of  passing  the  night  without 
food  or  shelter  on  this  bleak  and  inhospitable  mountain. 


THE  TWO  BRACELETS.  327 

Still,  however,  we  struggled  onwards,  every  step  diminishing  my 
hopes  of  reaching  the  end  of  my  journey  :  while,  as  if  to  increase  my 
vexation,  my  rascal  of  a  post-boy  went  on  whistling  and  singing  alter- 
nately ;  occasionally  favouring  me  with  a  tune  on  the  jew's-harp,  as  if 
we  were  going  on  velvet,  and  every  now  and  then  addressing  some 
sage  remark  or  droll  saying  to  the  poor  soul  who  sat  cursing  his 
stars  in  the  comer  of  his  shandradan. 

"  I'll  engage,  sir,"  he  would  say,  "  this  is  the  first  time  you  have 
ever  been  on  the  sod,  now,  and  I'm  sure  it  is." 
:    "  Why  do  you  think  so  ? "  1  demanded. 

"Becaise  you  don't  take  things  aisy,"  he  replied,  "and  you  don't 
seem  to  be  used  to  pur  iligant  roads ;  and  sure  the  devil  a  betther 
can  be  found  from  this  to  themselves,  anyhow." 

"  It  is  not  so  much  of  your  roads  I  complain,"  I  said,  "  as  of  your 
carriage  and  cattle." 

"  See  that  now  !  "  returned  the  driver,  with  a  grin.    "  Faith,  I'll 
engage  'tis  they  were  the  smart  nags  whin  the  masther's  father  bought 
'em,  God  be  good  to  his  soul !  five-and-twenty  years   agoue,  come  - 
Michaelmas,  as  I  have  heard  tell." 

''The  chaise  is  well  matched  with  the  horses,"  I  observed,  "for 
antiquity,  at  all  events." 

"Aunt  who,  sir?"  demanded  the  fellow  with  a  leer,  that  left  it 
doubtful  whether  his  question  arose  from  ignorance  or  insolence.  "  I 
don't  think  masther  ever  had  an  aunt  of  that  name,  sir,  at  all,  at  all. 
But  as  for  the  hack,*  sure  it  belonged  wanst  to  the  Earl  of  Kingston ; 
the  ould,  ould  earl,  sir,  that  shot  Beau  Eijarrald  (Fitzgerald)  for  run- 
ning away  wid  his  daughter  ;  an'  he  a  lying  in  bed  at  the  time:" 

"  Who  was  lying  in  bed  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Colonel  Eijarrald,  sir,"  he  replied.  "An  when  the  ould  earl  kern  into 

his  bedroom,  wid  a  small  young  gun  in  his  list,  he  says  to  him,  says  he, — 

: '  You  thief  o'  the  world,  you  ran  away  wid  my  daughter,'  says  he. 

"  ' No  I  didn't,'  says  Beau  Eijarrald;  as  bould  as  a  lion ;  '  'twas  she 
ran  away  wid  me,'  says  he. 

"  Wid  that,  yer  honour,  the  ould  earl  up  wid  his  gun,  and  dhrove  a 
brace  of  bullets  into  Beau  Eijarrald,  an'  its  a  box  o'  could  meat  he  was 
in  a  brace  o'  shakes,  yer  honour." 

Thus  my  driver  ran  on,  either  from  natural  garrulity,  or  a  wish  to 
divert  my  attention  from  the  wretched  condition  of  his  cattle  ;  some- 
times whistling  with  that  wild  pathos  peculiar  to  the  Irish  peasantry, 
and  at  others  breathing  forth  a  snatch  of  an  old  song  teeming  with 
drollery  and  fun.  Nor  was  his  patchwork  conversation  devoid  of  the 
serious  and  terrific;  for  ghosts,  hobgoblins,  highwaymen,  flying 
witches,  and  creaking  gibbets  formed  the  great  staple  of  his  remi- 
niscences, especially  as  the  night  drawing  on  seemed  naturally  to 
.suggest  such  grisly  themes. 

.  The  sun  was  now  sinking  behind  the  lofty  pinnacles  of  the  moun- 
tains on  our  left,  and  the  shadows  of  the  rocks  were  projecting  to  an 
awful  length ;  when  a  fairy-like  strain  of  music  fixated  on  the  air,  so 
unlike  anything  earthly  that  I  stopped  the  chaise  to  listen  to  the 
•delicate  and  tiny  melody. 

*  The  post-chaise  is  generally  so  crJled  in  the  south  of  Ireland. 


328  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

"  "Tis  the  good  people,  sir,"  said  the  driver  ;  "  and  it  conies  from 
the  Danish  mount  beyond  there,  where  they're  houlding  their  junkets 
now,  the  Lord  betune  us  and  harm !  myself  often  hears  it  when  I 
comes  up  this  road." 

"  Drive  on,"  I  said,  "  and  you'll  soon  hear  it  louder." 

"Sorrowapit,  sir,"  said  he;  "'tis  never  louder  than  that,  yer honour." 

He  was  mistaken,  however ;  for  at  the  next  turn  of  the  road  the 
soft  tones  of  the  Irish  pipes,  which  had  hitherto  been  deadened  by 
the  interventi9n  of  some  rocky  eminences,  swelled  loudly  911  the 
breeze,  intermingled  with  peals  of  laughter  and  shouts  of  merriment ; 
and  I  hailed  the  ever-welcome  sound  as  a  happy  omen. 

After  toiling  up  the  mountain  for  another  half-hour,  by  an  evidently 
expiring  effort  of  our  sorry  hacks,  we  at  length  reached  a  spot  where 
two  roads  crossed  each  other ;  and  there  we  found  forty  or  fifty  young 
men  and  women  from  some  neighbouring  hamlets,  it  being  Sunday 
evening,  dancing  joyously  to  the  music  of  a  blind  piper,  who  effectually 
roused  the  mountain  echoes  with  the  energy  of  his  performance. 

m  Our  panting  horses  were  now  completely  knocked  up,  and  de- 
cidedly refused  to  budge  another  inch ;  while  the  peasants  crowded 
around  us,  some  quizzing  my  equipage,  and  others  commiserating 
my  dilemma ;  but  all  concurring  in  the  opinion  that  the  horses  could 
go  no  further,  and  that  no  others  could  be  procured  within  a  distance 
of  at  least  twelve  miles. 

At  length,  while  venting  my  spleen  in  a  polyglot  tirade  of  exple- 
tives, foreign  and  domestic,  one  young  fellow  cried  out, — 

"  Arrah,  boys !  let  us  dhraw  the  captain  and  his  carriage  over  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  and  give  his  garrons  a  bit  of  a  rest." 

A  dozen  voices  instantly  responded  in  the  affirmative  to  this  gene- 
rous proposal :  the  horses  were  unharnessed,  and  the  b9ys  buckled 
to  the  traces,  while  the  girls  laughed  and  joined  heartily  in  the  frolic, 
by  turns  encouraging  their  swains,  and  quizzing  those  who  stumbled, 
or  seemed  blown  with  the  exercise.  In  this  novel  manner  we  at 
length  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain,  three  long  miles,  at  least ; 
and  there  the  free-hearted  fellows  gave  me  a  joyous  cheer,  and  bade 
me  God  speed. 

I  insisted  on  their  accepting  something  for  their  trouble;  but  this 
they  decidedly  refused. 

"  We  know  your  honour's  an  officer,"  said  their  spokesman,  "  by 
the  cock  of  your  eye  :  but  even  if  you  were  only  a  gintleman,  we'd 
do  as  much  and  more  for  you,  wid  all  the  veins  of  our  hearts." 

"  Hollo  !  Hollo  !  "  exclaimed  a  rough  manly  voice  at  this  moment, 
"  what  is  the  matter  here  ?  I  hope  nobody 's  hurt." 

"  Plaise  yer  honour,  Mr.  Fijarrald,"  replied  half  a  dozen  of  my  new 
friends,  as  a  stout,  middle-aged  gentleman,  on  a  powerful  horse,  now 
came  in  sight  at  a  turning  of  the  road.  "  Plaise  yer  honour,  'tis  only 
the  captain's  horses  are  knocked  up,  and  regular  garrons  they  are  too; 
and  we  have  been  giving  him  a  lift  up  the  hill." 

"  Well  done,  boys,  well  done ! "  said  the  stranger,  whose  coun- 
tenance, as  he  approached,  beamed  with  the  most  perfect  good 
nature.  "But,  perhaps,"  he  continued,  "perhaps,  the  poor  gentle- 
man wants  something  more  than  a  lift.  Let  me  see,  let  me  see." 


THE  TWO  BRACELETS.  329< 

He  alighted,  and  coming  up,  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand,  ex- 
claiming,— 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  sir,  but  sorry  for  your  mishap.  Them  gar- 
rons  of  yours  arn't  worth  their  oats.  Oh,  it's  you,  Mr.  Dan !  I  have 
warn'd  you  before  against  coining  up  these  mountains  with  such  cattle 
as  them." 

"  Then,  plaise  yer  honour,"  said  the  post-boy, "  its  what  my  master 
has  been  going  to  the  fair  of  Kilworth  these  three  months  past,  to 
shoot  himself  with  a  couple  of  good  nags ;  but  as  the  captain  was  in 
a  hurry  to  get  to  Tipperary " 

"To  Tipperary!"  interrupted  the  stranger;  "he'll never  get  there 
with  a  pair  of  beasts  that  are  only  fit  for  the  hounds  :  you  and  your 
master  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves ;  but  stay,  stay — let  me 
see,  let  me  see.  I'll  tell  you,  sir,  what  you  had  better  do.  In  the 
first  place,  you  had  better  stop  at  my  poor  cabin  to-night,  anyhow ; 
and  to-morrow  we'll  see  more  clearly  before  us  :  perhaps  the  beasts 
may  recover  strength  enough  to  take  you  on ;  but  if  not,  we'll  find 
some  other  way,  sure." 

With  many  thanks  and  apologies,  I  accepted  the  kind  offer  of  my 
new  friend  ;  who  threw  the  Dridle-rem  over  his  arm,  and  we  walked, 
slowly  down  the  hill  together,  towards  the  Glen  of  Aherlow  ;  while 
he  gave  directions  to  our  attendants,  in  the  tone  of  a  man  accustomed: 
to  command. 

"  Now  Dan,"  he  said,  "  you  move  on  with  that  old  rattle-trap  of 
yours  to  Glenville ;  and  put 'it  up  in  the  coach-house  till  morning." 

"  Yis,  yer  honour,"  said  Dan. 

"Put  your  horses  in  the  stable,  Dan,"  he  continued,  "and  give  them 
a  good  feed  of  oats ;  I'm  thinking  it's  some  time  since  they've  had  a 
smell  of  that  same." 

"  Thank  yer  honour,"  said  Dan. 

"  Then  Dan,"  continued  the  stranger,  "  take  your  own  post  by  the 
kitchen-fire,  and  take  a  share  of  what's  going." 

"  Long  life  to  yer  honour,  and  long  may  you  reign !  "  cried  Dan,  as 
he  whipped  his  horses  into  a  trot  down  the  hill ;  for  they  seemed  to 
have  some  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  unwonted  treat  that  was  in 
store  for  them. 

"And  now,  boys,"  resumed  the  stranger,  "  you  follow  Dan  down  to 
Glenville,  and  tell  the  mistress  to  give  you  all  a  drop  o5  the  crather ; 
and  I'll  engage  she  has  some  nice  little  cordial  or  other  for  the  col- 
leens, too,  that  have  been  helping  you  up  the  hill  with  that  lumbering 
old  chaise." 

A  cheer  for  Squire  Fitzgerald  now  rang  out  boldly  from  the  party 
of  pedestrians,  who  set  off  in  a  race  down  the  hill,  laughing  and 
frolicking  with  each  other  as  if  they  were  the  happiest  of  God's 
creatures. 

Mr.  Fitzgerald  and  I  followed  them  slowly ;  chatting  as  we  went 
along,  on  the  weather,  the  abundant  harvest,  and  such  other  topics 
as  a  country  gentleman  may  be  supposed  to  relish,  till  we  had  got 
nearly  half-way  down  the  mountain  ;  then,  diverging  from  the  main 
road,  we  followed  another  for  some  time,  as  it  led  into  a  wooded  dell, 
or  narrow  valley,  between  two  lofty  spurs  of  the  Galties,  which 


330  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

seemed  planted  there  by  nature  to  shelter  the  secluded  and  lovely 
spot  from  the  northern  blast.  We  at  length  arrived  at  a  neat  porter's 
lodge  and  iron  gate,  which  being  opened  for  us,  my  new  friend  gave 
me  a  cordial  welcome  to  Glenville. 

"  Caid  mil  a  faltha  ! "  said  the  worthy  man,  shaking  me  by  the 
hand ;  "  but  that's  Greek  to  you,  anyhow,  for  I  perceive  by  your 
.accent  that  you  are  an  Englishman.  It  means  a  hundred  thousand 
welcomes ;  and,  if  I  may  judge  by  your  manners  and  conversation, 
you  are  entitled  to  every  one  of  them." 

I  was  about  to  express  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the 
compliment,  when  the  party  of  rustics  returned,  laughing  and  singing, 
from  the  house ;  and,  as  they  wished  us  good  night,  they  gave  one 
more  hearty  cheer  for  Squire  Fitzgerald,  and  the  Knight  of  Glynn. 

"That's  a  great  relation  of  ^  mine,  sir,"  said  my  host,  "who  some- 
times does  me  the  honour  of  a  visit,  especially  when  he  wants  to 
canvass  the  county ;  but  his  sphere  of  life  is  too  lofty  for  a  plain 
gentleman-farmer  like  myself." 

We  were  now  surrounded  by  a  dozen  dogs,  pointers,  terriers,  beagles, 
and  one  or  two  of  those  majestic  stag-hounds,  the  breed  of  which  is 
not  yet  extinct  in  Ireland ;  who  kept  frolicking,  jumping,  and  barking 
with  joy  all  the  way  up  the  avenue,  as  if  determined  to  show  the 
stranger,  that  the  "Caid  mil  a  faltha !  "  could  be  uttered  by  other 
tongues  besides  that  of  the  master. 


CHAPTER    LXIX. 

THE   MOUNTAIN   SYLPH. 

THE  autumn  was  pretty  well  advanced,  and  the  breeze  blew  loud  and 
shrill  amongst  the  lofty  trees  that  skirted  the  carriage-way ;  while 
the  frequent  rustling  of  the  leaves,  as  they  fell  to  the  ground,  was 
significant  of  approaching  winter,  and  the  cawing  of  the  rooks  became 
fainter  and  fainter,  as  they  settled  themselves  for  the  night  in  their 
lofty  habitations.  The  avenue  led  us  to  a  broad,  level  lawn,  on  one 
side  of  which  stood  the  mansion  of  my  friend,  a  plain  country  resi- 
dence, spacious,  and,  doubtless,  comfortable,  but  without  any  preten- 
sions to  architectural  beauty. 

We  were  received  at  the  front  door  by  a  couple  of  domestics ;  one 
of  whom  took  Mr.  Fitzgerald's  horse,  and  the  other  lighted  us  into  a 
venerable  hall,  hung  round  with  fowling-pieces,  fishing-rods,  whips, 
hunting-caps,  great  coats,  antlers,  and  other  indications  of  the  chase 
and  rural  life.  From  the  hall,  we  proceeded  at  once  into  the  drawing- 
room  ;  where  I  was  presented  by  my  host  as  anEnglish  gentleman  whose 
horses  had  knocked  up  on  the  road,  and  whom  he  had  consequently 
entreated  to  take  up  his  residence  with  them  for  the  night,  and  as 
much  longer  as  he  might  choose  to  honour  them  with  his  company. 

"  He  is  heartily  welcome,"  said  a  comely  matron,  holding  out  her 
hand  to  me  frankly  and  kindly:  "but,  good  gracious,  Edward,  you 
can't  imagine  what  a  start  I  got  when  the  chaise  came  up  the  avenue, 


THE  MOUNTAIN   SYLPH.  331 

surrounded  by  all  the  neighbours.  My  heart  leaped  to  my  mouth  ; 
for  I  thought  you  might  be  hurt  inside,  and  the  roads  are  not  very 
safe  of  late  at  this  hour  of  the  evening." 

"  Tut,  tut,  old  woman,"  said  Fitzgerald,  giving  his  wife  a  good 
hearty  Buss,  "  there's  not  a  man  in  the  barony  would  hurt  a  hair  of 
Ned  Fitzgerald's  head.  But  where' s  the  colleen  dhass  ?  " 

"  Here  I  am,"  replied  a  voice  of  silvery  sweetness,  whose  tones 
thrilled  to  my  heart  with  some  secret  and  undefinable  power.  "Here 
I  am,  holding  a  learned  discussion  with  this  venerable  ecclesiastic,  on 
the  authenticity  of  Ossian' s  poems." 

I  turned  with  surprise  to  where  the  voice  proceeded  from,  and 
beheld  a  young  lady,  to  whom  my  host  introduced  me  as  his  sister- 
in-law  ;  he  also  introduced  me  to  Father  Carrol,  the  venerable  ecclesi- 
astic before  mentioned,  whose  laughing  .eyes  and  rubicund  visage 
displayed  anything  but  symptoms  of  mortification  and  penance. 

"Pray,  which  side  of  this  vexed  question  do  you  take,  colleen 
machree  ?  "  demanded  Fitzgerald. 

"  Oh,  I  am  entirely  for  their  authenticity,"  she  replied. 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  the  priest,  with  a  smile,  " that  the  ladies  all 
decide  from  their  feelings  in  this  case,  rather  than  their  judgment." 

"And  where,"  cried  the  lady  with  vivacity,  "where  can  we  find  a 
better  guide  than  the  instinct,  or  feeling,  call  it  which  you  will,  that 
Heaven  has  implanted  in  our  breasts,  to  direct  us,  with  unerring  aim, 
to  a  just  conception  of  all  that  is  noblest  in  our  nature,  and  of  lan- 
guage the  fittest  and  most  eloquent  to  give  it  expression  ?  It  is  very 
well  for  the  bookish  pedant,  whose  heart  is  dry  and  withered  as  his 
musty  old  tomes  ;  or  for  the  cold  sceptic,  who  ventures  even  to  sneer 
at  those  manifestations  of  Divine  power  which  we  are  taught  to 
revere  from  our  infancy ;  to  rail  at  the  so-called  impostor  to  whose 
elegant  muse  we  owe  this  fascinating  production.  But  if  all  others 
do  not  confess,  by  their  humid  eyes  and  palpitating  hearts,  the  touch 
of  nature,  the  light  of  truth,  and  the  power  of  eloquence  which  sparkle 
<md  shine  through  every  strain  of  Ossian,  carrying  the  rapt  soul 
from  the  enjoyment  of  every  luxury  that  modern  art  and  science  have 
ever  invented,  to  revel  on  the  bleak  hills,  the  chilly  mists,  the  rolling 
clouds,  and  the  shadowy  forms  of  Morven,  then  1  willingly  yield  the 
palm  to  my  reverend  adversary,  who,  while  he  denies  the  authenti- 
city of  Ossian  on  that  internal  evidence  which  seldom  deceives,  exact  s 
from  us  the  most  implicit  belief  in  mysteries  a  thousand  times  more 
profound  and  inscrutable." 

The  reader  may,  perhaps,  look  upon  this  as  a  little  flight  ad  cap- 
fandum.  a  feminine  ruse  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  stranger ;  but  I 
;issure  him  that  such  was  not  the  case.  The  spirited  defence  of  Mac- 
pherson  was  uttered  in  such  quiet  and  lady-like  tones,  and  the  speaker 
was,  to  all  appearance,  so  unconscious  of  my  presence,  having  as  yet 
.scarcely  so  much  as  looked  at  me,  that  I  could  not  regard  it  as  any 
more  than  her  natural  and  customary  mode  of  expression. 

This  also  seemed  to  be  the  general  idea ;_  for  every  one  either 
assented  to  or  dissented  from  the  remarks  of  the  fair  champion  in 
the  ordinary  manner,  but  myself.  For  my  part,  I  stood  open-mouthed, 
gazing  upon  her  with  an  intensity  that  must  have  been  construed  into 


332  THE  YOUNG  EIPLE3IAX. 

rudeness  or  stupidity.  I  had  often,  amidst  the  conflict  of  opinions 
on  this  subject,  endeavoured  to  analyze  my  own  ideas  of  Ossian,  yet 
never  until  now  could  I  find  befitting  words  to  express  them ;  but  I 
did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  at  once  as  my  own  the  language  of  the  fair 
girl  who  now  sat  before  me,  altogether  unconscious  of  the  interest 
she  was  exciting  in  my  breast.  Whether  it  was  from  this  coincidence 
of  sentiment,  or  from  the  silvery  tone  of  her  voice,  which  still  seemed 
to  hover  in  the  air,  I  st9od  gazing,  stupidly  enough  I  confess,  as  if 
waiting  for  the  conclusion  of  some  delightful  strain  of  ethereal 
melody. 

To  relieve  me  from  this  awkward  position,  which  was  too  apparent 
to  all,  Mrs.  Fitzgerald  observed  to  her  husband, — 

"  I  have  had  the  gentleman's  luggage  brought  in  here  for  the  pre- 
sent, as  he  may  probably  have  occasion  for  it." 

"Ay,  here  it  is,"  said  mine  host.  "Three  large  portmanteau^ 
with  the  letters  P.  E.  in  brass.  I  hope  they're  all  right,  sir ;  these 
are  your  initials,  I  presume  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  I  replied;  "  and  they  remind  me  that  I  ought  to  apo- 
logize for  not  acquainting  you  with 'my  name  before  now.  It  is  Blen- 
kinsop— Peter  Blenkinsop,  at  your  service." 

"  A  good  old  English  name,  sir."  said  ray  host,  presenting  me  over 
again  to  the  company  as  Captain  Peter  Blenkinsop. 

Now,  why  I  gave  this  name  instead  of  my  own,  I  have  no  more 
distinct  idea  than  the  man  in  the  moon.  It  could  not  have  been  with 
the  view  of  imposing  on  or  even  hoaxing  my  worthy  host,  who 
merited  far  different  treatment  at  my  hands ;  nor  was  it  because  1 
was  ashamed  of  my  own  name  in  my  own  country,  after  having  borne 
it  so  long  in  so  many  others ;  but,  in  fact,  honest  Ned  Eitzgerald  had 
set  me  down  as  an  Englishman,  and  my  own  easy  complying  disposi- 
tion induced  me  to  fall  in  with  his  humour  for  the  moment,  rather 
than  subject  him  to  the  mortification  of  retracting  his  first  impression. 
It  was,  moreover,  a  matter  of  no  consequence ;  for  we  were  all  utter 
strangers  to  each  other,  and  would  separate  on  the  morrow  without  a 
chance  of  ever  meeting  again. 

The  family  tea-table  was  now  laid  out,  loaded  through  its  whole 
extent  with  all  appliances  for  a  hearty  meal,  including  ham,  tongue, 
cold  beef,  cold  fowl,  &c/&c.  We  took  our  places  in  a  merry  circle, 
altogether  free  from  the  constraint  of  etiquette ;  our  numbers  being 
increased  by  the  only  son  and  two  daughters  of  my  host;  quiet, 
nice-looking  children,  who  now,  for  the  first  time,  made  their 
appearance. 

Chance  had  placed  me  exactly  opposite  the  young  lady  whom  my 
ne\v  friend  had  distinguished  by  the  epithet  of  colleen  dkass,  which 
signifies,  I  believe^  darling  girl,  or  some  other  term  of  equal  endear- 
ment ;  and  mysteriously  touched  as  I  had  been  by  her  voice,  I  was 
now  still  more  so  by  her  features.  These  were  not  regularly  beautiful, 
but  they  beamed  with  intelligence  and  good  humour :  in  short,  I 
could  not  keep  my  eyes  off  them,  for  they  possessed  that  charm  of 
graceful  intellect  and  mental  superiority  which  fascinate  more  deeply 
than  the  most  decided  beauty,  or  symmetry  of  form  or  outline.  I 
could  never  have  seen  her  before,  that  was  clear ;  and  yet  there  was 


THE  MOUNTAIN   SYLPH.  333 

something  in  her  countenance  that  recalled  a  dim  vision  of  the  past; 
but  whether  it  was  a  sleeping  or  a  waking  dream,  I  could  not  for  my 
life  decide. 

"  Pshaw  ! "  I  mentally  exclaimed,  as  I  helped  myself  to  a  huge 
slice  of  cold  roast  beef,  "  it  cannot  be  that  I  am  going  to  take  the 
distemper  again,  as  that  puppy  llichardson  used  to  say.  It  cannot 
be  that  a  heart  so  often  seared  to  the  core  with  the  flames  of  love  for 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  women  of  the  various  countries  it  has  been 
my  lot  to  visit,  should  now  once  more  be  sensible  to  the  attractions 
of  an  Irish  country  girl.  Impossible  !  why,  as  I  hope  for  mercy,  she 
has  a  pug-nose ;  and  though  she  does  not  squint,  yet  her  eyes  are  full 
of  fire  that  indicates  a  little  of  the  shrew.  Then  her  brogue — nay, 
nay,  let  me  do  her  justice,  she  has  no  brogue,  not  an  atom-  her 
accent  is  purer  than  my  own.  Why,  on  my  life,  she  has  been  talking 
French  and  Italian  witn  Father  Carroll,  with  a  facility  and  eloquence 
that  I  have  never  heard  surpassed  !  Where  the  deuce  could  she  have- 
picked  up  such  accomplishments  amidst  these  woods,  and  wilds,  and 
rocky  mountains  ?  " 

A  brilliant  peal  of  laughter,  full,  rich,  melodious,  ringing  from  the 
cherry  lips  of  the  fair  object  before  me,  recalled  me  suddenly  to  the 
absurdity  of  my  conduct ;  for,  during  this  inaudible  soliloquy  of  mine, 
instead  of  eating  as  a  hungry  man  should  have  done,  I  was  actually 
piling  my  plate  with  cold  ham,  roast  fowl,  beef,  toast,  bread-and- 
butter,  slim,  cake,  and  seed  cake,  to  a  degree  that  set  the  whole  table 
in  a  roar. 

I  apologized  to  the  lady  of  the  house  for  the  strangely  ridiculous 
part  I  had  been  playing,  which  I  endeavoured  to  account  for  on  the 
plea  of  being  subject  to  fits  of  abstraction. 

She  received  my  excuse  with  the  most  perfect  good  humour,  and 
hoped  to  see  me  make  use  of  at  least  a  good  portion  of  what  I  had 
before  me. 

"  Oh,  as  for  that,  ma'am,"  said  the  priest,  "  I'm  thinking  that 
Captain  Blenkinsop  would  make  a  right  good  Catholic ;  for,  while  he 
was  loading  his  plate  writh  a  week's  provisions,  he  was  practising  a 
degree  of  abstinence  that  would  do  honour  to  a  Carmelite  friar." 

"  But  abstinence,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Fitzgerald,  falling  in  with  the 

Eriest's  humour,  "  is  not  enough  for  a  proselyte.  In  this  matter-of- 
ict  age  we  require  more  striking  proofs :  'tis  not  the  cowl,  you  know, 
that  makes  the  monk." 

/Then  I  hope,  sir,"  returned  the  clergyman,  "that  you  will  accept 
saint-worship  as  one  of  those  proofs ;  for  I  can  safely  declare  that  all 
the  time  the  captain  was  garnishing  his  plate,  in  his  fit  of  abstraction, 
he  never  once  took  his  eyes  off  the  fair  countenance  of  Miss  Honoria 
Blake." 

"  Good  heavens !"  I  exclaimed,  with  an  involuntary  start  that  upset 
my  tea-cup,  to  the  renewed  amusement  of  the  younger  portion  of  the 
family,  though  the  elders  had  tact  enough  to  avoid  all  notice  of  my 
gaucherie ;  while  the  young  lady  herself,  rising  from  the  table, 
went  to  the  piano,  and  ran  her  fingers  over  the  keys,  with  a 
light,  rapid,  and  graceful  execution  that  showed  her  mastery  of 
the  instrument. 


334  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

The  riddle  was  then  read — the  sympathetic  cord  which  had  touched 
my  heart  was  accounted  for : — before  me  sat  a  grown-up,  elegant,  and 
highly-accomplished  woman,  the  protegee  of  the  benevolent  countess 
of  Kingston,  and  the  dear  little  child  who,  thirteen  years  before,  had 
wept  herself  into  fits  at  my  departure  for  the  wars ;  after  having 
placed  upon  my  wrist,  as  a  gage  cV  amour,  her  little  bracelet,  the  faith- 
ful companion  of  all  my  wanderings  and  vicissitudes. 

Oh !  how  I  longed  to  throw  myself  at  her  feet,  and  display  her 
childish  gift  to  her  astonished  eyes ;  but  no,  I  was  determined  to 
preserve  my_  incognito,  for  I  felt  that  I  was,  in  downright  reality, 
taking  the  distemper  again ;  and  I  was  therefore  prudently  desirous 
of  reconnoitring  the  enemy,  before  I  made  any  further  advance  in 
the  campaign. 

Honoria  now  called  her  young  cousins  to  the  piano,  and  said  with 
the  sweetest  smile  in  the  world  ; — 

"I  hope  Captain  Blenkinsop  \vill  pardon  me  if  I  give  my  young 
pupils  a  lesson  while  he  finishes  his  repast." 

Will  it  be  believed  that  I  had  not  at  that  moment  self-possession 
enough  to  utter  a  word  in  reply  to  the  dear  soul  upon  whom  I  was 
gazing  with  an  intensity  that  bordered  upon  rudeness,  and  actually 
covered  her  sweet  face  with  blushes.  Indeed,  I  began  to  fear  that 
she  already  looked  upon  me  as  a  sulky  ill-mannered  John  Bull ;  and 
my  confusion  increased  so  rapidly,  under  this  impression,  that  my 
worthy  host  and  his  lady  started  fifty  diiferent  topics  to  relieve  me 
from  my  embarrassment. 

It  was  in  vain,  however  :  the  days  of  my  childhood  came  vividly 
upon  my  memory,  and  thoughts  and  feelings  which  had  long  laiii 
dormant  in  my  breast,  checked  and  smothered  by  a  long  intercourse 
with  a  selfish  and  artificial  world,  now  gushed  forth  upon  the 
withered  region  of  my  heart  with  all  the  freshness  and  vivacity  of  a 
spring  in  the  desert.  Silent  and  absorbed  I  sat,  as  if  listening  en- 
chanted to  a  duet  of  Pleyel's,  performed  by  the  two  young  ladies 
with  great  correctness  and  good  taste,  but  nothing  further. 

"  Honoria,  dear,"  said  Fitzgerald,  when  the  duet  was  finished  -. 
"Captain  Blenkinsop  seems  very  fond  of  music,  suppose  you  let 
him  hear  some  of  our  Irish  melodies — '  Shawn  O'Dheer  O'Glanna/ 
for  instance,  will  be  quite  germane  to  the  matter  ;  being  not  only  a 
national  melody  of  great  beauty  in  itself,  but  native  to  these  very 
hills  and  streams  that  now  surround  us.  You  must  know,  Captain  Blen- 
kinsop," lie  continued,  "that  'Shawn  O'Dheer  O'Glanna,'  signifies 
John  O'Dwyer  of  the  Glyn  or  Glen;  for  you  are  now  in  the  Glen  of 
Aherlow,  one  of  the  richest  valleys  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  in  agri- 
cultural produce  at  least ;  and  of  this  valley  John  O'Dwyer  was  one 
of  the  ancient  worthies,  whose  name  has  been  embalmed  in  song,  as 
you  shall  hear." 

During  this  explanation  of  my  host,  altogether  unnecessary,  if  he 
knew  but  all,  Honoria  had  been  tuning  a  handsome  harp  that  stood 
by  the  piano;  and  touching  its  strings  with  a  mastery  that  quite 
amazed  me,  she  ran  a  prelude  of  wild  and  poetical  fancy  that  appro- 
priately introduced  the  sweetly  plaintive  air  of  "  John  O'Dwyer  of 
the  Glyn;"  accompanying  the  instrument  with  the  Irish  words., 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SYLPH.  335 

in  a  voice  of  touching  pathos,  pure  melody,  and  highly-cultivated 
taste. 

To  say  that  I  was  surprised,  entranced,  enraptured,  is  but 
faintly  to  express  my  feelings  at  that  moment  of  exquisite  enjoy- 
ment ;  seated  by  and  gazing  upon  the  cherished  companion  of  my 
boyhood,  though  to  her  an  unknown  and  indifferent  stranger.  As 
every  note  of  a  melody  so  familiar  and  so  dear  fell  soothingly  upon 
a  heart  so  long  indurated,  as  I  thought,  by  its  commerce  with  the 
world,  but  still  so  susceptible  of  the  tenderest  impressions,  I  felt  the 
tears  rolling  down  my  cheeks  in  streams ;  and  I  preserved  a  breath- 
less silence,  fearful  of  losing  a  single  grace  or  turn  of  what  was 
certainly  an  inspired  version  of  that  dear  old  strain :  but  still  I  had. 
not  the  power  of  paying  a  single  compliment  to  the  accomplished 
artist  on  its  termination. 

"  I  perceive,  sir,"  said  my  worthy  host,  "  that  you  have  a  soul  for 
music,  and  have  nodoubt  that  you  play  upon  some  instrument  yourself." 

"  I  play  a  little,"  I  replied  carelessly,  "  upon  the  idler's  instru- 
ment—the  flute." 

"  Then,  perhaps,"  said  Fitzgerald,  "you  could  favour  us  with  some- 
thing in  your  turn.  George,  bring  your  flute  to  Captain  Blenkinsop." 

George,  a  fine,  ingenuous,  bluff  boy,  immediately  brought  me  an 
old  one-keyed  boxwood  flute,  upon  which  he  was  learning  to  play. 

"  I  thank  you,  my  dear  George,"  I  said ;  "but  I  am  like  the  little 
boy  who  could  only  read  in  his  own  book.  If,  however,  Miss  Blake 
will  honour  me  with  an  accompaniment,  I  have  an  instrument  in  one 
of  my  portmanteaus." 

'*'  With  great  pleasure,"  replied  Honoria ;  her  brilliant  eyes  spark- 
ling as  if  she  felt  refreshed  by  hearing  at  length,  and  almost  for  the 
first  time,  the  sound  of  my  voice. 

Having  displayed  my  flute  to  the  wondering  eyes  of  George,  who 
could  never  sufficiently  admire  its  numerous  keys,  and  faultless  sym- 
metry, I  played  "  John  O'Dwyer  of  the  Glyn,"  from  memory,  with  a 
charming  accompaniment,  by  Honoria;  to  which  succeeded  the 
"Coolun,"  "Savournaa  Dheelish,"  and  many  others  of  the  Irish 
melodies. 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  my  hearers  to  express  their  surprise  and 
admiration,  which  they  did  with  all  that  complimentary  warmth  so 
peculiarly  Irish. 

"What  astonishes  me  above  all,"  said  my  host,  "is  the  perfectly 
national  expression  you  give  to  our  Irish  airs.  I  could  almost  swear 
you  were  a  native  of  these  hills  and  valleys,  and  imbued  with  similar 
feelings  to  our  own." 

"  I  have  been  a  good  deal  amongst  the  Irish  abroad,"  I  replied, 
carelessly,  "and  have  picked  up  a  great  many  of  their  ways  and 
forms  of  thought  and  expression." 

This  satisfied  the  old  people ;  but  a  shadow  of  gravity  fell  upon 
the  speaking  features  of  Honoria;  then  placing  one  of  Mozart's 
Masses  on  the  reading-desk  of  the  piano,  she  said  somewhat  archly, 
and  with  a  searching  glance  of  her  luminous  eyes  : — 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  you  knew  something  about  this,  and 
can  improvise  an  accompaniment." 


-336  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

Tims  put  upon  my  mettle,  we  played  it  together ;  and  Honoria 
sang  the  Latin  words,  to  the  great  delight  of  our  auditory,  especially 
of  Father  Carrol ;  who  expressed  a  hearty  wish  that  he  could  com- 
mand such  music  at  his  humble  organ-loft  in  the  Glyn. 

From  Mozart  we  went  to  Beethoven  and  Weber,  who  has  left  one 
opera,  at  least,  which  is  an  incantation  from  beginning  to  end.  We 
then  ran  through  all  the  great  masters  of  the  Italian  school  with 
equal  facility  and  success ;  and  by  the  time  supper  was  announced, 
my  worthy  host  again  congratulated  me  on  my  performance,  saying 
at  the  same  time  to  his  sister-in-law. — 

"  Honoria,  dear !  you  have  at  last  got,  I  won't  say  a  rival,  or 
a  competitor,  but  a  fellow-musician,  worthy  of  your  own  splendid 
talents." 

At  supper,  however,  Honoria  was  silent  and  reserved ;  while  my 
spirits,  on  the  contrary,  ran  riot,  as  it  were,  and  I  no  longer  seemed 
the  sulky  John  Bull  they  must  at  first  have  taken  me  for.  I  chatted 
with  the  priest,  on  his  own  special  challenge,  in  French,  Italian,  and 
even  Spanish,  which  he  spoke  a  little ;  related  anecdotes  of  the  wars 
in  Holland,  Spain,  and  India ;  but  particularly  won  Fitzgerald's 
lieart  by  graphic  descriptions  of  boar,  tiger,  and  elephant  hunting ; 
with  all  the  wonders  of  Oriental  field  sports,  so  strange  and  capti- 
vating to  the  English  ear.  In  short,  before  we  separated  for  the 
night,  he  made  me  promise,  "nothing  loth,"  I  can  assure  the  reader, 
that  I  would  spend  a  week  with  him  at  Glenville,  as  I  did  not  appear 
to  be  pressed  for  time. 

As  may  be  well  imagined,  I  did  not  sleep  much  on  this  eventful 
night ;  for,  though  my  carriage-exercise  had  fatigued  me  a  great  deal 
more  than  if  I  had  walked  the  whole  way,  yet  the  agitation  of  my 
mind,  occasioned  by  an  event  so  unexpected,  and,  indeed,  so  marvel- 
lous, kept  me  for  a  long  time  tossing  about  in  restless  anxiety. 
I  had,  however,  a  few  hours'  sleep,  before  a  brilliant  sun,  and  the 
music  of  a  thousand  birds  recalled  me  to  another  day  in  my  chequered 
existence. 

The  morning  was  warm  and  genial ;  and  throwing  up  the  window- 
sash,  I  sat  down  to  enjoy  a  view  at  once  the  most  splendid  and  inter- 
esting to  my  feelings  that  I  had  ever  gazed  upon. 

There  it  lay  before  me,  as  on  a  map,  the  lovely  Glen  of  Aherlow, 
through  whose  verdant  fields  I  had  so  often  strayed  in  careless  child- 
hood, when  visions  of  life  filled  my  youthful  mind,  very  different, 
indeed,  from  the  stern  reality  I  had  since  experienced.  There  it  lay,  in 
full  view,  from  the  commanding  position  I  occupied ;  the  silvery  Suir 
winding  its  fruitful  course  through  fields  of  green  meadow  or  yellow 
harvest,  hiding  at  times  its  pure  stream  in  some  hoary  wood  or 
young  plantation,  and,  anon,  appearing  beyond,  till  it  finally  mingled 
with  the  light  fleecy  clouds  that  fringed  the  horizon ;  while  the  Gal- 
ties,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Slieve-na-muck  on  the  other,  reared  their 
cloud-capped  heads,  proud  guardians  of  the  secluded  Eden  that  lay 
between  them. 

Throughout  this  fertile  vale,  cottages,  hamlets,  and  farm-yards 
weye  sprinkled ;  and  Father  Carrol's  modest  church  arose  in  decent 
pride,  its  belfry  resounding  with  the  summons  to  early  prayers. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SYLPH.  337 

These  symptoms  of  rural  life  and  industry  extended  considerably  up 
the  mountain,  on  whose  rugged  side  was  perched  the  residence  of  my 
new  friend ;  his  gardens  lying  in  terraces  before  me  on  the  downward 
slope,  filled  witli  all  the  riches  of  floral  and  horticultural  produce. 
In  the  centre  of  the  flower  garden,  which  lay  nearest  to  the  lawn, 
there  was  a  pretty  fountain,  supplied  from  a  small  cascade  that 
tumbled  down  the  lofty  rocks  in  rear  of  the  dwelling-house ;  and 
beside  the  granite  basin  that  received  the  waters  of  the  jet,  stood  my 
dear  little  Honoria,  feeding  the  gold  and  silver  fishes. 

Strange  that  even  still  I  continued  to  look  upon  her  simply  as  my 
infant  playfellow,  and  thought  it  odd  that  she  did  not,  as  before, 
spring  to  my  embrace,  twine  her  little  arms  round  my  neck,  and  cover 
my  cheek  with  kisses.  But  when  I  looked  at  the  full  and  perfect 
form  which  now  stood  before  me,  I  felt  that  a  new  phase  of  existence 
had  opened  upon  us  both;  and  that  our  future  weal  or  woe  entirely 
depended  on  the  impression  we  should  now  mutually  make  upon  each 
other. 

When  she  had  finished  the  first  act  of  duty,  Honoria  skipped  off 
to  her  flower-beds ;  with  skilful  hands  tending  and  directing  their 
luxuriant  growth,  and  selecting  from  all  a  bouquet  to  adorn  the 
breakfast-table.  But  in  all  she  did,  in  every  act  and  movement,  there 
was  such  healthful  agility  and  feminine  grace,  that  I  could  not  for  an 
instant  withdraw  my  eyes  from  her  elegant  and  elastic  figure ;  but  sat 
rapt,  as  it  were,  with  'love  and  admiration,  when  a  voice  from  the 
lawn  under  my  \yindow  called  out, — 

"  Hillo,  captain  !  are  you  enjoying  the  fresco  ?  " 

It  was  my  worthy  host  and  his  son  George,  both  equipped  as 
anglers,  with  rods  over  their  shoulders  and  baskets  by  their  sides, 
apparently  well  stocked  with  the  finny  prey. 

"  What !  have  vou  been  down  to  the  river  already  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied ;  "  George  and  I  have  been  killing  a  few  trout, 
in  spite  of  the  bright  sunshine^  that  you  may  judge  for  yourself  of  the 
produce  of  our  Irish  streams.  But  dress  and  come  down ;  breakfast 
will  soon  be  ready,  and  I  warrant  it,  you'll  enjoy  them  hot  from  the 
gridiron." 

I  cast  one  more  glance  at  the  garden,  but  Honoria  had  vanished  at 
the  sound  of  our  voices :  having  nothing  further  to  detain  me,  I 
descended  to  the  parlour,  where  the  breaklast-table  was  already  laden 
with  every  requisite  for  a  hearty  and  luxurious  meal;  a  bouquet  of 
the  most  lovely  flowers  adorning  the  centre,  and  casting  a  rich  fra- 
grance round  the  room. 

There  was  no  one  present,  as  yet,  but  my  host's  two  young 
daughters,  who  were  seated  at  a  table  near  the  window,  drawing 
some  flowers  from  nature.  I  complimented  them  on  their  oc- 
cupation, especially  when  they  told  me  they  were  solely  taught  by 
their  aunt  Honoria-  who,  by  the  possession  of  this  delightful  art, 
thus  added  another  link  of  steel  to  my  already  enslaved  and  captive 
heart. 

Upon  the  table  lay;  a  large,  handsome  portfolio,  well  stocked  with 
masterly  sketches  of  foreign  scenery  and  costume,  the  work  of  my 
dear  little  talented  cousin.  Having,  with  permission  from  the  young 

z 


338  THE  YOUNG  RIFLEMAN. 

ladies,  looked  them  over,  I  was  about  to  close  the  book,  when  a  slip 
of  paper  fell  from  one  of  its  pockets,  upon  which  several  attempts 
had  been  made,  in  colours,  and  with  various  success,  to  recall  the 
features  of  a  countenance  which  I  fondly  imagined  was  my  own. 
Indeed,  this  was  put  beyond  a  doubt,  by  the  words,  "  Poor  Percy  !  " 
being  written  underneath. 

This  little  memento  of  enduring  affection,  I  made  no  scruple  of 
purloining ;  and  I  had  scarcely  concealed  it  in  my  pocket-book,  when 
the  company  entered  to  breakfast. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  happy  week  flew  like  lightning ; 
every  day,  however  spent,  being  closed  with  delici9us  music  and 
social  chat.  The  first,  my  host  and  I  shot  over  the  Knight  of  Glynn's 
preserves;  the  second,  we  followed  the  hounds  of  a  neighbouring 
club;  the  third,  we  enjoyed  the  splendid  trout-fishing-  of  the  river 
Suir ;  the  fourth,  we  had  a  riding-party,  in  which  Honoria  was,  as 
sual,  pre-eminent ;  the  fifth,  we  had  a  pic-nic  at  the  Devil's  Punch- 


again,  I  accompanied  Honoria  with  my  flute;  as,  to  the  delight  of  the 
assembled  rustics,  she  drew  from  a  sweet  little  organ  peal  upon  peal 
of  that  celestial  harmony  which  should  never  be  divorced  from  reli- 
gious rites,  as  softening  the  asperities  of  the  world,  attuning  the 
affections  of  the  heart,  and  elevating  the  soul  to  the  purest  and 
holiest  contemplation  of  the  Deity. 

A  second  and  a  third  week  still  found  me  at  Glenville,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  great  world  in  which  I  had  yet  a  part  to  play;  ana 
living  as  if  life  had  no  other  duty,  occupation,  or  pleasure,  than 
riding,  dancing,  walking,  talking  to,  and  playing  the  flute  with 
Honoria.  "We  were,  in  fact,  all  in  all  to  each  other;  for  though,  at 
times,  a  strange  mysterious  shadow  would  rest  upon  her  expressive 
features^  as  if  she  was  suffering  a  pang  of  self-reproach;  and  her 
thoughtful  eye  would  dwell  upon  mine,  as  though  her  eager  spirit 
was  endeavouring  to  retrace  some  vision  of  past  joy ;  yet,  having 
given  up,  with  a  sigh,  the  vain  attempt,  she  would  return  my  caresses 
with  all  the  bewitching  frankness  and  confiding  simplicity  of  a 
devoted  and  affectionate  heart. 

But  time  and  space  both  hint  that  I  must  not  linger  over  this 
closing  scene  of  my  strange  eventful  history. 

One  evening,  in  our  little  family  circle,  we  were  chatting  over  the 
varied  manners  of  the  foreign  countries  I  had  visited ;  and,  amongst 
other  peculiarities,  I  related  to  my  friends  the  chivalrous  custom  of 
the  Rajpoot  ladies,  in  securing  the  services  of  a  champion,  by  pre- 
senting him  with  a  bracelet,  which  constitutes  him  the  rakhi-bmid 
Me,  or  bracelet-bound  brother  of  the  fair.  I  also  displayed  to  their 
admiring  gaze  the  valuable  bracelet  I  had  received  from  the  princess 
of  Ruttunpoor,  and  related  the  adventure  connected  therewith.  I 
concluded  by  requesting,  with  an  appropriate  compliment,  Honoria's 
acceptance  of  the  splendid  jewel;  but  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  her 
features  were  again  overcast  by  the  mysterious  shadow,  and,  with 
somewhat  formal  politeness,  she  declined  the  present. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SYLPH.  339 

'"  Why,  Honoria,  dear,"  said  Fitzgerald,  "  this  reminds  you  of  your 
gage  $  amour  to  Percy  Blake." 

"Edward,  Edward!"  cried  Mrs.  Fitzgerald,  "how  can  you  be  so 
inconsiderate  ?  The  gage  d 'amour,  Captain  Blenkinsop,  mentioned 
by  my  husband,  was  nothing  more  than  a  hair  bracelet,  presented 
by  a  child  of  six  years  old  to  her  cousin  when  he  entered  the 
army." 

"  Of  course  it  was,"  returned  Fitzgerald ;  "  and  I  was  wrong  to 
call  it  a  gage  d' amour.  It  was  nothing  but  a  childish  gift ;  and  has 
-doubtless  been  long  since  lost  and  forgotten  by  the  recipient." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  I  said.  "  Perhaps  you  do  poor  Percy  Blake  an 
injustice  in  saying  so." 

"  Perhaps  I  do,"  replied  Fitzgerald ;  "  and,  if  so,  I'm  sorry  for  it ; 
for,  after  all,  he  was  a  fine  fellow,  and  an  honour  to  the  sod,  having 
greatly  distinguished  himself,  as  I  am  told,  in  the  Peninsula  and 
India.  But  it  is  so  long  since  we  have  heard  anything  of  him  direct 
from  .himself,  that  he  has  doubtless  forgotten  his  friends  and  relatives 
in  this  part  of  the  world." 

"Would  Honoria,"  I  demanded,  "like  to  see  her  yage  d' amour 
once  more?" 

"  Oh,  Heavens  ! "  she  exclaimed,  gasping  for  breath,  "What  do  you 
— what  can  you  possibly  mean  ?  " 

"  Behold,  my  Honoria !"  I  cried,  kneeling  before  her,  and  baring 
my  wrist,  "  Behold  your  cjagc  d' amour  just  as  you  yourself  placed  it, 
thirteen  years  ago,  on  the  wrist  of  vour  own,  own  faithful  Percy 
Blake." 

With  a  scream  of  wonder  and  delight,  the  dear  girl  threw  her 
arms  around  my  neck,  and  hid  her  tears  and  blushes  in  my  breast ; 
while  Fitzgerald  danced  about  the  room  like  a  madman,  shouting  at 
the  extent  of  his  lungs : 

"Huzza,  huzza!    I  thought  there  was  Irish  blood  in  his  veins ! " 

In  another  fortnight,  Honoria  and  I  were  married  by  Father  Caroll, 
in  the  little  temple  at  the  glen  ;  and  a  long  course  of  domestic  felicity 
has  amply  proved  the  truth  of  the  proverb — 

"  Happy  is  the  wooing, 
That  is  not  long  a-cloing ! " 

The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  presence  of  all  our  assembled 
friends  and  relatives ;  Honoria' s  delighted  mother  exclaiming,  as  she 
presented  me  with  the  hand  of  my  beautiful  bride : 

"  My  dear  child,  I  hope  you  will  never  again  have  occasion  to  say, 
as  you  have  so  often  done,  '  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  for  my  cousin 
Percy ! ' ' 

Gentle  readers,  and  kind  friends,  who  have  thus  far  accompanied 
me  in  my  unpretending  narrative,  I  now  bid  you  heartily  farewell; 
having  nothing  further  to  communicate,  beyond  the  ordinary  routine 
of  military  life,  in  these  "piping  times," 'when  the  crafty  cunning- 
of  John  Doe  and  Richard  Hoe  has  succeeded  the  open  daring 
of  the  foe  in  the  field,  and  the  prisoner  of  peace  is  treated  more 
-scurvily  than  the  prisoner  of  war. 


340  THE  YOUNG  EIPLEMAX. 

Having  outlived  many  of  my  contemporaries,  and  being  thus  iso- 
lated, as  it  were,  with  respect  to  feeling  and  reminiscence  in  the 
new  military  world  that  is  springing  up  around  me,  I  have,  with 
the  assistance  of  my  generous  rajpoot,  and  my  Deccan  and  Pindarrie 
prize-money,  lodged  "  the  needful "  for  an  unattached  majority  ;  and 
purpose,  as  soon  as  I  am  gazetted,  to  retire  to  my  paternal  acres, 
there,  if  possible,  to  gather  around  me  a  few  of  my  cherished  com- 
panions of  field  and  forest,  and,  amidst  the  blessings  of  love  and 
friendship,  to  sink,  with  patient  submission  to  the  Divine  Will  into 
that  universal  decay  of  matter  which  precedes  the  spiritual  life  to 
come. 


THE  END. 


COX    AND    H'YMAN,   PRINTERS,   CHEAT  QUEEN   STREET,  LONDON.. 


THE 


SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE 


BY 


HENRY  CURLING,  ESQ. 


1  Oh,  Heaven !  that  one  might  read  the  book  of  fate; 

Oh,  if  this  were  seen, 

The  happiest  youth,— viewing  his  progress  through, 
What  perils  past,  what  crosses  to  ensue,— 
Would  shut  the  book,  and  sit  him  down  and  die." 

SHAKSPERE. 


SIXTEENTH   THOUSAND. 


LONDON: 

G.  ROUTLEDGE  &  CO.,  FARBINGDON  STREET. 

NEW  YORK:  18,  BEEKMAN  STEEET. 

1856. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


THE  following  story  records  the  life  of  a  man,  who,  be- 
cause he  met  with  frequent  misfortunes,  believed  himself 
to  be  languishing  under  the  ban  of  fate — a  notion  consonant 
to  a  popular  fallacy.  A  more  dangerous  delusion,  however, 
cannot  be  entertained.  It  is  one  that  deadens  our  en- 
deavours ;  precludes  a  scrutiny  into  the  character  of  those 
means  which,  as  they  often  miscarry,  ought  at  least  to  be  sus- 
pected; hinders  us  from  adopting  new  schemes  of  life,  and 
new  modes  of  action;  and  tempts  us  to  lay  on  chance  the 
blame  more  justly  attributable  to  ourselves. 

The  hero  of  this  tale,  then,  shows  the  folly  and  madness  of 
unbridled  passion  and  reckless  impulse,  which  never  fail  to 
produce  disastrous  results.  His  sophistical  reasoning  is,  in 
fact,  only  the  blind  solace  of  self-love — of  that  unhappy 
flattery  and  egotism  which  veil  from  us  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant truths,  namely,  that — "  CONDUCT  is  FATE." 


THE 


SOLDIER    OF    FORTUNE, 


CHAPTEE  I. 

•'  A  heavier  task  could  not  have  been  imposed, 
Thun  I  to  speak  my  griefs  unspeakable ; 
Yet  that  the  world  may  witness  that  my  end 
Was  wrought  by  nature,  not  by  vile  offence, 
I'll  utter  what  my  sorrow  gives  me  leave." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

I  AM  a  native  of  that  pleasant  county  of  England,  called 
Yorkshire :  and  my  parents  are  descended  from  one  of  the 
most  ancient  families  in  that  part  of  our  island.  I  was  born 
heir  to  a  considerable  estate,  and  the  only  child  of  my  parents. 
My  mother  died  when  I  was  about  ten  years  of  age ;  she  was 
considered  extremely  beautiful,  and  my 'father  doated  on  her  to 
excess,  consequently,  after  her  death  he  refused  all  consolation, 
and  withdrew  himself  almost  entirely  from  society.  He  was  a 
good,  but  rather  violent  tempered  man.  Indeed,  without 
partiality,  I  may  say  he  was  superior  to  the  usual  order  of 
country  gentlemen. 

In  early  youth,  he  had  served  for  many  years  in  the  army ; 
but,  after  marrying,  he  quitted  the  profession  of  arms,  in  order 
to  live  in  ease  and  retirement  amongst  his  native  woods  and 
fields. 

My  early  education  was  at  a  school  in  the  neighbouring 
town,  and  I  also  made  some  further  progress  at  home  under  a 
private  tutor.  Having  thus  a  great  deal  of  my  own  way 
allowed  me,  my  father  generally  preferring  to  live  secluded 
and  alone,  I  saw  little  of  society  in  my  nonage.  The  few 
folks  who  used  to  come  to  our  house  were,  for  the  most  part, 
some  of  his  old  army  friends,  and  one  or  two  intimate  acquain- 
tances whom  he  much  esteemed.  He,  however,  was  passion- 
ately fond  of  the  chase,  kept  a  good  stable,  and  I  always  had 
my  choice  amongst  his  stud. 

Occasionally  lie  used  to  accompany  me  in  my  excursions ; 

B 


2  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETUNE. 

but  at  other  times  I  was  allowed  to  pursue  my  own  erratic 
disposition,  and  as  he  frequently  took  periodical  fits  of  seclu- 
sion, during  which  he  liked  none  (not  even  myself)  to  trespass 
upon  his  solitude,  I  was  then  left  entirely  to  my  own  control 
and  guidance,  and  being  of  a  roving  disposition,  wandered 
over  the  country,  wherever  chance  or  my  steed  might  lead 
me.  Being  thus  left  to  myself  in  my  peregrinations,  I  became 
of  a  thoughtful  and  romantic  disposition,  frequently  spending 
whole  days  in  the  solitude  of  the  forest,  or  in  loitering  about 
the  ruins  of  an  old  castle  which  was  situate  in  our  domain, 
and  had  been  the  residence  of  our  crusading  ancestors :  trying 
in  such  vicinity  to  fancy  myself  some  doughty  champion  or 
knight  errant  of  the  olden  time. 

Thus,  then,  the  most  lonely  haunts  and  the  most  picturesque 
ruins  were  often  sought  out  with  feelings  of  delight.  Had  I 
lived  some  centuries  back,  I  should  doubtless  have  been  the 
veriest  "redresser  of  grievances"  in  Christendom;  as, 
however,  I  could  not  be  a  knight  cased  in  panoply  of  steel, 
I  resolved  to  become  a  man-at-arms  of  the  time  being,  and 
accordingly  solicited  my  sire's  leave  to  enter  a  regiment  of 
dragoons.  ^  No  opposition  being  made  to  my  wishes,  a  letter 
was  forthwith  dispatched  to  the  Commander-in- Chief,  recom- 
mending me  for  the  purchase  of  a  cornetcy  of  horse. 

In  due  course  an  official  letter  was  received  from  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  saying  that  my  application  would  be  granted 
on  the  first  favourable  opportunity;  which  serving  for  the 
present  to  tranquillize  my  mind,  I  somewhat  prematurely 
visited,  and  in  a  measure  took  leave  of,  all  my  old  haunts  and 
favourite  resorts.  The  mossy  and  gnarled  oak,  beneath 
whose  shade  I  had  ofttimes  spent  whole  days,  I  prepared  to 
part  from,  as  from  a  dear  and  beloved  friend.  The  ruined 
archway,  too,  and  the  ivy-clad  wall,  I  _  loved  as  intensely ; 
whilst  the  mouldering  towers,  which  in  former  times  had 
owned  my  ancestors  as  lords,  had  witnessed  all  their  feudal 
pride,  and  seen  them  depart  for  the  crusade,"*  seemed  ever  to 
look  down  upon  me  with  protecting  influence.  I  loved,  too, 
each  remaining  iron  stanchion  of  those  ruined  windows, 
which  had  so  long  survived  the  captives  they  once  enthralled, 
and  every  stone  of  the  building  was  an  old  ^  and  cherished 
acquaintance.  Indeed,  I  almost  wept  at  the  idea  of  parting 
from  these  intimate  friends  of  my  youth ;  and  at  such  times 
well  nigh  resolved  to  give  up  my  military  mania,  content  to 
live  and  die  as  my  father  so  often  urged  me,  a  quiet,  respect- 
able country  squire. 

Such,  however,  was  not  to  be  my  career,  and  I  felt  that 
such  existence  would  be  almost  a  living  death  to  me.  In  short, 
as  I  before  hinted,  my  brain  being  quixotically  constructed,  I 
was  as  violently  carried  away  by  the  idea  of  the  stirring 


THE   SOLDIER   OE  FORTUNE.  3 

adventures,  the  new  scenes,  fresh  quarters,  and  the  uncommon 
exploits  incident  to  enrolment  amongst  a  squadron  of  hussars 
as  the  Knight  of  La  Mancha  was  confounded  by  Ms  perusal 
of  the  chivalrous  feats  of  Amadis  de  Gaul  and  -Don  Bellianis 
of  Greece. 

It  chanced,  that  having  one  day  set  out  on  a  fishing  excur- 
sion, mounted  on  a  spirited  hunter,  and  carrying  my  rod 
athwart  my  saddle-bow,  in  making  a  short  cut  through  some 
plantations,  I  saw,  at  a  little  distance  before  me,  in  a  glade  of 
the  wood,  a  fierce  struggle  between  two  men ;  one  of  them  I 
perceived  was  on  horseback,  endeavouring  to  defend  himself 
against  his  more  powerful  adversary,  who,  having  captured 
his  bridle,  was  endeavouring  to  bring  him  to  the  ground. 

The  efforts  of  the  horseman  to  defend  himself  I  perceived 
were  growing  every  instant  more  feeble;  and  although  he 
managed  to  parry  some  of  the  ruffianly  blows  of  his  assailant, 
and  clung  tenaciously  to  his  saddle,  it  was  evident  the  strife 
was  drawing  towards  a  conclusion. 

As  I  gazed  with  surprise  upon  this  scene,  I  quickened  my 
pace  towards  the  combatants,  and  observing  that  the  eques- 
trian was  evidently  an  elderly  gentleman,  and  his  assailant  a 
common-looking  ruffian,  I  considered  it  a  regular  case  of '  stand 
and  deliver.'  Galloping,  therefore,  to  the  rescue,  I  charged  the 
combatants  with  such  impetuosity  that  I  completely  overacted 
my  part,  and  driving  them  "  horse  and  foot"  to  the  earth,  with 
the  violence  of  the  shock,  came  myself  also  to  the  ground 
some  few  paces  from  them.  < 

Like  a  champion  in  the  lists  I  had  so  often  read  of,  I  leaped 
to  my  feet  in  an  instant,  and,  disengaging  myself  from  my 
fallen  steed,  sought  to  repair  my  fortune  and  renew  the  onset. 
My  blood  was  up ;  like  Juan,  "  though  young,  I  was  a  tartar," 
and  making  for  the  assailant  of  the  horseman,  I  resolved  to 
arrest  him  on  the  spot. 

He  also  had  gained  his  feet,  and  was  quickly  hurrying  from 
the  field ;  but  I  rushed  upon  and  forced  him  to  turn  and  de- 
fend himself.  Our  combat  was  short  and  decisive;  evading 
the  heavy  blow  with  which  he  sought  to  tame  my  vehement 
attack,  I  struck  him  so  quickly  and  truly  upon  the  head,  that  I 
fractured  his  skull.  The  fellow,  staggering  a  few  paces,  fell 
heavily  upon  the  greensward ;  his  limbs  quivered  for  a 
moment ;  and  his  eyes,  after  glaring  wildly  at  the  heavens  for 
an  instant,  closed  in  death. 

At  first,  I  could  scarcely  credit  what  I  had  so  valorously 
achieved,  and  almost  expected  my  antagonist  would  recover, 
and  attempt  a  renewal  of  the  contest. 

^As  I  continued,  however,  to  gaze  upon  his  blood-stained 
visage,  I  began  to  feel  a  sort  of  tremor  stealing  over  me,  at, 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  beholding  a  dead  body  at  my  feet, 

B  2 


4  THE  SOLDIEU  OF  FORTUNE. 

not  to  mention  that  the  unhandsome  corpse  I  saw  before  me 
was  one  of  my  own  killing. 

The  lonely  spot  in  which  this  encounter  had  taken  place  also 
had  its  effect  upon  my  nerves ;  and  gladly  turning  from  the 
contemplation  of  the  body  of  the  slain,  I  turned  in  quest  of 
the  person  who  had  been  assailed. 

He,  too,  I  perceived,  was  unable  to  rise. 

Supposing  that  he  had  been  stunned  by  the  violence  of  the 
Overthrow,  I  hastened  to  his  assistance,  and  endeavoured  to 
raise  him  in  my  arms.  To  my  extreme  terror,  however,  I 
found  that  he  was,  apparently,  a  corpse. 

Laying  him  gently  on  the  ground,  I  felt  for  the  beating  of 
his  heart,  tried  to  find  his  pulse,  and  even,  in  the  extremity  of 
my  consternation  and  alarm,  shook  him  violently,  as  if  to 
awaken  him  from  a  deep  sleep. 

It  was,  however,  in  vain.  To  my  horror  and  dismay,  all  my 
efforts  at  restoring  him  to  life  were  unavailing.  He*  had  evi- 
dently received  so  violent  a  fall,  that,  being  an  elderly  man,  it 
had  deprived  him  of  life. 

!For  the  first  few  minutes  I  felt  bewildered  at  this  most  un- 
toward event,  and  as  I  continued  gazing  upon  the  pallid  visage 
before  me,  I  suddenly  remembered  the  features  as  those  of  the 
proprietor  of  the  domain  to  which  the  plantation  belonged. 

Sir  Walter  Villeroy  had  been  personally  a  stranger  to  me, 
and  even  my  permission  to  angle  in  the  rivulet  which  mean- 
dered through  his  park,  had  recently  been  obtained  through 
the  intervention  of  our  keepers. 

Here,  then,  was  a  dilemma  of  a  most  unpleasant  nature ;  as, 
although  I  had  acted  with  the  best  intentions,  I  had  evidently 
brought  about  the  very  catastrophe  I  was  seeking  to  prevent. 

It  will  readily  be  imagined  that  I  felt  considerable  horror  at 
this  double  slaughter.  The  very  sun  which  gilded  the  foliage 
around  me,  and  tinged  the  fern  at  my  feet  with  his  rays, 
seemed  to  shine  unnaturally  upon  the  bodies  of  the  dead  ; 
whilst  the  free  birds,  twittering  and  chirping  on  the  adjacent 
boughs,  appeared  to  mock  me  in  their  joyous  mood. 

With  dismayed  glance  I  looked  around,  in  the  hope  of  some 
persons  making  their  appearance  in  the  wood,  in  order  to 
relieve  the  solitude  in  which  I  was  the  only  remaining  actor. 

I  felt,  indeed,  as  if  I  had  committed  a  murder,  for  although 
I  had  attempted  the  rescue  of  a  gentleman  from  the  savage 
attack  of  a  common  cut-throat,  yet,  as  I  neither  knew  the 
exact  provocation  of  the  assault,  nor  whether  it  was  upon  the 
purse  or  life  of  the  defender  that  the  ruffian  \vas  making  this 
attempt,  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  have  given  my  assistance  with 
somewhat  more  discretion  and  less  impetuosity.  As  these 
thoughts  flashed  through  my  brain,  I  withdrew  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  vicinity  of  the  bodies,  and  with  so«xe  difficulty 


THE  SOLDIEB  OP  FORTUNE.  5 

succeeded  in  catching  my  horse.  Leaping  into  the  saddle,  I 
felt  somewhat  reassured,  and  resolved  to  ride  off  instantly  to 
Marston  Hall,  and  inform  the  inmates  of  the  situation  o£  its 
owner.  Putting  spurs,  therefore,  to  my  steed,  I  turned  my 
back  upon  the  lists  in  which  I  had  thus  made  my  first  essay 
in  arms,  and  almost  flew  till  I  found  myself  in  the  darksome 
shade  of  the  old  avenue  leading  to  the  Hall,  and  then  I  drew 
bridle,  to  consider  in  what  way  I  was  to  introduce  so  untoward 
a  subject,  and  account  for  the  catastrophe. 

I  knew  nothing  of  the  family,  as  they  generally  resided  either 
in  London,  or  at  a  seat  they  possessed  in  Gloucestershire ; 
neither  did  I  even  know  if  there  was  wife  or  child  of  the  man 
I  had  killed,  to  whom  I  was  to  give  the  necessary  intelligence. 
Whilst  I  thus  slackened  my  pace,  under  the  shade  of  melan- 
choly boughs,  and  approached  nearer  to  the  Hall,  I  suddenly 
came  to  the  determination  of  concealing  my  own  share  in  the 
unlucky  part  of  this  transaction.  It  was  the  resolve  of  the 
moment,  and  I  stopped  not  to  consider  its  propriety ;  but  I 
felt  that  I  was  quite  unable  to  tell  the  story,  and  name  myself 
as  the  cause  (even  although  the  almost  innocent  cause)  of  the 
old  gentleman's  death. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  O  when  my  eyes  did  see  Olivia  first, 
Methotight  she  purg'dthe  air  of  pestilence. 
That  instant  was  I  turned  into  a  hart, 
And  my  desires,  like  fell  and  cruel  hounds, 
E'er  since  pursued  me." 

SnAKSPEARE." 

MAESTON  HALL,  the  residence  of  Sir  Walter  Villeroy,  was  a 
noble  pile.  It  had  been  built  in  the  reign  of  bluff  King  Harry 
the  Eighth.  I  have  already  said,  I  knew  nothing  of  the  pre- 
sent occupiers,  except  by  name,  they  having  but  lately  thought 
fit  to  remove  to  our  neighbourhood ;  but  ofttimes  in  my  wander- 
ings, I  had  loved  to  explore  the  precincts  of  a  building  so  time- 
lionoured  and  curious  in  architecture.  I  was  now  about  to 
introduce  myself  to  its  inhabitants,  though  the  unpleasant 
mission  I  found  myself  necessitated  to  undertake  rohbed  me 
of  any  sort  of  curiosity  or  anticipated  pleasure  in  my  visit. 

The  stately  trees  of  the  avenue  I  stood  in,  as  I  dismounted 
in  order  to  approach  the  main  entrance,  rendered  the  spot 
dark  as  twilight,  and  the  rooks,  wheeling  over  the  topmost 
boughs  of  the  stately  oaks,  alone  disturbed  the  deep  solitude 
by  their  incessant  cawing. 


6  THE  SOLDIEB   OF  FOETUNE. 

As  the  gates  were  open,  I  entered  the  fore-court,  which 
seemed  deserted  and  melancholy.  I  called  aloud  for  some  one 
to  take  my  horse,  but  no  David  Gellatly  came  capering  and 
singing  wild  snatches  of  antique  ballads,  in  answer  to  the  sum- 
mons. I  tied  my  steed  to  one  of  the  iron  rails  of  the  great 
gates  which  opened  into  the  stately- looking  fore-court,  passed 
the  murmuring  fountain  which  played  in  its  centre,  ascended 
the  flight  of  stone  steps,  and  entered  the  hall  of  the  mansion. 

As  no  one  yet  appeared,  I  paused  to  observe  the  splendour 
of  the  place.  Several  suits  of  polished  armour  hung  around, 
together  with  the  trophies  of  the  chase  ;  pikes  and  guns,  and 
bows  of  the  olden  time,  also  graced  its  walls  ;  and  the  proud 
banners  of  ancestral  chivalry  floated  from  either  side  of  its 
carved  and  gilded  roof. 

At  any  other  time,  the  objects  of  interest  I  now  beheld  would 
have  fully  occupied  my  attention ;  at  the  present  moment  I 
felt  anxious,  without  disturbing  the  family,  to  discover  the 
servants  of  the  establishment,  and  dispatch  them  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  sometime  owner  of  the  grandeur  I  saw  around  me. 
Whilst  I  deliberated  upon  the  propriety  of  venturing  farther 
into  the  interior  of  the  mansion,  or  of  returning  to  seek  for 
some  of  the  out-door  dependants,  a  light  step  approached,  the 
door  at  the  farther  end  of  the  apartment  opened,  and  a  female 
entered,  the  sight  of  whom  by  no  means  lessened  the  difficul- 
ties of  my  situation,  for  she  was  apparently  under  twenty  years 
of  age,  and  lovely  as  the  goddess  of  spring. 

At  first,  supposing  it  was  her  father  who  had  returned  home, 
she  came  bounding  towards  me ;  but  the  next  moment  dis- 
covering her  mistake,  she  stopped,  and,  looking  like  some 
inhabitant  of  the  skies,  who  had  suddenly  alighted  upon  the 
marble  floor  of  the  hall,  awaited,  hi  some  little  surprise,  the 
explanation  of  my  intrusion. 

To  give  that  explanation,  and  escape  an  abrupt  and  prema- 
ture disclosure  of  the  catastrophe  which  had  happened, 
required  more  tact,  self-possession,  and  management  than  an 
unsophisticated  and  secluded  rustic  like  myself  was  likely  to 
possess.  "The  might,  the  majesty  of  loveliness,"  for  the  first 
minute,  struck  me  dumb ;  the  awkwardness  of  my  situation 
completely  perplexed  me,  and  after  muttering  some  incohe- 
rent excuses,  so  much  of  my  secret  escaped,  that  Miss  Villeroy, 
guessing  either  that  her  father  was  killed,  or  had  at  least  met 
with  some  dreadful  accident,  uttered  a  piercing  cry  and  fell 
senseless  upon  the  floor. 

I  now  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  mansion  with  my  cries  for 

assistance,  and,  lifting  Miss  Yilleroy  from  the  ground,  gazed 

upon  her  chiselled  features  with  the  wonder  of  a  savage  who 

sees  beauty  for  the  first  time. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  was  surrounded  by  the  liveried  atten- 


THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  7 

dants  of  the  hall,  and,  informing  them  of  the  catastrophe  which 
had  happened,  dispatched  them  in  search  of  their  unfortunate 
master,  and  to  procure  medical  assistance.  The  alarm 
now  quickly  spreading  through  the  mansion,  its  quiet  was 
soon  changed  into  female  lamentations  and  outcries. 

Meanwhile  I  placed  my  lovely  burthen  upon  an  outer  bench 
on  one  side  of  the  ample  fireplace,  and,  with  the  assistance  of 
her  maids,  tried  every  means  I  could  think  of  to  restore  her 
to  consciousness.  Her  long  dark  hair  almost  covering  her 
face,  nearly  hid  her  features,  as  she  reclined  partially  sup- 
ported in  my  arms.  I  shaded  back  these  tresses,  sprinkled 
water  in  her  face,  and  forgot  her  father  and  the  recent 
drama  I  had  helped  to  enact,  as  I  continued  to  gaze  upon  her 
beauty. 

At  length,  by  the  aid  of  such  restoratives  as  were  at  hand, 
we  succeeded  in  recovering  Miss  Yilleroy  from  her  death-like 
swoon,  although  only  to  behold  her  again  relapse  into  uncon- 
sciousness, at  the  dreadful  sight  of  her  father's  body,  which 
was  borne  into  the  hall  by  the  servants  I  had  dispatched  in 
its  search. 

Luckily,  the  medical  man  from  the  adjacent  village  quickly 
arrived.  He  was  a  shrewd  and  clever  person,  one  of  those 
eagle-eyed  men  who  ofttimes  at  a  single  glance  perceive  that 
which  would  take  a  duller  practitioner  half  an  hour  to  consi- 
der. He  soon  found  his  art  was  of  no  avail,  where  he  had 
first  given  his  attendance,  and  stepping  from  the  circle  of 
domestics  who  crowded  around  Sir  Walter  Villeroy's  pros- 
trate body,  he  approached,  with  lancet  in  hand,  the  seat  on 
which  I  still  continued  to  support  my  fair  charge. 

"I'll  relieve  you  of  your  patient,  fair  Sir,"  he  said ;  "this  is 
a  sad  business ;  Sir  Walter  Villeroy  has  received  a  concussion 
of  the  brain.  He  has  been  dead  some  time  j  I  may  perhaps  be 
of  more  use  here." 

He  accordingly  immediately  ordered  the  young  lady  to  be 
conveyed  to  her  chamber,  and  attended  her  removal  himself. 
Meanwhile,  after  the  domestics  had  carried  the  body  of  their 
late  master  to  his  apartment,  I  became,  as  harbinger  of  the 
unwelcome  tidings,  the  next  object  of  curiosity  and  cross 
examination.  The  corpse  of  the  ruffian  had  been  found  on  the 
spot  where  I  had  slain  him.  In  telling  the  story  as  it  had  hap- 
pened, I  concealed,  however,  so  much  of  the  share  which  I  had 
in  the  old  gentleman's  death  as  my  impetuous  zeal  had  helped 
to  anticipate.  Indeed,!  considered  that  the  crime,  by  this  means, 
would  only  be  visited  upon  the  memory  of  the  ruffian  whom  I 
had  already  placed  beyond  the  vengeance  of  the  law,  and  who,  I 
certainly  had  reason  to  believe,  would  have  quickly  effected 
his  purpose,  had  I  not  made  my  appearance  upon  the  scene. 
I  therefore  resolved  to  have  it  supposed  that  he  was  the 


S  •  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

actual  perpetrator  of  the  murder.  Like  Sir  Edward  Mortimer, 
I  rounded  my  tale  with  a  lie — 

"  Guilt's  offspring  and  its  guard." 

From  Dr.  Probe  I  learned  that  Miss  Villeroy  was  an  only 
child,  and  heiress  of  all  her  father's  immense  wealth;  that 
they  were  unaccompanied  at  that  time  by  any  other  members  of 
their  family,  and  were  just  on  the  eve  of  leaving  England  on  a 
continental  tour.  He  also  informed  me,  that  the  ruffian  who 
had  assailed  the  Baronet  was  well  known  as  one  of  the  most 
abandoned  characters  in  the  county, — 

"  A  fellow  by  the  hand  of  nature  marked, 
Quoted  and  signed,  to  do  a  deed  of  shame  ;" 

and  that  Sir  Walter  had  but  lately  prosecuted  him  for  fre- 
quent trespass  upon  his  preserves. 

From  these  circumstances  my  version  of  the  story  was  the 
more  easily  believed,  an<}  glad  enough  I  felt  that  it  was  so,  for 
to  have  been  recognised  by  Miss  Villeroy  as  the  cause, 
although  the  innocent  cause,  of  her  only  parent's  death,  would, 
I  felt,  have  led  her  to  regard  me  with  feelings  of  dislike  and 
horror. 

Dr.  Probe,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  family,  and 
had  been  much  esteemed  by  Sir  Walter  Villeroy,  was  a  shrewd 
and  clever  man.  He  took  upon  himself  whatever  arrange- 
ments were  requisite  and  necessary,  on  this  sudden  emergency, 
until  the  relatives  and  friends  should  arrive.  He  wrote  and 
dispatched  letters  to  the  Earl  pi  Marston,  brother  of  the  de- 
ceased, during  the  intervals  of  his  attendance  upon  his  lovely 
patient.  He  also  dispatched  an  express  to  an  elderly  lady 
residing  some  thirty  miles  distant,  also  a  relative  of  the 
family's,  desiring  her  immediate  presence  at  the  Hall,  where 
he  himself  prepared  to  remain  in  constant  attendance  until 
she  arrived. 

I  myself  would  fain  have  taken  my  leave,  as  the  evening 
approached,  but  he  requested  me  to  remain,  and  as  I  felt  no 
inclination,  in  reality,  to  leave  a  roof  now  so  interesting  to  me, 
I  remained  there-  all  night ;  and,  during  the  intervals  of  his 
attendance  upon  his  patient,  assisted  him  in  the  office  he  had 
assumed  of  writing  letters  to  the  various  members  of  the 
family.  Her  Grace  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane,  I  was  informed, 
was  the  aunt  of  Miss  Villeroy ;  she  was  abroad  at  this  time, 
and  to  her,  amongst  others,  we  dispatched  a  letter,  apprising 
her  of  the  calamitous  event. 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

< 

"  Sir,  you  have  wrestled  well,  and  overthrown 
More  than  your  enemies." 

As  You  LIKE  It 

IT  was,  indeed,  with  feelings  of  no  small  uneasiness,  that  I 
found  Dr.  Probe  entertained  considerable  apprehension  in 
regard  to  his  young  patient.  Early  in  the  morning  he  had 
dispatched  an  express  to  the  nearest  town  for  a  physician  of 
eminence  residing  there,  she  having  been  delirious  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  night,  and  violent  fever  having  supervened 
in  the  morning. 

Although  I  felt  the  greatest  anxiety  on  her  account,  and 
longed  to  stay  at  Marston  Hall,  yet,  being  so  utterly  a  stranger 
there,  after  lingering  on  till  towards  the  evening  of  this  day, 
I  then  mountedrniy  horse  to  return  home,  a  changed  man  and 
a  sadder  than  I  had  sallied  from  it  in  the  morning  previous. 
As  I  leisurely  paced  along  I  revolved  in  my  mind  the  various 
incidents  that  had  transpired.  The  reflection  that,  for  the 
first  time,  I  had  deviated  from  the  truth,  weighed  heavily 
upon  me,  and  I  could  not  shake  it  off  my  conscience;  it 
seemed  to  press  upon  my  heart,  and  to  bode  me  evil  fortune 
in  my  future  career. 

Our  residence  was  called  Wharncliffe  Grange.  It  was  a 
castellated  and  half  monastic  building,  nearly  hidden  in  the 
midst  of  luxuriant  and  venerable  trees,  surrounded  by  a  deep 
moat,  and  approached  by  an  ancient  drawbridge.  The  dark 
waters  surrounding  the  old  building  lay  tranquil  and  sombre, 
as  I  approached ;  and,  reflecting  the  lowering  heavens  in  the 
twilight,  black  as  ink,  were  only  agitated  now  and  again  by 
the  heavy  splash  of  some  enormous  fish,  which  had  tenanted 
their  depths,  during  perhaps  many  generations  of  our  family. 
Methought,  as  I  paused  upon  the  drawbridge,  and  contem- 
plated my  home,  looking  into  this  dark  pool,  whilst  the  night 
bird  shrieked  in  the  woods  around,  that  some*  water  spirit, 
some  evil  genius  of  my  fortunes  might  be,  perhaps,  plotting 
the  mischief  and  misfortune  of  my  future  destiny.  In  fact, 
I  was  somewhat  troubled  on  that  evening  with  "thick  coming 
fancies,"  and  presentiments  of  evil,  a  sort  of  feeling  which  had 
never  before  so  wholly  beset  me.  ^ 

The  clatter  of  my  horse's  hoofs  across  the  wooden  bridge 
summoning  my  groom,  I  resigned  my  steed,  and  entered  the 
mansion  of  my  fathers.  An  ancient  dame,  who  for  years  had 
lived  in  our  family  as  a  sort  of  housekeeper,  and  always  took 
the  most  maternal  interest  in  all  my  actions,  intercepted  me 


10  THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTUNE. 

as  I  was  about  to  ascend  to  my  chamber,  in  order  to  have  her 
accustomed  gossip,  and  inform  me  of  all  that  had  happened 
during  my  absence.  It  was  my  intention,  after  altering  my 
dress,  to  have  sought  and  conferred  with  my  father.  To  my 
surprise,  however,  Mrs.  Sweetapple  informed  me,  that  having 
been  visited  on  the  previous  evening  by  a  stranger,  who  had 
arrived  from  the  neighbouring  town,  in  a  postchaise,  and  who 
she  believed  was  a  lawyer,  my  father,  after  some  hours'  con- 
ference with  him,  had  ordered  his  carriage  early  the  next 
morning,  and  both  had  then  started  off  for  the  great  metropolis. 

^ "  He  has  left  a  letter  for  you,"  continued  the  old  dame,  "  in 
his  study,  which  he  desired  you  should  receive,  as  soon  as  you 
arrived." 

Proceeding  to  the  library  without  delay,  I  perused  the  con- 
tents of  the  epistle.  I  learned  from  it,  that  my  father  un- 
expectedly found  himself  involved  in  a  chancery  suit,  and 
having  been  visited  by  his  solicitor,  he  had  thought  fit  (such 
was  the  urgency  of  the  matter)  instantly  to  leave  his  home  for 
London.  He  added  that  he  should  have  preferred  my  accom- 
panying him,  and  if  I  chose  to  do  so,  I  might  still  follow.  Bus 
he  left  me  to  pursue  the  bent  of  my  own  inclination  in  the 
matter,  giving  me  the  address  of  the  hotel  where  he  intended 
to  remain  whilst  in  town.  I  certainly  did  not  at  that  moment 
feel  any  inclination  to  be  in  London.  Indeed,  I  could  not 
have  gone  at  that  time,  had  I  wished  it,  as  I  expected  to  be 
summoned  on  the  inquest,  which  would  doubtless  be  held  upon 
the  bodies  found  in  the  plantation. 

After  the  inquiry  was  over,  I  made  frequent  visits  to  Marston 
Hall.  Indeed,  I  spent  more  time  in  its  vicinity  than  at  my 
own  home.  Like  Eoland,  I ' '  loved  to  breathe  the  neighbouring 
air,"  and  the  sight  even  of  the  massive  Elizabethian  chimneys, 
seen  from  afar,  was  pleasant  to  me  to  contemplate ;  then 
as  the  gloom  of  the  coming  night  enveloped  the  surround- 
ing scenery,  and  "  the  crow  wing'd  to  the  rooky  wood,"  1 1 
would  spur  apace,  and  reach  my  home.  Meanwhile,  Miss 
Villeroy,  after  having  been  in  considerable  danger,  was  gra- 
dually recovering. 

It  was  a  few  days  after  the  funeral  of  Sir  Walter  Yilleroy 
had  taken  place,  that  having,  as  usual,  ridden  over  to  Marston, 
I  received  a  message  from  the  servant,  requesting  me  to  alight ; 
Mrs.  Allworthy,  the  lady  before  mentioned  as  residing  in  the 
neighbourhood,  having  arrived,  and  being  desirous  of  seeing 
me.  I  accordingly  dismounted  from  my  steed,  and  entering 
the  hall,  was  ushered  into  the  withdrawing-room,  a,  vast  apart- 
ment, extending  nearly  from  end  to  end  of  the  building.  Whilst 
I  stood  at  the  window,  waiting  the  coming  of  this  lady,  and 
contemplating  the  beauty  of  the  scene  before  me,  I  beheld  a 
travelling  carriage,  with  four  horses,  sweep  round  the  road,  at 


THE  SOLDIEB  OP  FORTUNE.  11 

some  distance  in  the  park,  and  approach  the  mansion  at  full 
speed.  As  it  advanced,  a  second  vehicle,  laden  with  an  im- 
perial and  other  appointments,  also  made  its  appearance. 

^  I  immediately  surmised  that  these  arrivals  must  be  the  dis- 
tinguished relatives  of  Miss  Villeroy,  whom  we  had  summoned 
from  abroad,  on  the  late  melancholy  occasion ;  and  a  shy  and 
uncomfortable  feeling  unconsciously  stole  over  me,  as  I  watched 
their  approach.  I  felt  there  was  something  irksome  and  dis- 
agreeable in  having  to  introduce  myself  to  strangers,  and  once 
or  twice  I  almost  resolved  to  escape  before  they  arrived. 

Recollecting,  however,  that  Mrs.  Allworthy,  who  was,  I 
concluded,  in  the  chamber  of  the  invalid,  would  be  likely  to 
make  her  appearance  before  they  came,  which  would  in  some 
measure  relieve  me  from  the  awkwardness  ot  my  situation,  I 
resolved  to  remain,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  the  door  of  the 
apartment  was  thrown  open  by  the  servant,  and  in  walked  the 
portly  person  of  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane.  A  younger  female 
accompanied  her,  who  was  extremely  handsome  and  distingufa 
in  appearance. 

They  advanced  into  the  room  with  all  that  presence  and 
dignity  belonging  to  persons  in  their  rank  of  life ;  and  the 
Duchess  quickly  observing  me,  as  I  stood  before  the  open 
window,  immediately  approached,  slightly  bowing  as  she  did 
so.  Being  rather  short-sighted,  she  at  first  took  me  for  Dr. 
Probe,  with  whom  she  was  slightly  acquainted.  On  seeing, 
however,  her  error,  she  stopped  short.  The  high-bred,  I  have 
observed,  are  always  courteous,  even  when  distant  in  their 
manners.  The  Duchess  of  Hurricane,  however,  was  one  of 
those  persons  who  could  freeze  a  forward  tongue  into  silence 
by  a  glance.  Not  even  the  glorious  Siddons,  in  Lady  Mac- 
beth, could  be  more  awful  when  she  chose.  She  looked  her 
surprise  for  the  moment,  at  seeing  a  strange  youth  instead  of 
the  medical  attendant,  whom  she  expected  to  find  in  the  apart- 
ment ;  and,  after  a  short  pause,  addressed  me  : — 

"  I  am  extremely  happy  to  hear  my  niece  is  so  much  re- 
covered," she  said.  "  Can  you  inform  me  if  Dr.  Probe  is  in 
the  house ;  as,  if  unattended  with  danger,  I  should  like  to  see 
Miss  Villeroy  immediately." 

I  ventured  to  observe  that,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  the 
doctor  was  at  that  moment  in  the  chamber  of  the  invalid. 

The  Duchess  again  bowed,  drew  herself  up,  and  turned,  to 
addressjier  young  companion. 

"  So,"  she  said,  stepping  to  one  of  the  ample  windows, 
"  this,  then,  is  Marston  Hall  ?  What  think  you,  Constance  ? 
—rather  a  handsome  mansion !  I  feel  surprised,  now  I  see  it, 
that  my  brother  did  not  oftener  reside  here." 

"  I  call  it  a  most  lovely  spot,  mamma,"  returned  Constance ; 
"  one  of  the  most  delightful  places  I  ever  beheld.  Look  at 


12  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FORTUNE. 

those  glorious  old  oaks  in  the  distance  yonder.  One  would 
think  that,  as  Scott  says,  they  must  have  witnessed  the  stately 
inarch  of  the  Eoman  soldiery."^ 

"  Nay,"  said  the  Duchess,  with  a  yawn,  "if  you  begin  again 
with  your  romance,  I  have  done.  King  the  bell,  Constance, 
and  let  us  summon  the  medical  man:  the  people  here  seem  all 
bewildered  with  this  late  untoward  event." 

During  the  short  pause  which  now  ensued  I  felt  extremely 
uncomfortable.  The  haughty  bearing  of  the  Duchess  lorbade 
all  further  attempts,  on  my  part,  at  conversation,  and  I  felt 
confused  and  awkward. 

At  length,  to  my  relief,  Mrs.  Allwqrthy  made  her  appearance. 
After  the  first  greetings  and  inquiries  were  over,  she  intro- 
duced me  to  the  Duchess  and  her  daughter,  the  Lady  Con- 
stance de  Clifford ;  and  the  trio  soon  afterwards  leaving  the 
room  for  the  apartment  of  the  invalid,  I  gladly  prepared  to 
take  my  departure. 

As  I  passed  through  the  great  hall,  I  encountered  the  per- 
sons who  had  arrived  in  the  second  carriage ;  the  Earl  of 
Marston  and  his  son,  Lord  Hardenbrass  of  the  hussars. 
Having  travelled  from  Venice,  where  Dr.  Probe's  letters  had 
reached  them,  with  the  news  of  the  late  melancholy  event, 
they  were  making  inquiry  of  Haverill,  the  butler  of  the  hall, 
into  the  particulars  of  Sir  Walter  "ViHeroy's  death.  I  heard 
Haverill  mention  my  name  to  them  as  I  passed  out ;  but  feel- 
ing no  desire  at  that  time  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  any  of 
the  other  members  of  the  family,  I  mounted  my  horse,  and 
rode  homewards. 

It  was  about  a  week  after  this  meeting,  that  a  servant  en- 
tering the  library  at  the  Grange,  as  I  was  one  morning  en- 
gaged in  writing  to  my  father,  delivered  a  couple  of  cards,  an- 
nouncing that  two  gentlemen  were  on  horseback  at  the  gate, 
and  had  desired  the  favour  of  an  interview. 

"Admit  the  gentlemen,  instantly,"  I  said;  and  my  visitors 
were  accordingly  ushered  into  my  presence. 

The  Earl  of  Marston  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  English 
noble  of  the  old  school.  His  manners  were  those  of  the 
polished  gentleman.  Perhaps  he  was  rather  too  dignified ;  but 
yet  so  graceful  in  his  deportment,  that  you  invariably  forgot 
his  high  rank  in  admiration  of  his  pleasing  address. 

His  son,  although  like  his  father,  "  a  good  man's  picture," 
was  in  style  and  bearing  imperious  and  haughty.  He  evi- 
dently could  not  forget  his  Norman  shield.  His  arrogant  style, 
indeed,  belied  not  his  disposition,  since  he  was  a  kind  of  modern 
Tybalt,  and  being  of  an  overbearing,  fiery  temper,  was  ready 
almost  to  fight  with  his  own  shadow.  It  was  unlucky  that  a 
youth  of  this  sort  was  destined  to  cross  my  path  in  life,  as  the 
association  could  not  possibly  lead  to  good.  The  old  earl 


THE  SOLDIEB  OP  FOBTTJNE.  13 

% 

seemed  even  himself  to  lie  in  awe  of  his  son's  irritable  temper. 
He  sought  to  take  the  lead  in  the  conversation  during  this 
visit,  and,  by  his  professions  of  service,  to  do  away  with  the 
contemptuous  and  rude  manners  of  his  companion. 

"  I  have  great  pleasure,  Mr.  Blount,"  he  commenced,  "  in 
making  the  acquaintance  of  the  son  of  an  old  friend.  Your 
father  I  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  in  America,  whilst  he 
commanded  the  — th  dragoons.  We  served  together  during 
a  campaign  there,  and  a  better  soldier,  or  more  estimable  man 
never  existed.  Indeed,  it  has  been  my  especial  loss  that,  for 
many  years  we  have  not  met.  Permit  me  to  introduce  my 
eon,  Lord  Hardenbrass." 

Lord  Hardenbrass  made  a  sort  of  motion,  which  he  perhaps 
intended  for  a  bow,  stared  impudently  in  my  face,  but  uttered 
no  word  of  greeting. 

"  We  have  called  to  return  you  thanks,  Mr.  Blount,"  con- 
tinued the  Earl,  taking  the  seat  I  offered  him,  "for  your 
display  of  gallantry,  on  the  late  melancholy  occasion.  Your 
kindness  also  to  Miss  Villeroy,  and  the  attention  you  have 
offered  since  that  unhappy  affair,  merit  our  warmest  acknow- 
ledgments. We  are  also  the  bearers  of  a  message  from  the 
Duchess  of  Hurricane,  who,  I  believe,  has  already  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  your  acquaintance.  She  desires  me  to  say 
that,  although  at  present  she  receives  few  visitors  at  Marston, 
she  will  feel  obliged  by  your  favouring  her  with  a  call  at  your 
earliest  convenience." 

During  this  visit,  two  things  more  especially  annoyed  me : 
the  one  was,  that  I  was  necessitated  to  recapitulate,  even  to  its 
minutest  particular,  the  late  untoward  rencontre ;  the  other 
was  the  very  marked  and  contemptuous  bearing  of  my  younger 
visitor.  Sprung  from  ancestry,  time-honoured  as  his  own,  I 
could  ill  brook  the  hauteur  with  which  he  bore  himself,  and  in 
any  other  circumstances,  I  should  doubtless  have  returned  the 
scorn  it  was  his  pleasure  to  treat  me  with.  At  the  present 
time,  however,  I  felt  rebuked  in  mine  own  esteem ;  the  sort  of 
lie  I  had  been  obliged  to  round  my  story  with,  in  regard  to  the 
death  of  his  relative,  kept  me  in  some  measure  within  bounds, 
and  I  felt  humbled ;  added  to  which  the  strong  love  I  bore  his 
cousin  made  a  tame  snake  of  me. 

i  As  it  was,  however,  that  "cankered  hate,"  which  is  ofttimes 
felt  by  two  persons  towards  each  other,  at  first  sight ;  that 
"pernicious  rage"  which,  like  the  animosity  of  Montague  and 
Capulet,  was(only  to  be  quenched  "with  purple  fountains  issuing 
from  our  veins,"  was  first  engendered  during  this  visit ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  conciliatory  address  and  pleasing  manners 
of  the  old  earl,  and  my  own  caution  in  regard  to  taking 
offence  from  his  son,  we  parted  on  terms  so  distant,  that  I 
felt  I  had  almost  commenced  a  quarrel  with  a  member  of 


14  THE  SOLDIEK   OF  FORTUNE. 

the  family  with  which  I  most  -wished  to  be  on  terms  of 
friendship. 


CHAPTEE  IY. 

(t  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune, 
Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life 
Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries : 
On  such  full  sea  are  we  now  afloat ; 
And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 
Or  lose  our  ventures." 

SHAKSPEAKii. 

Iisr  a  few  days,  I  visited  the  Duchess  as  she  had  desired.  I 
was  received  by  her  with  great  civility,  and  she  made  her 
acknowledgments  to  me  for  the  services" I  had  rendered.  The 
fair  Constance,  her  daughter,  who  was,  indeed,  a  lovely  crea- 
ture, treated  me  with  marked  kindness,  and  had  I  not  before 
seen  her  cousin,  I  should,  doubtless,  have  been  captivated  by 
the  sweetness  of  her  manners  and  her  beauty. 

During  one  or  two  visits  subsequently  made,  I  saw  only  the 
Lady  Constance,  the  Duchess  not  making  her  appearance ;  and 
we  quickly  grew  more  intimately  acquainted.  On  calling  one 
morning,  I  found  this  young  lady  about  to  walk  in  the  pleasure 
grounds  of  the  hall,  whither  she  invited  me  to  accompany  her. 
Indeed,  I  had  every  reason  to  feel  highly  complimented  by 
the  marked  kindness  with  which  she  invariably  treated  me. 

The  pleasure  grounds  and  gardens  of  Marston  were  quite  in 
the  old  style  and  in  keeping  with  the  antiquity  of  the  mansion. 
Nothing,  even  without  doors,  had  been  modernised ;  a  specimen 
of  good  taste  not  often  to  be  observed  in  these  latter  times. 
The  extensive  gardens  resembled  a  scene  in  one  of  Watteau's 
pictures,  where  we  see  the  dramatis  personce,  with  their  car- 
pets spread  under  the  shade  of  melancholy  boughs,  the  guitar 
tinkling,  the  flask  passing  merrily  round,  and  the  song,  the 
jest,  and  the  roar  of  mirth,  filling  the  circumambient  air,  whilst 
here  and  again,  half  hidden  in  the  leafy  screen  of  some  verdant 
alley,  is  to  be  partially  seen  a  gentle  swain  whispering  the 
lady  of  his  heart,  and  apparently,  by  her  glance  of  love,  not 
whispering  in  vain. 

Here,  then,  in  such  lovely  retreat,  I  accompanied  the  beautiful 
Lady  Constance  de  Clifford.  We  appeared  to  have  become  as 
intimately  acquainted  as  if  we  had  been  friends  from  child- 
hood. Constance  was  a  great  lover  of  the  old  poets,  whose 
beauties  afforded  us  an  endless  theme  of  conversation.  Had  I 
but  returned  the  feelings  of  interest  she  regarded  me  with  at 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOBTUNE.  15 

this  time,  and  sought  her  love,  I  should,  perhaps,  have  met  a 
better  fate  than  I  have  since  experienced.  But,  insensible  of 
her  excellence  and  beauty,  I  treated  her  marked  preference 
with  neglect. 

'*  Come,"  said  Constance,  looking  round,  as  I  stood  regard- 
ing the  distant  mansion,  and  trying  to  identify  the  particular 
window  which  belonged  to  the  chamber  of  the  invalid :  "one 
would  suppose  you  an  admirer  of  Miss  Villeroy,  you  seem  so 
wrapt  and  lost  in  contemplation  of  her  lattice.  We  shall  have 
you,  guitar  in  hand,  serenading  there,  I  suppose,  ere  long — 

'  To  beauty  shy,  by  lattice  high, 
Sings  high-born  cavalier,' 

But  beware  of  that,  Sir  Cavalier  ;  my  cousin,  who,  you  may 
have  heard,  hath  store  of  rose  nobles  in  her  coffers,  will  live  to 
be  as  old  as  Sybilla,  unless  she  be  obtained  by  the  manner  of 
her  father's  will,  like  Portia.  Doubtless  the  four  winds  would 
have  blown  in  from  every  coast  renowned  suitors ;  and,  indeed, 
I  might  go  on  and  tell  you  that  many  Jasons  have  come  in 
quest  of  one  so  fair,  but  that  she  has  been  for  some  time  en- 
gaged to  a  gentleman,  whom  I  believe  you  have  once  met — 
Lord  Marston's  son— and  he  is  not  a  man  to  endure  a  rival ; 
he  is  the  very  'butcher  of  a  silk  button.'  We  shall  have 
swords  out,  and  tilting  at  each  other's  breasts  in  fine  style,  if 
you  but  look  upon  his  lady  bright  with  an  eye  of  admiration." 

"Indeed!"  I  exclaimed,  stopping  short;  "Lord  Harden- 
brass,  then,  is  the  lover  of  Miss  Villeroy  ?  and  is  he,  think 
you,  beloved  again?" 

With  all  my  endeavour  at  carelessness  in  the  question,  I 
could  hardly  conceal  my  interest.  Lady  Constance  paused, 
and  looked  at  me. 

"  That's  an  odd  question,"  she  said,  "  but  I  will  answer  it 
as  bluntly.  I  do  not  think  that  Isabella  cares  much  for  Lord 
Hardenbrass  ;  his  manners  are  haughty  and  overbearing,  and 
he  is  too  much  wrapped  up  in  his  own  self-conceit  to  take  the 
trouble  of  trying  to  gain  her  affections.  They  have  been  en- 
gaged, I  think,  ever  since  she  left  school,  so  that  he  has  never 
found  it  necessary  to  play  the  devoted  slave  and  servant  in  his 
wooing,  feeling,  as  he  does,  so  very  secure  of  her  fair  self  and 
broad  lands,  without  the  effort." 

"  But  how,"  I  observed,  "did  she  become  thus  engaged,  since 
I  think  you  have  satisfactorily  proved  that  she  cares  nothing 
for  him  ?" 

"  Why,"  she  returned,  "it  was  her  father's  wish  ;  he  had  so 
entirely  set  his  mind  upon  this  match,  and  she  so  doated  on  her 
parent,  that  had  he  urged  her  to  engage  herself  to  Mephisto- 
phelis,  she  would  scarce,  I  think,  have  said  him  nay ;  and 
young  as  she  was,  when  the  engagement  was  made,  she  cared 


16  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE, 

little  about  the  matter.  The  baronet,  I  have  heard,  has  left 
it  in  his  will,  that  unless  she  marries  Lord  Hardenbrass,  the 
greater  part  of  his  immense  property  will  go  to  a  nephew  now 
in  India.  His  will,  indeed,  directly  expresses  the  wish  that,  by 
her  becoming  Lady  Hardenbrass,  and  joining  in  wedlock,  the 
adjoining  estates  in  Gloucestershire  should  also  be  made  one. 
Fathers  have  flinty  hearts,  Mr.  Blount,  in  these  matter  o* 
money  jointures.  She  will,  therefore,  in  all  probability,  be  one 
day  Countess  of  Marston.  But  I  know  not,"  she  observed,  - 
stopping  suddenly,  "why  I  am  thus  telling  you  all  our  family 
affairs :  you  are  so  very  lately  known  to  us.  Nay,  indeed, 
except  to  myself,  I  can  hardly  say  you  are  known  at  all ;  for 
by  those  members  of  our  family,  to  whom  you  have  been  thus 
introduced  by  adverse  circumstances,  you  are  not  liked :  that 
is  to  say,"  she  continued,  seeing  me  stop  abruptly  and  in  dis- 
pleasure, "  you  are  not,  I  think,  properly  appreciated.  For 
my  own  part,  I  consider  myself  a  more  penetrating  person 
than  many  of  our  house,  ancTable  to  pierce  the  windows  of  the 
human  breast,  somewhat  quicker  than  either  my  mother  the 
duchess,  who  ofttimes  takes  mpjit  unconquerable  aversions 
at  sight,  or  any  of  the  rest  of  the  family.  They  are,  I 
should  say,  impenetrable  themselves,  rather  than  the  pene- 
trators  of  the  hearts  of  others." 

In  this  lively  strain,  the  Lady  Constance  continued  the  con- 
versation, whilst  we  strolled  about  the  gardens  of  the  hall. 

"  I  am,  as  you  may  perceive,"  she  said,  "  a  sort  of  Diana 
Vernon  in  manners,  and  utter  whatever  I  think  at  the  moment 
without  dread  of  being  considered,  by  such  freedom,  bold 
or  unlady-like." 

From  the  gardens,  we  walked  into  the  shrubberies  of  the 
hall,  which  extended  for  many  miles  around  the  domain,  and  it 
was  somewhat  late  when  we'returned  from  our  ramble.  My 
companion  was  rather  alarmed,  with  all  her  boasted  heedless- 
ness  of  control,  when  she  found  how  much  old  Time  had  been 
a  winner  during  our  promenade,  and  that  she  would  be  most 
likely  questioned  by  the  duchess. 

During  this  day's  promenade,  I  discovered,  from  the  conver- 
sation of  my  lively  companion,  that  by* her  family,  although  so 
little  known,  I  was  not  much  liked,  but  merely  tolerated  from 
the  supposed  service  I  had  rendered.  Uncertain  fancy !  the 
bare  supposition  galled  me.  On  the  heart  of  Lady  de  Clifford 
however,  the  overweening  vanity  of  youth  led  me  to  think  I 
had  already  made  some  slight  impression. 

Had  it  so  happened  that  at  this  period  I  had  received  my 
commission,  I  should  perhaps  have  escaped  ever  again  renewing 
my  acquaintance  with  the  inmates  of  Marston  Hall,  and, 
thereby  avoided  much  unhappiness.  Indeed,  after  this  conver- 
sation with  Lady  de  Clifford,  I  half  resolved  to  leave  my  home 


THE  SOLDIER  or  FOBTUNE.  17 

and  join  my  father  in  London ;  but  such  resolve  required  more 
iirmness  of  purpose  than  a  youth  of  my  years  was  likely  to 
possess,  and  eventually  gave  place  to  the  desire  of  again  being 
in  the  company,  if  but  for  once  more,  of  Miss  Villeroy.  Added 
also,  to  that  fatal  longing,  was  the  circumstance  of  my  father 
having  constitutedme,in  his  absence,  the  manager  of  those  affairs 
which  required  the  personal  eye  of  a  master  in  superintending, 
and  which,  indeed,  made  it  a  matter  of  absolute  duty  for  me 
to  remain  at  the  Grange.  I,  therefore,  did  remain,  and  became 
more  and  more  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  a  hopeless  passion 
for  the  mistress  of  Marston  Hall. 

Meanwhile,  Miss  Villeroy  had  been  repeatedly  urged  by  the 
duchess  to  accompany  her  to  Scotland:  but  as  she  raised  many 
objections  to  the  journey,  and  begged  to  remain  in  solitude  till 
she  had  a  little  recovered  her  spirits,  after  some  considerable  con- 
troversy on  the  duchess's  part,  it  was  settled  that  Mrs.  All- 
worthy  should  remain  with  her,  together  with  Lady  de  Clifford, 
whilst  the  duchess  herself  visited  the  north.  These  matters  I 
learned  afterwards,  for  it  was  some  little  time,  owing  to  several 
short  journeys  I  found  myself  obliged  to  take  on  business, 
before  I  was  again  a  visitor  of  my  new  friends. 

When  I  next  was  ushered  into  the  drawing-room  of  the  hall, 
I  found  myself,  for  the  second  time,  in  the  company  of  the 
beautiful  creature,  who,  from  the  first  glance,  had  made  so 
deep  an  impression  on  my  imagination.  At  first  I  thought  sh« 
looked  uneasy  in  my  presence,  my  name  being  evidently  asso- 
ciated in  her  mind  with  the  horrible  catastrophe  of  which  I  had 
been  the  harbinger.  This,  however,  wore  off,  and  she  became  less 
reserved  in  manner,  whilst  I  staid.  Mrs.  Allworthy  was  pre- 
sent during  my  visit,  and  Lady  de  Clifford,  fully  accoutred  in 
riding  gear,  was  about  to  proceed  to  the  little  post-town,  some 
five  miles  distant,  on  a  trifling  commission  for  her  friend. 
When,  therefore,  her  horse  was  announced,  I  offered  to  be  her 
escort. 

Mounted  upon  the  beautiful  animal  she  rode,  Constance  ap- 
peared to  the  greatest  advantage ;  she  was  a  perfect  horse- 
woman, and  as  bold  as  her  spirited  steed.  Behold  me,  then, 
brought  out  under  these  pleasant  auspices ;  from  a  secluded 
youth,  who,  since  childhood,  had  been  kept  from  mixing  with 
his  equals,  and  who  had,  therefore,  lived  in  a  world  of  his  own 
creation,  I  at  once  became  the  intimate  companion  of  some 
such  creations  as  I  had  been  wont  to  imagine  in  my  Shakspe- 
rian  dreams.  Had  I,  indeed,  suddenly  found  myself  trans- 
ported into  Arden,  consorting  the  witty  Rosalind,  or  contem- 
plating the  beauty  of  the  radiant  Olivia,  I  could  not  have  been 
more  happily  situated,  or  have  found  two  beings  so  nearly 
approaching  to  those  fair  creations  of  the  poet's  brain. 
The  fair  Constance  putting  her  steed  into  a  gallop,  I  rodo 

c 


IS  T#E  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

like  a  true  esquire  ever  at  her  bridle  rein.  In  this  part  of 
Yorkshire,  the  scenery  is  wild,  but  very  beautiful ;  that  plea- 
sant and  lively  watering-place,  Harrowgate,  is  not  far  distant. 
Sometimes  we  galloped  across  a  bleak  looking  and  extensive 
common,  and  then  again  we  drew  bridle  and  breathed  our 
horses,  where  the  sandy  road  was  on  either  side  shaded  with 
the  fragrant  pine. 

Whilst  we  thus  rode  together,  and  I  listened  to  the  lively  con- 
rersation  of  my  companion,  and  gazed  on  her  animated  and 
glowing  countenance,  with  her  beautiful  tresses  streaming  in  the 
wind,  I  ielt  that  it  was  even  possible  to  be  in  love  with  two 
beings,  although  so  different,  at  the  same  time.  Indeed,  there 
was  something  so  spirited  and  noble,  and  yet  so  gentle,  in  the 
bearing  of  this  young  lady,  and  the  pride  of  conscious  virtue 
made  her  apparently  so  perfectly  independent  of  control, 
that  it  was  impossible  to  be  long  in  her  society  and  not  her 
admirer. 

As  we  galloped  across  one  of  those  open  wastes  or  commons 
I  have  mentioned,  a  horseman  suddenly  appeared  from  the 
pine-shadowed  road,  towards  which  we  were  crossing,  and  the 
quick  eye  of  the  lady  descried  her  relative,  Lord  Hardenbrass. 
He  came  forward  at  the  gallop,  and  pulled  up  when  he  reached 
us.  Shaking  his  cousin  by  the  hand,  he  bowed  slightly  to 
me  ;  indeed,  the  very  sight  of  me  seemed  to  "  puddle  his  clear 
spirit." 

"You  seem  to  have  ridden  hard,  Constance,"  he  said,  "  and 
you  have  I  see  mounted  Cottager  to-day.  I  thought  Isabella 
allowed  no  person  to  ride  my  present  but  herself." 

"  Then  you  thought  wrong,  Sir  Knight,"  she  returned,  laugh- 
Ing,  "  as,  alas  the  day  !  you  so  often  manage  to  do.  But  we  have 
not  had  the  honour  of  your  society,  my  Lord,  for  some  time  : 
may  I  ask  where  you  have  been  sojourning  of  late?" 

"  I  have  been  staying  at  Biverdale  for  the  last  week,"  he  an- 
swered :  "  and  I  this  morning  started  early  to  gallop  over  and 
see  Isabella ;  I  return  again  to-morrow  for  a  few  days,  and 
then,  my  leave  being  up,  I  rejoin  my  regiment  at  Nottingham. 
In  return  for  all  this,"  he  continued,  turning  his  horse  and 
riding  close  beside  Lady  de  Clifford,  "  may  I  beg  the  favour  of 
a  few  words  with  you?" 

"  Sir,  a  whole  history,"  replied  the  lively  Constance,  "though 
I  utterly  detest  all  cross-examination,"  she  added,  stopping  her 
horse,  "  and  I  know  well  by  the  look  of  your  countenance  that 
you  are  about  to  be  inquisitive." 

"  I  must  speak  with  you  alone,  Constance,"  he  said,  taking 
her  horse's  rein  in  his  hand,  and  leading  her  forwards.  t 

As  they  proceeded  slowly  on,  I  reined  up  my  horse,  in  order 
to  be  out  of  hearing  of  their  conference.  Lord  Hardenbrass, 
ifc  was  easy  for  me  to  perceive,  was  by  no  means  pleased  at 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  TOBTXJNE.  19 

finding  me  the  escort  of  his  cousin,  and  his  communication, 
whatever  it  might  be,  I  felt  pretty  sure  had  reference  to  my  self. 
It  apparently,  however,  made  little  or  no  impression  on  my 
lovely  friend,  and  as  their  vehement  debate  drew  near  its  con- 
clusion, I  could  not  help  observing  the  scorn,  which  looked 
beautiful  in  the  contempt  and  anger  of  her  lip. 

"You  have  spoken  your  speech,"  I  could  hear  her  say, 
"  and  heard  my  reply.  Farewell,  my  lord,  I  stay  no  further 
question." 

Shs  glanced  round  to  me  as  she  said  this,  and  I  was  quickly 
at  her  side ;  shaking  then  the  reins  of  her  steed,  we  left  his 
lordship,  apparently  in  a  most  unpleasant  state  of  ill-temper 
und  annoyance.  I  did  not,  indeed,  myself  feel  in  the  most 
amiable  disposition  after  this  meeting.  The  interruption  of 
one  disagreeable  and  ill-conditioned  guest  will  ofttimes  mar  the 
feast,  or  spoil  a  whole  party's  pleasure.  As  it  was,  this  second 
interview  with  Lord  Hardenbrass  served  to  augment  the  fixed 
hate  we  had  both,  at  first  sight,  taken  to  each  other.  As  for 
Lady  de  Clifford,  although  she  had  carried  it  with  a  high  hand 
in  his  presence,  she  evidently  feared  her  fiery  relative,  an£ 
during  the  remainder  of  our  ride  she  never  once  alluded  to  thi* 
meeting  with  him,  nor  even  mentioned  his  name. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  Matter  deep  and  dangerous ; 
As  full  of  peril,  and  advent'rous  spirit, 
As  to  o'er-walk  a  current,  roaring  loud, 
On  the  unsteadfast  footing  of  a  spear.' 

SHAKSPEAIIE. 

WHEN  we  reached  the  little  village  of  Monkspath,  I  found 
that  my  companion's  horse  had  cast  a  shoe.  We,  therefore, 
dismounted,  and  resigning  the  steeds  to  the  groom,  desired 
him  to  seek  for  a  farrier  and  have  him  shod. 

"  You  will  find  us,"  said  Lady  de  Clifford  to  the  servant, 
"  either  at  the  mercer's  shop  in  the  village,  or  beside  the  old 
ruin  on  the  Harrowgate  road.  I  know  you  are  fond  of  antiqui- 
ties, and  a  lover  of  the  picturesque,  Mr.  Blount,"  she  said  to 
me,  "  so  we  may  just  as  well  stroll  onwards,  after  I  have  made 
my  purchases,  as  remain  in  this  somewhat  dirty  little  town." 

The  hamlet  had  once  evidently  been  tributary  to  the  frown- 
ing castle  she  had  alluded  to,  and  together  we  strolled  through 
its  straggling  street.  When  Constance  had  made  her  pur- 
chases at  the  shop  she  had  mentioned,  we  clambered  over  the 
ruinous  wall  of  the  park  in  which  the  iortress  was  situated, 

c2 


20  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

crossed  over  what  had  once  been  the  bed  of  the  castle  lake, 
now,  alas !  but  a  rushy  swamp,  and  made  our  way  towards  the 
old  building. 

Constance  regained  her  high  spirits,  which  had  been  some- 
what dashed  by  our  previous  rencontre ;  and  her  laugh  of  per- 
fect enjoyment  once  more  returned,  as  I  assisted  her  over  the 
rough  ground  we  traversed ;  which  assistance,  owing  to  her 
long  riding-habit,  she  was  glad  to  avail  herself  of  occasionally. 
I  felt,  indeed,  as  if  in  the  company  of  a  dearly  loved  sister ; 
nay,  perhaps,  I  felt  even  more  than  that,  for  I,  at  this  time, 
hardly  knew  the  feelings  of  my  own  heart.  I  was  greatly  fasci- 
nated with  so  exquisite  a  creature,  and  yet  devotedly  in  love 
with  another.  As  Orlando  says,  I  had  even  before  me,  "  a 
Hosalind,  of  a  better  leer  than  her ;"  and  yet  I  felt  that  I  could 
have  willingly  died  to  have  saved  her  from  harm. 

I  question  if  a  finer  creature  than  Lady  Constance  de  Clifford, 
after  her  own  style  of  beauty,  lived.  Her  faultless  form  was 
shown  to  the  greatest  advantage  in  the  habit  she  wore,  and 
with  the  glow  of  perfect  health  in  her  cheek,  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  picture  a  more  dangerous  companion  for  an  unsophisti- 
cated youth  like  myself.  When,  also,  it  is  remembered,  what 
a  lovely  spot  we  were  sauntering  in ;  the  park-like  forest  scene, 
with  its  hundreds  of  stunted  oaks,  and  the  frowning  castle  near 
at  hand,  and  withal,  that  my  companion  was  high-born,  being 
the  daughter  of  a  noble  duke,  and  that  this  park  and  these 
domains,  together  with  the  worm-eaten  hold  of  ragged  stone 
we  were  approaching,  had  once  been  part  of  the  feudal  posses- 
sions of  her  ancestors,  and  that  their  Norman  shield  was  to  be 
found,  carved  in  at  least  a  hundred  places  upon  its  walls  and 
chambers  ;  that  she  was  fair  as  the  most  lovely  of  her  line,  and 
highly  endowed ;  and  that  she  took  care  to  let  me  see  the  good 
figure  of  a  companion,  whose  quarterings  were  as  time-honoured 
as  those  of  her  own  family,  and  whose  lively  conversation  was 
not  altogether  lost  upon  her,  it  will  be  wondered  that  I  could 
possibly  help  becoming  distractedly  in  love  with  her,  and  her 
alone ; — but  it  was  not  so.  The  very  consciousness  of  her 
regarding  me  with  interest  and  favour.'kept  down  my  growing 
admiration  for  this  superior  being,  which  has  oftentimes  since 
surprised  me.  For  the  very  recollection  of  her,  in  after  times, 
has  made  ms  love  her  far  more  than  when  I  was  her  intimate 
friend  and  companion.  Such,  alas  !  is  the  state  of  man,  to 
one  thing  constant  never :  an  after-life  of  continual  medita- 
tions might  ofttimes  be  spent  in  considering  the  wilful  mistakes 
and  headstrong  misconduct,  during  our  progress  from  eighteen. 
to  five-and-twenty. 

Often  have  I  passed  whole  hours,  when,  unfriended,  I 
have  stood  a  lonely  sentinel  in  a  foreign  land,  like  some  hired 
cut-throat  in  a  bad  cause.  Yes,  often  by  the  loopholed  and 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  TOBTTJNE.  21 

grated  walls  of  a  Spanish,  convent,  a  solitary  sentinel,  I  have 
almost  neglected  to  challenge  the  rounds  during  the  watches 
of  the  night,  whilst  thinking  over  each  expression  and  beautiful 
action  of  Constance  de  Clifford,  in  those  brief  but  happy  hours. 

We  continued  to  amuse  ourselves  in  examining  the  old 
tower,  and  imagining  it  in  its  palmy  days,  now  picturing  to 
ourselves  the  scenes  of  splendour  and  gaiety  which  had  there 
been  ofttimes  enacted,  and  then  again  the  bustle  of  the  feudal 
Baron's  everyday  existence.  We  fancied  how  those  walls  were 
once  manned  and  garrisoned— the  stables  filled  with  steeds 
and  their  attendants,  whilst  the  halls  and  chambers,  "  braying 
with  minstrelsy,"  looked  a  sea  of  waving  plumes.  We  imagined 
the  strict  watch  and  ward,  when  contention  and  civil  butchery 
had  broken  loose  in  the  land ;  saw  the  men  at  arms  and  knights 
of  old  paraded  in  battle  array,  together  with  the  pride  and 
circumstance  of  their  chivalrous  bearing,  and  the  gallant 
appointments  and  appearance  of  each  horse  and  armour  that 
filed  past. 

The  Ladv  Constance,  like  myself,  loved  to  emancipate  her- 
self from  this  "  work-a-day  world,"  when  interested  in  such 
themes.  She  seated  herself  on  a  green  mound  of  the  shattered 
ruin,  and  under  the  shade  of  the  ivy,  which  covered  the  flank- 
ing towers  of  the  building,  we  talked  of  the  good  old  times, 
till  we  could  almost  have  wept  over  the  degenerate  age  of 
mediocrity  in  which  we  were  living  actors. 

"You  live  too  late,  Lady  de  Clifford,"  I  exclaimed,  as  I 
reclined  on  the  slope  of  the  hillock  she  was  sitting  upon,  and 
gazed  upon  her  flashing  eye  ;  "  you  ought  to  have  lived  in  the 
times  you  describe  so  well ;  in  the  days  of  Acre  and  Ascalon ; 
the  days  of  tilt  and  tournay.  Your  very  look  is  that  of  some 
inhabitant  of  such  a  castle  as  the  one  before  us,  for  whose 
smile  whole  squadrons  of  mail-clad  knights  would  have  en- 
countered the  shock  of  the  listed  field." 

"  Good  Heavens,"  she  returned,  laughing,  "  what  a  peerless 
heroine  I  must  be  !  Then,  let  me  see,  how  I  am  to  return  so 
flattering  a  compliment.  Shall  I  say  it  was  that  very  inde- 
scribable and  incomprehensible  look  which  first  caused  me  to 
regard  you  with  curiosity,  as  the  perfect  resemblance  in  feature 
and  bearing  of  one  of  the  knights  errant  of  former  days. 
There  was  a  touch  of  Don  Quixote  de  la  Mancha  about  you 
that  was  highly  interesting,  something  between  the  Don  and 
a  light  dragoon  of  the  present  day ;  a  most  worthy  specimen 
of  one  of  those  doughty  heroes,  who  were  fain  to  go  vagabond- 
izing about  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  I 
assure  you  I  did  not  rest  till  I  had  inquired  who  that  tall, 
dark,  melancholy-looking  Hidalgo  was  ;  and  when  I  heard  of 
your  adventure  in  that  unhappy  affair  of  my  uncle's  death,  I 
determined  to  patronise  you  as  a  worthy  descendant  of  those 
champions  of  whom  it  is  my  peculiar  delight  to  read  "" 


£2  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

Pleasant  as  the  first  part  of  this  good-humoured  sally  was, 
die  allusion  to  my  unlucky  deeds  gave  me  a  pang  "  sharp  as 
the  stiletto  of  the  Portuguese,"  and  I  felt  so  far  from  being 
one  of  those  worthies  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche,  that  I  looked 
upon  myself  as  an  impostor,  who  feared  to  utter  the  truth. 

"  But  I  marvel,"  continued  my  companion,  rising  and  look- 
ing round,  "  what  keeps  the  knave  groom  so  long  with  our 
horses ;  let  us  return  to  the  village  and  meet  him.  I  know  not 
how  it  is  with  you,  Mr.  Blount,  but  whenever  I  am  in  the 
vicinity  of  such  a  record  of  former  days  as  this,  I  always  feel 
">  sort  of  fascination  to  the  spot,  and  cannot,  without  an  effort, 
tear  myself  away.  Methinks  the  spirits  of  my  sires,  venerable 
and  grave-looking,  sigh  in  the  gale,  and  glide  about  the  dark 
and  ruined  shell.  Look  at  that  '  high,  upreared,  and  abutting 
fro^.t ' — within  the  apartment  with  the  vast  fire-place  and 
ca^v^nous  chimney,  'tis  said  a  beautiful  woman,  the  wife  of  a 
I)e  Clifford,  was  foully  done  to  death.  What  immense  interest 
doth  that  legend  give  to  each  mouldering  stone  of  the  ruined 
tower!  Here,  perhaps,  in  this  wing,  'the  night-shriek  dis- 
turbed the  curtain'd  sleep/ 

'  And  witlier'd  murder 
Alarmed  by  his  sentinel  the  wolf 
Towards  his  design,  mov'd  likje  a  ghost.* 

How  pleasant,  too,  to  contemplate  the  lovely  landscape  around, 
whilst  '  light  thickens,'  as  Shakspeare  so  beautifully  words  it, 
*  and.  the  crow  makes  wing  to  the  rooky  wood.'  " 

I  felt  the  same  unwillingness  to  leave  this  interesting  scene, 
with  so  delightful  a  guide  to  point  out  its  beauties,  and  we 
examined  afresh  each  loophole  and  embrasure  of  the  building, 
before  we  consented  to  quit  it.  As  we  did  so,  a  loud  and  wild 
halloo  saluted  our  ears  from  the  road ;  and  we  beheld,  in  the 
distance,  two  or  three  dozen  men,  armed  with  pitchforks  and 
bludgeons,  rushing  towards  us.  In  a  few  minutes  the  meaning 
of  this  rout  was  apparent,  for  down  an  undulation  of  the 
ground  (his  ascent  up  the  other  side  of  which  had  till  then 
Bidden  his  approach)  came,  with  the  speed  of  a  racehorse,  an 
enormous  and  ferocious  mastiff.  The  appearance  of  the  brute 
in  an  instant  showed  that  he  was  raving  mad.  _ 

Constance,  who  happened  to  be  somewhat  in  front,  stopped 
suddenly,  looked  round,  and  turned  deadly  pale,  appearing  un- 
able to  move  a  step  from  the  spot  on  which  she  stood.  The 
mastiff  was,  indeed,  close  upon -her,  and  there  seemed  no  hope 
of  escape  from  a  fate  the  most  horrible  to  be  conceived  ;  for 
my  part  I  was  also  sufficiently  alarmed.  I  held  a  hunting- 
whip  in  my  hand,  but  felt  it  was  perfectly  useless  against  this 
monster  in  a  rabid  state.  Like  lightning  I  stripped  off'  my  coat, 
and  wrapping  it  round  my  right  arm  and  hand,  rushed  upon  the 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  23 

animal  as  he  "was  about  to  spring  upon  my  companion.  I  waa 
so  nearly  too  late  although  I  had  done  this  in  an  instant,  that 
as  I  struck  the  dog  with  my  muffled  fist,  throwing  my  whole 
weight  into  the  blow,  he  was  scarcely  a  foot  from  her  throat. 
The  dog  went  over  with  the  buffet,  and  the  next  moment  we 
were  grappling  together  in deadly  combat:  a  mortal  conflict  upon 
rather  unequal  terms,  since  the  one  party,  even  if  the  van- 
quisher, must  come  off  without  scratch  or  wound  in  the 
struggle,  or  he  would  share  the  fate  of  the  beast  he  was  destroy- 
ing. I  felt  this  at  the  moment,  and  I  felt,  moreover,  that 
the  beautiful  Constance,  should  I  fail  in  destroying  the  rabid 
mastiff,  would  also  be  his  victim.  Throwing  myself  upon  the  dog 
before  he  could  gain  his  feet,  with  both  hands  I  seized  him  by 
the  throat,  and  disengaging  myself  from  the  coat,  held  him 
firmly  in  my  grasp. 

Man  is  immensely  powerful  in  his  arms  when  in  such  a  posi- 
tion ;  and  notwithstanding  the  strength  of  this  enormous  brute, 
I  held  him  securely  beneath  me.  Whilst  his  eyes  almost 
started  from  their  sockets,  with  my  deadly  gripe,  and  with 
mouth  wide  open  he  turned  from  side  to  side  in  his  endeavours 
to  tear  my  hands  and  arms.  Indeed,  I  began  to  doubt  my 
capability  of  holding  him  much  longer,  for  I  found  myself 
growing  exhausted  with  the  violence  and  duration  of  this 
death-grapple. 

I  turned  my  head,  Lady  de  Clifford  was  close  beside  me : 
horror  depicted  in  her  countenance. 

"  Lady  de  Clifford,"  I  cried,  "  search  the  pocket  of  my  coat 
for  a  knife.  We  must  end  this  struggle  instantly  or  we  are 
lost." 

Whilst  she  searched  for  the  knife,  I  looked  to  the  front  in  order 
to  see  our  chance  of  succour :  the  pursuers  were  still  some 
distance  from  us.  I  cared  not  for  myself,  could  I  but  save  my 
companion.  Constance  was  fortunate  in  finding  the  knife,  with 
which  she  flew  to  my  side.  I  bade  her,  as  I  ventured  to  grasp 
it,  to  fly,  and  gain  the  shelter  of  the  ruin,  before  I  made  my 
last  effort,  and  used  this  dagger  of  mercy  upon  my  deadly 
foe. 

"  Never !"  she  exclaimed ;  "  I  will  not  leave  you." 

There  was  no  time  to  urge  it :  but  gradually  getting  a  tighter 
grasp  on  the  brute's  windpipe  with  my  left  hand,  I  suddenly- 
quitted  him  with  my  right,  seized  the  knife,  and  plunged  it 
into  his  throat.  The  blood  spouted  over  me  as  I  held  him  for  a 
few  moments  longer,  and  then  his  strength  was  gone  for  ever. 
I  threw  him  from  me,  and  setting  my  foot  upon  his  neck,  once 
more  reached  the  knife,  and  plunged  it  into  his  heart.  All 
was  then  over,  and  the  animal,  horrible  in  death,  but  no  longer 
dangerous,  lay  quivering  before  us. 

Constance  leading  the  way  down  the  slope  upon  which  the 


24  THE  SOLDIER   OP  FORTUNE. 

castle  was  built,  towards  a  beautiful  stream  which  wound 
round  the  hillock,  herself  assisted  in  washing  the  blood  from 
my  hands  and  arms.  I  had  received  neither  bite  or  wound, 
and  she  returned  thanks  to  Heaven  for  our  escape.  Drawing 
a  diamond  ring  from,  her  finger,  she  presented  it  to  me. 

"  Wear  this,"  she  said,  "in  remembrance  of  one  whom  you 
have  saved  from  a  fate  too  dreadful  to  contemplate." 

That  ring  I  have  never  parted  with  :  in  prosperity  I  have 
held  it  sacred,  and  it  has  been  a  talisman  which  when  dis- 
gusted with  life,  and  surrounded  by  the  vicious  and  profligate, 
I  have  loved  to  look  on,  and  become  reconciled  to  a  world  con- 
taining the  being  who  once  owned  it.  In  misery  and  sickness, 
when  a  half-naked  wretch,  I  was  dragged  out  amidst  the  dead 
from  the  convent  cell,  where,  neglected  we  had  been  left  to  die 
of  typhus  fever  in  Spain,  that  ring  was  still  with  me. 

Constance,  now  that  the  danger  was  past,  looked  faint  and 
ill.  I  saw  she  made  an  effort  and  controlled  the  faintness  she 
felt  approaching ;  she,  however,  was  obliged  to  support  her- 
self by  leaning  on  my  arm.  As  I  found  her  getting  really 
unable  to  walk,  I  seated  her  on  the  bank  and  sprinkled  water 
in  her  face.  Who  can  blame  me  if  I  ventured  to  kiss  the  hand 
she  proffered  me  ?  Perhaps  she  was  angry  at  the  liberty,  or 
perchance  the  water  from  the  brook  recovered  her,  for  the 
colour  mounted  to  her  cheek  and  she  arose. 

I  assisted  her  up  the  hillock  to  look  for  our  horses,  as  she 
said  she  felt  sufficiently  recovered  to  proceed  home.  By  the 
time  we  had  again  reached  the  scene  of  our  exploit,  the  villa- 
gers had  arrived  and  were  crowding  round  the  prostrate  dog. 
Several  came  towards  us  when  we  appeared,  and  amongst  them 
our  groom.  All  had  been  dreadfully  alarmed,  supposing  that 
we  hau  been  torn  almost  to  pieces :  and  my  escape  they  Con- 
sidered scarcely  less  than  miraculous. 

"  Look  here,"  exclaimed  a  great  burley  fellow,  the  smith  of 
the  village,  thrusting  out  a  bar  of  iron,  "  see  the  power  of 
yon  dog ;  when  he  fastened  on  th'  oss,  and  I  rammed  the  iron 
into  his  jaws,  red  hot  as  it  was,  he  held  it  fast  as  if  it  had  been 
a  paunch,  instead  of  a  red  hot  coulter." 

This  was  a  fact,  for  the  dog  having  run  into  the  smith's 
forge,  and  fastened  on  the  horse  I  had  ridden,  held  him  in  his 
gripe,  and  what  with  the  plunging  of  the  frightened  animal 
and  the  fear  of  the  dog,  all  assembled  had  rushed  from  the  forge, 
except  the  master  smith,  who,  snatching  a  red  hot  bar  of  iron 
from  the  fire,  thrust  it  into  the  dog's  mouth  and  forced  him  to 
quit  his  hold. 

The  groom  now  informing  us  of  my  horse  being  wounded,  I 
ordered  him  to  have  it  killed,  and  then  to  procure  a  hack,  and 
follow  us  home.  We  accordingly  walked  forward,  and  meet- 
ing a  boy  with  Lady  de  Clifford's  horses,  once  more  mounted. 
As  it  was  now  growing  late*  we  rode  guickly  homewards. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  25 

M  You  have  lost  your  charger,  Mr.  Blount,"  slie  observed, 
with  a  smile.  "  The  horse  you  are  now  upon  is  my  own  riding 
horse,  and  which  I  this  day  ordered  the  groom  to  mount,  as 
he  has  been  out  of  work  lately  ;  will  you  accept  him  in  place  of 
the  one  you  rode  ?  A  poor  gift  considering  the  service  you 
have  rendered." 

Her  quivering  voice  and  soft  eye  spoke  the  feelings  of  her 
grateful  heart,  more  than  the  gift  she  offered,  or  the  thanks 
she  uttered.  I  saw  her  in  safety  to  the  door  of  the  hall.  Lord 
Hardenbrass  was  standing  before  it,  apparently  awaiting  her 
return.  He  stepped  forward  to  assist  her  in  dismounting. 
Before  she  did  so,  she  put  out  her  hand,  grasped  mine,  and 
bade  me  adieu : 

"Will  you  come  to  us  to-morrow?"  said  she.  "I  have 
much  to  be  grateful  for,  but  I  cannot  speak  my  thanks  now." 

I  promised  to  do  so,  and  alighting  from  her  steed,  she 
vanished  into  the  house.  I  lifted  my  hat  to  the  young  noble- 
man, who  stood  observing  us ;  but  he  either  did  not  see,  or 
would  not  return  the  salutation. 

When  I  gained  the  turn  in  the  road,  which  led  me  to  the 
lodge,  I  wheeled  round,  in  order  to  take  my  accustomed  look 
at  the  hall,  and  could  just  distinguish  my  fair  companion  stand- 
ing at  her  chamber-window.  She  retired  when  she  saw  me 
stop  :  but  I  felt  that  I  had  made  an  impression  on  her  heart, 
which,  at  that  time,  it  was  far  from  my  intention  or  wish  to 
form  there. 

I  was  now,  as  may  be  surmised,  a  frequent  and  cherished 
guest  at  Marston.  My  Lord  Hardenbrass,  who  could  never, 
it  seems  deny  himself  enjoyment  of  the  present  moment,  and 
whose  party  of  young  friends  were  awaiting  him  at  Hareward, 
was  off  to  join  them  there,  when  I  arrived  at  Marslton  next 
day,  and  I,  therefore,  for  that  time,  found  no  interruption, 
to  the  cielight  of  mixing  with  my  new  and  fascinating  friends. 
I  appeared,  indeed,  to  have  become  transplanted  into  another 
world,  where  all  was  new  and  beautiful.  How,  alas  !  can  I  de- 
scribe those  few  happy  days  in  my  existence,  too  happy  to  last — 

"  Still  'tis  pleasure  tho'  'tis  mixed  with  pain, 
To  think  on  joys  that  ne'er  can  live  again." 

We  were  now  often  joined  in  our  excursions  by  Miss 
Yilleroy;  and  Mrs.  Allworthy,  her  relative,  seemed  quite 
content  to  allow  both  the  young  ladies  to  be  escorted  occa- 
sionally in  their  walks  and  rides,  by  one  who,  she  said,  had 
proved  himself  capable  of  protecting  them  through  the  most 
dangerous  of  adventures. 

One  day,  as  we  were  riding  together  in  the  direction  of 
the  Grange,  Constance  again  reverted  to  our  old  dwelling, 
whose  turret  p*0.  could  just  see  above  the  thick  woods  in  the 
distance. 


26  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

"You  cannot  think,"  said  she,  "how  much  I  should  like 
to  see  the  interior  of  that  curious  looking  home  oi  yours." 

I  assured  them  of  the  pleasure  such  a  visit  would  give  me, 
and,  provided  they  could  gain  the  sanction  of  their  chaperone, 
Mrs.  Allworthy,  they  promised  to  fix  a  day  in  the  week  to 
drive  over. 

It  was  now  more  than  a  month  since  I  had  received  any 
communication  from  my  father,  which  struck  me  as  singular. 
My  time,  however,  was  spent  so  delightfully,  that  I  felt  un- 
willing to  imagine  anything  could  be  amiss,  whilst  I  myself  was 
happy.  Not  having,  therefore,  lately  received  any  communica- 
tion from  him,  I  neglected,  from  day  to  day,  to  write. 

On  the  day  fixed  upon,  Miss  Villeroy  and  her  party  arrived 
at  the  Grange.  Mrs.  Allworthy  drove  over  in  her  carriage, 
the  young  ladies  came  on  horseback. 

As  I  knew  how  greatly  it  would  delight  visitors  of  the 
disposition  of  my  fair  friends  to  be  admitted  to  a  place  so 
curious  and  antique  with  all  the  honours,  I  made  every 
efiort  to  receive  them  in  proper  form.  Booms,  therefore, 
which  had  been  closed  up  and  untenanted  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury, were  thrown  open ;  old  articles  of  furniture  routed  out 
and  put  in  requisition ;  unsecured  armour  hung  upon  the 
walls,  and  even  some  old  falconets  were  mounted  upon  the  bat- 
tlements and  fired  as  my  visitors  approached.  The  old  bridge 
too,  which,  for  many  years,  had  been  allowed  to  rest  quietly 
across  the  waters  of  the  moat  at  the  principal  entrance,  was, 
on  this  occasion,  made  to  do  duty,  in  order  that  every  pro- 
per form  might  be  gone  through,  and  niy  guests  admitted 
in  feudal  style. 

Mrs.  Allworthy  I  have  but  slightly  noticed  in  this  story. 
She  was,  however,  well  worthy  of  a  more  particular  description 
than  I  have  space  to  afford  her.  She  was  a  spinster  of 
nearly  fourscore  years  of  age,  extremely  eccentric  in  manners, 
and  what  the  world  would  call  an  oddity.  Active  and 
sprightly  as  a  girl  of  eighteen,  she  was  diminutive  and  rather 
deformed  in  figiire,  while  her  features  were  by  no  means 
handsome.  As  it  was  her  whim,  moreover,  to  dress  point 
device  in  the  costume  of  the  preceding  century,  she  looked 
a  perfect  caricature.  Full  of  talent,  very  satirical,  and  never 
hesitating  to  give  her  thoughts  tongue,  she  could  be  a  bitter 
scourge  to  ill-conditioned  or  presumptuous  persons,  whilst  to 
those  whom  she  liked,  she  was  a  delightful  companion.  "  Her 
memory  was  a  mine,"  and  mistress  of  most  modern  languages 
she  appeared  to  have  studied  every  poet  that  had  ever  penned 
a  stanza. 

With  so  amusing  a  companion  to  chaperone  the  young 
ladies,  and  who  could  readily  enter  into  all  our  feelings  of 
romance,  the  hours  flew  swiftly,  and  my  guests  were  de- 
lighted with  all  they  saw. 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  27 

Wharncliffe  Grange  was  one  of  those  curious  old  buildings, 
the  very  traces  of  which  are  now  almost  obliterated  from  the 
face  of  the  country,  and  the  foundations  of  massive  walls, 
scarcely  to  be  traced  in  the  green  mounds  that  mark  their 
site,  are  all  that  remain  to  tell  of  their  whereabout.  Like 
many  other  edifices  before  the  times  of  the  Tudors,  it  con- 
tained three  moats,  the  principal  one  washed  the  walls  of  the 
main  building,  another  surrounded  the  farm  buildings,  whilst 
a  third  encircled  the  ancient  garden  of  the  establishment,  so 
that  the  dark  waters,  overshadowed  in  some  places  by  the 
frowning  walls  of  the  edifice,  and  in  others  by  luxuriant 
•willows,  (which,  hanging  over  the  banks,  showed  their  hoar 
leaves  in  the  glassy  stream),  gave  it  the  appearance  of  one 
of  those  old  chateaus  which  we  meet  with  in  a  Flemish 
picture. 

After  viewing  the  pleasure-grounds  and  gardens,  we  re- 
turned to  the  house,  and  spent  some  time  in  rambling  over 
it.  Scarcely  a  room  escaped  the  curiosity  of  Mrs.  Allworthy, 
so  great  was  the  interest  she  displayed  in  examining  a  build- 
ing so  curious  and  antique.  In  the  long  oak-panelled  gal- 
lery hung  many  of  the  portraits  of  my  ancestors.  With  one 
old  picture  Mrs.  Allworthy  was  especially  taken. 

"  This  gloomy -looking  individual,  with  the  peaked  beard, 
and  the  long  rapier,"  said  the  old  lady,  "  I  am  quite  sure 
has  some  dismal  legend  attached  to  him.  The  picture  re- 
minds me  of  one  I  used  to  see  in  early  days,  when  I  visited 
Horace  Walpole :  it  possesses  an  evil 'eye.  See,  Constance, 
like  the  portrait  of  Lord  Falkland,  go  to  what  part  of  the 
gallery  you  will,  the  eyes  are  still  upon  you." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  madam,"  said  the  old  housekeeper, 
•who  had  accompanied  us  through  the  rooms,  and  who  dearly 
loved  to  expatiate  upon  the  virtues  and  gallantry  of  the  grim 
figures  which  adorned  their  walls.  "You  are  quite  right, 
madam,  that  picture  has  a  story  attached  to  it,  which  is  ex- 
tremely curious:  it  is  the  portrait  of  Sir  Herbert  Blount, 
who  was  savagely  murdered  during  the  ^civil  wars  of  Charles 
the  First,  by  a  party  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  dragoons." 

"Delightful!"  said  the  old  lady.  "I  knew  I  was  right; 
the  face  of  that  cavalier  is  as  a  book,  '  where  men  may  read 
strange  matters;'  there's  battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death 
in  every  feature.  For  my  part,  I  will  not  dine  till  I  hear 
the  story  of  his  life.  Come,  Mr.  Blount,  with  your  sanc- 
tion, we  will  sit  in  the  recess  of  this  window,  and  hear  the 
history." 

The  young  ladies  had  been  much  delighted  with  the  gar- 
rulous housekeeper,  who  was  almost  as  great  an  original  in 
appearance  and  feature  as  some  of  the  portraits  she  loved  to 
speak  of.  They  accordingly  seconded  Mrs.  Allworthy 's  re- 


28  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

quest,  and  seating  themselves  in  one  of  the  deep  recesses  of 
a  window  which  beetled  over  the  moat,  as  the  sun  streamed 
through  the  many-coloured  panes  upon  the  oaken  floor  of  the 
gallery,  they  listened  to  a  fearful  tale  exemplifying  the  horrors 
of  civil  war  during  the  reign  of  Charles  the  JFirst. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  More  matter  for  a  May  morning." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

THE  strange  and  eventful  tale  the  housekeeper  favoured  us 
with  greatly  interested  my  fair  friends,  and  furnished  them 
with  subject  of  discussion  whilst  refreshments  were  served. 

We  took  our  repast  alfresco,  under  the  shade  of  melancholy 
boughs,  spreading  our  cloth  upon  the  grass,  and  cooling  our 
flasks  in  the  stream  of  a  fountain,  which  played  melodiously  in 
a  grotto  close  beside  us.  In  short,  I  endeavoured  to  entertain 
my  guests  in  fitting  style.  Lady  de  Clifford  and  Mistress 
AUworthy  were  in  high  spirits,  and  although  a  shade  of  sad- 
ness still  remained  upon  the  brow  of  Miss  Villeroy,  our  united 
efforts  almost  succeeded  in  banishing  it.  As  for  myself,  I  felt 
free  as  the  bird  in  the  air,  and  that,  perhaps,  is  one  of  the 
highest  enjoyments  we  mortals  can  hope  for.  The  fool  of 
romance,  I  lived  upon  a  smile,  and  flustered  with  bright  cham- 
pagne, and  the  brighter  glances  of  beauty,  I  rhapsodized  about 
shadowy  groves  and  unfrequented  glens,  Hos-alind,  Jacques, 
and  Orlando,  till  my  guests  must  have  thought  me  a  fit  subject 
for  Bedlam. 

As  I  gazed  into  the  glassy  stream,  on  the  banks  of  which 
the  cousins  reclined,  and  which  mirrored  features  so  beautiful, 
I  even  ventured  to  extemporize  some  stanzas,  and,  I  fear,  sung 
them  to  my  guitar. 

"Ah,"  said  I,  as  I  preluded  upon  the  instrument,  "this  is, 
indeed,  true  enchantment,  ladies ;  and  when,  deprived  of  your 
society,  I  turn  from  the  colours  which  the  Claude  glass  breathes 
upon  the  scene,  to  the  nakedness  of  the  scene  itself— 

"  Time  trifles  not  with  grace  like  thine, 
Care  crouches,  conquered  by  thy  gaze, 
On  lips  so  loving — so  divine, 
Pain  never  preys ! 

44  The  lustrous  eyes,  that  largely  show 
Thy  passing  feelings'  light  and  shade, 
Now  darkly  melt — now  dazzling  glow, 
Each  thought  betrayed ; 


TOE  80LPIEU  OF  FORTUNE.  29 

••  Thy  check,  where  morning's  rosy  light 
Enchanted  sleeps  on  softest  snows, 
And  bloom  eternal  o'er  its  bright 
Perfection  glows ; 

*  The  triumph  of  thy  loveliness, 
When  each  full  charm  asserts  its  right 
Like  stars  that  crowd  in  heaven  to  bless 
The  birth  of  night; 

**  All  prove,  if  proof  were  wanting  now, 
All  tell,  if  truth  alone  may  tell, 
How  beats  each  heart — how  burns  each  brow, 
Beneath  thy  spell ! 

"  And  yet  how  vain,  how  more  than  vain, 
Each  thought  that  madly  clings  to  thee ! 
So,  beauty  breeds  too  surely  pain, 
Love — misery1. 

"  And  such  their  fate,  whose  daring  eyes 
Have  gazed  on  what  they  ne'er  forget. 
Yet  who  can  glance  at  Paradise 
And  feel  regret  ? 

"  Not  I !     One  glimpse  of  charms  like  thine 
Thou  fairer  far  than  Fancy's  child, 
Would  fill  my  breast  with  peace  divine, 
However  wild. 

"  However  racked  my  heart  before, 
One  glance  at  thee  repose  would  bring, 
Though  after-thoughts  (when  stilled  its  roar) 
Might  leave  a  sting. 

«  A  sting  that  lives  till  life's  last  groan, 
A  pang  that  parts  not  but  with  breath, 
That  me  thy  beauty  bears  alone 
An  earlier  death !" 

"  Hang  there  my  verse,  in  witness  of  my  love,"  said  Mrs. 
Allworthy,  rising,  and  glancing  at  Miss  Villeroy.  "  We  are 
much  bounden  to  you  for  your  excellent  music,  Mr.  Blount.  I 
knew  not  that  you  were  poet  as  well  as  philosopher.  This  cool 
retreat  you  have  chosen  for  us  here  is  so  delightful,  that  it  re- 
quires an  effort  to  leave  it.  You  could  not  have  given  us  a 
greater  treat.  I  quite  agree  with  the  old  poet — 

*  Give  me  a  morsel  on  the  greensward  rather, 
Coarse  as  you  will  the  cooking — let  the  fresh  spring 
Bubble,  beside  my  napkin. 
Your  prison  feasts  I  like  not.' 

But  come,  I  think  you  said  you  had  ordered  your  pony 
phaeton,  to  show  us  some  of  the  beauties  of  your  park  here. 
We  are  like^  the  lawyers  in  vacation,  ladies — we  see  not  how 
time  moves." 


90  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOBTUNE. 

As  Mrs.  Allworthy^  wished  much  to  view  Berrywell  Chase, 
the  scene  mentioned  in  the  story  we  had  heard,  as  that  of  the 
overthrow  of  the  Cromwellian  troopers,  it  was  arranged  that 
Lady  de  Clifford  should  drive  her  to  it,  whilst  I  myself  escorted 
Miss  Villeroy,  on  a  Shetland  pony,  in  the  same  direction,  and 
we  accordingly  took  our  way  along  the  avenue. 

The  avenue  of  Wharncliffe  Grange  would  in  itself  deserve  a 
chapter.  It  consisted  of  a  grove  of  oaks,  each  mossed  tree  of 
which,  seeming  to  have  outlived  the  eagle ;  and  the  branches 
meeting  over  head,  threw  so  deep  a  shade  over  the  delicious 
carpet  we  traversed,  that  it  was  dark  as  twilight. 

The  reader  will  readily  imagine  the  feelings  I  experienced 
whilst  the  companion  of  Miss  Villeroy  in  this  sylvan  retreat. 
The  deep  silence  and  old  world  look  of  the  place,  the  solitude  of 
the  scene,  together  with  the  excitement,  and  the  champagne  I 
had  swallowed  in  drinking  healths  to  my  fair  guests,  made  it 
exceedingly  difficult  for  me  to  refrain  from  throwing  myself  at 
the  feet  of  one  who  appeared  the  goddess  of  the  grove,  and 
pouring  out  all  my  vows  of  everlasting  love  and  admiration  in 
her  astonished  ear. 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  found  myself  thus  situated,  alone, 
with  the  fair  empress  of  my  soul.  For  although  she  had  or- 
dered the  attendance  of  Miss  Starch,  her  lady's  maid,  who, 
mounted  upon  the  fellow  Shetland  to  the  one  her  mistress  was 
riding,  followed  us  at  some  little  distance,  I  considered  her 
presence  no  more  an  interruption  to  our  tete-a-tete,  than  that 
of  the  rooks  which  cawed  overhead. 

My  shyness  had  considerably  evaporated ;  I  was  improving 
wonderfully  under  the  influence  of  so  much  beauty.  The 
might,  the  majesty  of  loveliness,  which  had  at  first  awed  me, 
now  rendered  me  eloquent,  and  I  amused  Miss  Villeroy  with 
a  whole  litany  of  impertinence  descriptive  of  love  in  the  golden, 
age,  when  men  lived  upon  acorns,  and  the  business  of  life  con- 
sisted in  playing  on  pipes  of  corn,  and  versing  love  to  amorous 
Phillidas. 

My  companion  was  greatly  diverted  with  my  efforts  at  en- 
tertaining her,  and  I  was  on  the  point  of  giving  utterance  to 
the  feelings  of  my  heart,  when  her  eye  fell  upon  the  diamond 
ring  which  Lady  de  Clifford  had  presented  to  me  after  the  ad- 
venture of  the  mad  dog. 

It  was  evident  that  Constance,  in  telling  her  the  story  of 
that  action,  had  concealed  so  much  of  it,  as  pertained  to  the 
jewel  she  had  given  me. 

"  Was  it  customary  in  your  golden  age,  Mr.  Blount,"  she 
said,  archly,  "  for  the  swains  to  make  love  to  more  than  one 
nymph  at  a  time  ?" 

There  was  something  of  pique,  I  thought,  in  the  tone  of  her 
voice  as  she  said  this. 


THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  31 

"  This  ring,  Miss  Villeroy,"  I  said,  in.  answering  the  ex- 
pression of  her  eye.  ^ "  This  ring  was " 

"  My  gift,"  she  said,  interrupting  me,  "  to  my  cousin  Con- 
stance. I  thought  she  prized  it." 

"Dear,  as  her  finger,"  I  returned,  "doubtless  she  did  so; 
but  it  was  given  to  me  under  peculiar  circumstances.  Sweet 
ornament,  that  once  decked  a  thing  divine.  I  value  it  tenfold 
more,  Miss  Villeroy,  since  you  say  it  was  yours.  O,  Sylvia, 
Sylvia,"  I  continued,  kissing  the  ring  like  some  stage-struck 
hero  making  his  debut  in  a  barn,  "unless  I  be  by  Sylvia  in  the 
day,  there  is  no  day  for  me  to  look  upon." 

"Will  yer  honour,  then,  look  upon  a  poor  fellow,"  said  a 
voice  close  at  my  elbow,  "  and  afford  me  the  loan  of  the  price 
of  a  pot  of  half-and-half." 

Miss  Villeroy  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise  at  the  sud- 
denness of  the  interruption,  whilst  turning  my  head,  I  beheld 
an  ill-looking  fellow,  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  looker-out  or  keeper 
— a  man  who  had  formerly  been  in  our  employ,  but  long  since 
dismissed  as  one  of  the  most  incorrigible  poachers  in  the 
county.  He  had  stepped  from  beside  one  of  the  trees  as  we 
passed,  and  followed  us  unheard  upon  the  soft  grass. 

"  What  makes  you  here,  sir?"  said  I,  stopping  and  confront- 
ing him,  both  angry  at  his  interruption  and  presence  in  the 
park  at  midday. 

"  Don't  put  yourself  in  a  passion,  Master  Eatcliffe,"  returned 
the  fellow,  coolly.  "  'Tis  yourself  I'm  in  search  of,  more  luck 
and  grace  to  your  honour.  Times  have  been  bad  'wid  me, 
since  your  father  turned  me  out  of  his  service — bitter  bad  luck 
to  him  for  doing  so." 

Miss  Villeroy  seemed  alarmed  at  the  ruffian's  manner.  She 
rode  a  few  paces  onwards.  I  felt  half  inclined  to  knock  the 
scoundrel  down;  but,  seeing  that  he  was  half  drunk,  I  re- 
strained my  gathering  ire. 

"  If  you  have  business  with  me,"  said  I  (turning  to  leave 
him),  "  call  at  the  Grange  to-morrow.  I  am  engaged  at  present, 
as  you  see." 

"Faith,  then,  Master  Blount,"  he  said,  "it's  not  myself 
that  will  spoil  your  sport ;  but  I've  been  looking  for  ye  for 
some  time,  and,  to  say  truth,  what  you  and  I  have  to  speak 
of  had  best  be  talked  over  in  the  open  air." 

The  man's  manner  was  singular.  That  secret  fear  which  is 
ever  attendant  upon  the  guilty  seemed  to  warn  me  that  he  had 
something  of  importance  to  communicate. 

"  What  mean  ye  ?"  said  I,  growing  curious,  "  and  what  can 
I  have  to  talk  of  with  a  scoundrel  like  yourself?" 

"  Troth,  then,  it's  a  scounthrel  like  mec>elf  that  will  soon  tell 
you  that  same.  Does  j^our  honour's  glory  remember  old 
Squire  Villeroy,  of  the  great  house,  yonder  away  there.  By 


32  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

dad,  I  thought  I'd  help  your  memory  a  trifle  ;  but  mum's  the 
word,"  he  continued,  seeing  me  start  at  his  words,  "I  myself  was 
lying  concealed  in  the  wood  that  same  day  when  you  overthrew 
the  old  boy.  By  the  same  token,  I  was  at  the  inquest  too,  and 
saw  that  business,  Master  Ratcliffe  ;  your  honour  knows  best 
why  you  told  the  story  as  you  did.  By  the  powers,  it's  no 
business  of  mine ;  but  I  saw  it  as  it  happened,  and  a  pretty 
piece  of  work  you  made  of  it,  though  you  and  I  are  the  only 
wise  ones  in  the  matter." 

This  communication  surprised  and  confounded  me.  I  could 
not,  indeed,  at  the  moment,  utter  a  sentence  in  answer.  The 
fellow  saw  the  impression  his  words  had  made.  He  was  the 
picture  of  an  unscrupulous  and  resolute  Irish  ruffian  :  his  face 
was  swollen  from  the  effects  of  strong  drink  and  little  food. 

"  My  business  is  short,"  he  continued,  glancing  round,  as 
if  he  feared  interruption,  "  and  I  must  speak  it  here.  I'm 
starving — starving  in  the  open  world.  Ifyour  secret  is  worth 
keeping  from  yonder  lady,  Master  Ratclifle,  it's  worth  buying. 
Your  keepers  have  been  playing  sharp  upon  me  since  that  last 
business  of  yours,  and  the  children  cry  for  food.  I  must  have 
money." 

For  a  moment  I  looked  at  the  man  in  doubt  as  to  what  I 
had  better  do  in  the  matter.  I  felt  astounded,  and  as  if  some 
demon  had  sprung  up  in  my  path  to  blast  me ;  and  fearing 
Miss  Villeroy  might  catch  some  unlucky  word  of  the  fellow's 
discourse,  hastily  took  out  a  purse  containing  a  few  gold 
pieces  and  some  silver,  and  threw  it  at  his  head. 

"  There's  gold,"  said  I,  "  let  that  purchase  your  present 
silence.  Seek  me  at  daybreak  to-morrow  here  on  this  spot,  and 
I  will  talk  further  with  you ;  meantime,  vanish,  in  the  name 
of  heaven,  and  leave  the  park." 

"  More  luck,  and  grace  to  ye,"  said  the  fellow,  as  he  caught 
and  pocketed  the  purse;  "  I'll  be  here  at  sunrise,  never  fear." 

The  next  moment  he  was  lost  in  the1  deep  shade  of  the  trees, 
among  which  he  darted. 

I  had  no  leisure  for  deliberation  on  this  strange  rencontre. 
Miss  Villeroy,  I  observed,  was  waiting  for  me  a  short  distance 
a-head,  and  hurrying  after,  I  quickly  overtook  her. 

"  I  was  rather  alarmed,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  she,  looking  back, 
"  at  yonder  savage-looking  man.  Since  my  father's  cruel  death,  I 
have  been  easily  frightened,  and  the  sight  of  that  man's  evil- 
looking  countenance  has  brought  the  dreadful  event  so  forcibly 
to  my  mind,  that  I  could  have  almost  thought  he  was  one  of 
the  murderers.  He  appeared  to  have  some  business  with  you. 
Do  you  know  him  ?" 

"  He  was  once  employed  as  a  keeper  here,"  said  I,  "  and 
wished  to  ask  some  favour." 

"  How  familiarly  he  spoke,"  she  returned  j  "  though  I  need 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 


not  marvel  at  that :  the  peasantry,  hereabouts,  are  fast  losing 
their  respect  for  those  in  situations  above  them.  Yonder  man 
was  a  dreadful  specimen;  I  almost  feared  he  was  about  to 
attack  and  murder  you  in  this  lonely  spot." 

"  I  am  grateful  to  Miss  Villeroy  for  the  interest  she  feels 
in  my  safety,"  I  returned.  "  There  was,  however,  not  much 
to  be  alarmed  at  in  the  appearance  of  so  emaciated  a  ruffian ; 
but  you  say  truly,  the  peasantry  hereabouts,  and  I  suppose  it 
is  the  same  all  over  England,  are  much  altered  in  behaviour, 
even  in  my  remembrance." 

"  In  Ireland,"  said  Miss  Villeroy,  "  where  my  poor  father 

had  an  estate  in  the  county  of ,  and  where  he  made  it  a 

rule  to  spend  at  least  three  months  of  the  year,  the  peasantry 
are  greatly  altered.  Formerly,  you  never  met  a  cottager,  but 
if  you  glanced  him  afar  off  a  look  of  recognition,  he  immediately 
returned  it,  and  touched  his  hat,  or  had  something  civil  to  say 
in  passing ;  now,  however,  it  is  a  chance  if  you  receive  civility 
from  your  own  tenants.  I  remember,"  continued  Miss  Ville- 
roy, "  we  one  da.y  met  a  man,  on  whom  my  father  had  con- 
ferred many  benefits.  *  More  power  to  you/  he  said,  as  he 
stopped  and  accosted  us,  '  but  you've  been  good  to  me  and 
mine  for  many  a  long  year,  and  it's  myself  that  hopes  you'll 


"  My  father  was  a  good  deal  amused,  and  begged  he'd  dis- 
respect him  exactly  as  he  thought  fit. 

'  Then  that's  exactly  it,'  he  said.  '  Your  honour  knows 
I'm  a  catholic  ;  by  the  same  token,  myself  amongst  others  have 
been  forbidden  to  pay  any  respect  to  your  family ;  and  were  I 
to  persist  in  doing  so,  notwithstanding  such  order,  I  should 
perhaps  be  kilt  before  many  weeks  were  over  my  head.'  These 
brave  and  generous  islanders,  indeed,  have  most  rapidly  fallen 
off  in  their  good  feeling  towards  those  of  their  beautiful  country 
who  are  of  ancient  family,  although,  clever  creatures  as  they 
are,  none  know  so  well  how  to  banter  the  folly  and  pride  of  the 
rich  trader,  or  upstart  parvenu." 

"  They  are  aware,  perhaps,"  said  I,  "  of  the  assertion  of 
their  talented  countrywoman,  Miss  Edgeworth,  that  it  takes 
three  generations  to  make  a  gentleman." 

"  Exactly  so ;  and  the  aristocracy  were  respected  accord- 
ingly. Now,  however,  they  are  taught  to  believe  that  exter- 
mination of  the  landed  gentry  is  the  only  good,  and  that  naught 
can  go  well  with  them  till  their  employers  are  either  knocked 
on  the  head,  or  made  to  wear  leathern  aprons.  Such  a  doctrine, 
I  have  heard,  is  ofttimes  preached  to  them  in  their  chapels 
after  mass.  Tis  a  pity,  too,  for  the  sons  of  Erin  are  tkc  crea- 
tures of  impulse — brave,  generous,  and  full  of  talent." 

D 


34  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"  You  seem  to  be  well  acquainted,"  said  I,  "  with  Ireland, 
Miss  Villeroy." 

"  Ok !  I  love  the  Irish,"  said  she,  "  and  delight  in  their 
country.  Almost  ever  since  I  can  remember,  I  have  mixed 
much  amongst  them  ;  my  nurse  was  an  Irishwoman,  and  she 
used  to  chaunt  me  the  melancholy  songs  and  ballads  of  the 
old  time.  My  father,  as  I  believe  I  told  you,  always  spent 
three  months  of  the  year  on  his  estate,  in  the  county  of  Meath ; 
and  our  place  of  residence  was  a  long,  low,  irregular  building. 
Old  as  your  moated  house  here,  it  was  situated  in  a  part  of 
the  country,  perhaps  rather  too  wild-looking  to  be  admired  by 
!toost  people,  though  I  myself  liked  it  the  better  for  that. 
There  was  a  feeling  of  unsafety,  which  made  dwelling  there 
very  delightful;  and  our  castle  having  been  frequently  at- 
tempted, we  always  lived  with  a  certain  degree  of  care  and 
watchfulness  when  residing  at  it.  Then  as  the  house,  during 
nearly  all  the  time  of  our  stay,  was  well  filled  with  guests,  you 
cannot  think  how  merrily  we  used  to  spend  our  Christmas 
there.  The  huge  fire-places  blazed  with  turf  and  pine-logs, 
and  the  banquet  and  the  ball  followed  fast  each  week  while 
we  remained. 

"  It  was  so  amusing  to  see  the  discomfort  of  some  of  the 
English  beaux,  who  did  not  quite  relish  being  pelted  by  a  con- 
course of  savage-looking  peasants  when  they  went  forth  to 
hunt,  or,  as  was  not  unfrequently  the  case,  stopped  and  eased 
most  quietly  and  unceremoniously  of  their  Mantons,  when 
they  wandered  into  the  mountains  in  search  of  grouse. 

"  There  is  generally  a  detachment  of  some  regiment,  either 
horse  or  foot,  within  a  few  miles  of  most  towns  in  Ireland ; 
and  it  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  show  the  officers  (thus  isolated) 
some  little  attention.  The  last  time  we  were  there,  I  remem- 
ber, there  was  a  detachment  of  a  Highland  regiment,  I  forget 
now  what  was  its  number ;  but  the  two  officers  who  were  with 
it  were  two  strange  animals.  One  was  a  ferocious,  gaunt- 
looking  man,  with  a  Jewish  cast  of  countenance,  and  a  wild 
and  insane  eye ;  and  so  tall  and  thin,  that,  like  Justice  Shallow, 
he  looked  the  very  genius  of  famine,  and  when  fully  equipped 
in  his  blue  frock,  which  it  was  his  pleasure  to  wear  as  long  as 
a  morning-gown,  with  the  red  sash  tied  round  his  hips,  instead 
of  his  waist,  you  might  have  thought  it  was  old  Isaac  of  York 
put  into  regimentals.  He  was  very  mad  in  look,  very  taciturn 
in  speech,  and  very  ungainly  in  manner.  The  other,  his 
lieutenant,  was  also  a  curiosity;  and  although  the  Jew  was  a 
strict  disciplinarian,  he  was  perhaps  one  of  the  worst  officers  in 
the  service,  and  was  completely  managed  and  out-mano3uvred 
by  his  subaltern,  who  by  tact  and  management  -repaired  the 
errors  and  faults  of  his  commanding  officer,  and  kept  the 
detachment  from  a  state  of  mutiny. 


THE  SOIDIEB  OF  FOBTTTNE.  35 

"  Tlie  captain,  who  had  evidently  either  never  mixed  in  good 
society,  or  if  he  had,  never  had  profited  by  it,  was  rude  and 
overbearing  in  manner  and  pedantic  in  conversation  ;  and  as 
ready  to  maintain  his  presumption  with  the  pistol-bullet  as  to 
ofFer  the  affront.  The  lieutenant,  on  the  contrary,  was  a 
remarkably  quiet  youth,  with  a  feeling  of  what  was  right,  and 
a,  fear  of  being  intrusive  inherent  in  his  nature,  which  caused 
him  at  first  to  be  overlooked  in  company,  till  his  worth  and 
cleverness  by  some  accident  were  made  apparent. 

"  The  captain  came  out  immediately  on  the  first  introduc- 
tion ;  he  had  something  rude  to  say  at  once.  The  lieutenant 
was  gentle  and  retiring  on  making  a  new  acquaintance,  until 
he  met  with  some  of  the  '  contumely,  which  patient  merit  of 
the  unworthy  takes/  and  then  his  nature  seemed  changed,  and 
he  assumed  a  position  which  few  could  withstand. 

"  It  was,  indeed,  amusing,  whilst  these  specimens  of  soldier- 
ship were  quartered  in  Castle  Carron,  to  observe  them.  The 
captain,  when  crossed  in  opinion  or  thwarted,  would  become  a 
furious  madman,  frequently  getting  into  a  dispute  with  some 
of  our  Irish  gentry  over  their  claret,  which  threatened  hostile 
proceedings.  On  which  occasion,  a  word  or  glance  of  the  eye 
from  his  quiet  subaltern,  would  reduce  him  to  tranquillity  and 
propriety  in  a  moment ;  a  single  word  coming  between  him 
and  his  wrath  like  a  sunbeam  on  a  sullen  sea.  Indeed,  I  had 
yery  many  opportunities  of  observing  the  style  in  which  that 
youth  managed  two  very  difficult  matters,  in  a  detachment  so 
commanded ;  namely,  his  company  of  men,  and  their  com- 
manding officer. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  Miss  Villeroy,  with  a  sigh,  "  he  was  one 
of  those  persons  never  fortunate  in  life.  His  virtues  stood 
him  but  as  enemies ;  and  with  only  his  cloak  and  sword,  and 
gentle  blood  to  recommend  him,  his  talents,  which  would  have 
fitted  him  for  the  command  of  an  army,  were  overlooked." 

Whilst  we  thus  conversed,  the  big  round  drops,  which  had 
for  some  little  time  pattered  amongst  the  foliage,  began  to 
descend  in  a  heavy  shower,  and  the  distant  roar  of  heaven's 
artillery  proclaimed  the  approach  of  a  thunder-storm. 

Near  this  part  of  the  grounds  there  had  formerly  been,  as 
was  evident  from  the  marks  of  its  extensive  foundation,  in 
by-gone  days,  some  building  of  considerable  strength  and  import- 
ance. All  that  now  remained  of  it  was  a  deep  well,  of  some- 
what curious  appearance,  covered  by  a  green  mound.  Tradi- 
tion gave  the  structure  a  very  ancient  date,  some  folks  affirming 
it  to  have  been  dug  there  for  the  use  of  and  by  the  Roman 
legions. 

Its  situation  in  this  lonely  spot,  amidst  the  surround- 
ing massive  foliage  of  the  old  wood,  and  only  approachable 
through  the  thick  underwood  by  a  narrow  sheep-track,  was 

p  2 


36  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

singularly  romantic.  It  was  a  favourite  haunt  of  the  peasantry 
of  the  village  near ;  and,  indeed,  considered  a  sacred  spot  by 
the  whole  country  round,  from  the  circumstance  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots  having  once  stopped  in  passing,  as  she  was 
being  conveyed  a  prisoner  to  Chatsworth,  and  descending  to 
rest  in  the  cool  well-house,  whilst  the  troopers,  who  formed 
her  guard,  drew  up  the  bucket,  that  she  might  be  refreshed. 
by  its  icy  waters. 

There  was  also  another  source  of  interest  to  the  common  and 
popular  herd,  who  generally  delight  in  deeds  of  horror,  a  most 
diabolical  murler  having  been  perpetrated  in  its  vicinity.  A 
forester  had  been  waylaid  near  the  spot,  by  some  deer-stealers 
with  whom  he  had  previously  been  »t  feud,  and  they  having 
tied  him  neck  and  heels,  threw  him  into  the  well.  From  that 
time,  which  was  during  the  reign  of  George  the  First,  it  took  the 
name  of  the  old  lady,  in  whose  employ  the  forester  had  lived, 
and  ever  afterwards  had  gone  by  the  name  of  Lady  Dacre's 
well. 

Having  in  our  ramble  reached  the  vicinity  of  this  struc- 
ture, I  proposed  (ere  the  bursting  of  the  huge  black  clouds, 
which,  as  Trinculo  says,  could  not  ohu-se  but  fall  by  pailsful)  to 
reach  the  shelter  of  Lady  Dacre's  well. 

Accordingly,  taking  Miss  Villeroy's  pony  by  the  bridle* 
whilst  the  brewing  storm  sang  in  the  wind,  I  quickly  led  her 
through  shrub  and  bush,  towards  its  shelter,  and  tying  the 
steeds  to  the  branches  of  an  aged  tree  which  grew  across  the 
entrance,  we  stooped  and  entered. 

Miss  Yilleroy  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  situation  and 
apprarance  of  this  curious  place  ;  but  it  required  much  per- 
suasion ere  we  could  eoax  her  maid  into  its  shelter.  She  was 
pleased  to  display  some  of  these  little  airs  and  graces  before 
her  over-indulgent  young  lady,  which  Mistress  Honor  is  de- 
scribed by  Fielding  to  have  shown  off,  in  contrast  to  the  exqui- 
site and  beautiful  Sophia  Western.  She  declined  taking  shel- 
ter, she  said,  in  so  dismal-looking  a  pit.  A  heavy  burst  of 
thunder  directly  overhead  proved,  however,  more  persua- 
sive than  the  dulcet  tones  of  her  mistress's  voice,  and  she  con- 
sented at  length  to  descend  a  step  or  two  into  the  interior ;  but 
the  echo  she  there  heard  from  the  depths  of  the  old  well,  as 
quickly  scared  her  back  again  ;  we,  therefore,  had  to  explore 
the  interior  of  the  mound  by  ourselves.  ^The  light  was  par- 
tially afforded  from  a  sort  of  arrow-slit  in  the  roof  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  only  in  a  slight  degree  illuminated  the 
cavern. 

The  well  being  handy  for  the  residents  of  the  adjoining  ham- 
let, had  always  been  kept  in  repair  :  but  the  labour  of  drawing 
up  water  in  the  ponderous  iron  bucket  was  so  great,  requiring 
two  strong  men  in  the  effort,  that  it  was  very  rarely  used. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETUNE.  37 

The  massive  iron  chain,  however,  still  remained  attached  to 
the  windlass,  and  the  bucket  rested  upon  the  iron  grating 
which  covered  the  opening,  whilst  two  ponderous  iron  han- 
dles of  the  multiplying  wheel,  almost  touched  the  walls  on 
either  side. 

Miss  Villeroy,  after  amusing  herself  by  listening  to  the 
echoes  sent  forth  from  the  depths  below,  stooped  under  the 
iron  handles  of  the  wheel,  and  made  her  way  round  to  explore 
the  other  side  of  this  singular-looking  building. 

The  storm  meanwhile  had  been  visibly  increasing,  and  at 
this  moment  became  extremely  violent,  and  the  sky  suddenly 
growing  more  overcast,  the  interior  of  the  well  now  became 
dark  as  a  wolfs  mouth.  Miss  Villeroy  was  alarmed,  and  I 
luckily  followed  her,  to  lend  my  assistance,  in  retracing  her 
steps  to  the  entrance  of  the  well-nouse. 

At  this  moment  a  vivid  flash  of  lightning  shot  through  the 
aperture,  lighting  up  the  interior,  as  if  it  had  suddenly  burst 
into  flame,  and  a  clap  of  thunder  immediately  following, 
the  mound  was  shaken  to  its  foundation.  A  large  portion  of 
the  brick-work  of  the  roof  immediately  over  the  bucket  in- 
stantly gave  way,  and  fell  upon  the  grating,  carrying  the  whole 
mass  down  the  well. 

The  fabric  trembled,  as  if  from  the  shock  of  an  earthquake; 
and  the  brickwork  upon  which  we  stood  seemed  about  to  give 
way  beneath  our  feet,  whilst  the  most  awful  clatter  sounded 
from,  the  whirl  of  the  machinery,  the  uncoiling  of  the  chain,  and 
the  ringing  sound  of  the  descending  bucket. 

Miss  Villeroy,  shrieking  with  affright,  would  have  been 
instantly  killed  in  her  attempt  at  gaining  the  flight  of  steps, 
but  luckily  I  saw  her  intention,  and  seizing  her  in  my  arms 
detained  her. 

The  situation,  we  were  in  waa  certainly  far  from  pleasant, 
though  the  danger  was  in  reality  not  so  great  as  it  appeared. 
The  moment  the  bucket  reached  the  bottom  we  might  escape, 
provided  I  could  keep  my  affrighted  companion  quiet  during 
its  descent  amidst  such  a  din,  where,  indeed,  one  felt  inclined, 
like  "  the  king's  son  Ferdinand,  with  hair  upstarting,"  to  have 
cried,  "  Hell  is  empty,  and  all  the  devils  are  here."  I,  however, 
continued  to  hold  Miss  Villeroy  firmly,  and  detained  her,  till 
the  ponderous  bucket  reached  the  waters ;  and  silence  once 
more  reigning  within  the  building,  we  gained  the  flight  of  steps, 
and  once  more  stood  in  safety  beside  the  old  mossed  tree, 
which  grew  athwart  the  entrance.  Here  we  found  the  attend- 
ant nymph  nearly  dead  with  terror  and  dismay. 

Thus  finished  the  adventure  of  Lady  Dacre's  well.  I  bore 
my  companion  up  the  dilapidated  steps,  so  frightened  and  con- 
founded with  the  suddenness  and  strange  manner  in  which 
all  had  happened,  that  she  appeared  for  the  moment  quite  be- 


38  THE  SOLDIEE   OF  FORTUNE. 

wildered,  and  my  attention  and  assistance  was  further  requi- 
site, in  order  to  reassure  and  recover  her  sufficiently  to  pro- 
ceed homewards. 


CHAPTEE  YIL 

"  Comes  in  my  father, 

And  like  the  tyrannous  breathing  of  the  north, 
Shakes  all  our  buds  from  blowing." 

"  A  father  cruel  and  a  step-dame  false." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

BY  the  several  chances  I  have  related  did  I  become  the 
rescuer  of  the  two  young  ladies,  at  different  times,  from  situ- 
ations of  imminent  peril.  Certain  it  is,  that  I  sought  not  such 
singular  fortune ;  but,  like  Malvolio's  anticipated  greatness,  it 
was  thrust  upon  me  by  time  and  the  hour.  JN"ay,  it  has  been 
urged  ^  against  me  by  members  of  their  family,  that  I  played  a 
villain's  part  in  inveigling  the  affections  of  the  two  cousins  at 
the  same  time  : — so  said  the  world  also,  and  what  the  world  is 
determined  to  assert,  'tis  vain  to  combat. 

O,  miserable  world,  whose  nature,  I  am  persuaded,  is  base, 
and  whose  applause  ought  consequently  to  be  valueless,  what 
philosopher  would  care  for  thy  frown  or  smile,  when  he  con- 
sidered thee  for  a  moment,  with  thy  hollow  visage  displayed ! 

When  I  look  back  upon  the  retirement  in  which  I  passed 
the  earlier  part  o£  my  existence,  I  am  inclined  to  think  the 
way  of  life  my  father  wished  me  to  follow  was  the  most  likely 
to  conduce  to  happiness  and  content.  Alas !  as  the  handsome 
Spaniard  sang  to  his  guitar  in  the  tower  of  Segovia,  "  a  year 
of  pleasure  passes  like  a  fleeting  breeze,"  but  a  moment  of 
misfortune  seems  an  age  of  pain. 

It  was  whilst  Miss  Villeroy  and  myself  were  in  these  some- 
what peculiar  circumstances,  that  we,  perhaps  rather  prema- 
turely, confessed  our  feelings  towards  each  other.  In  fine,  I 
loved,  and  was  beloved  again ;  and,  like  Mazeppa,  "  would 
have  given  the  world  to  have  but  called  her  mine,"  ''  in  the  full 
view  of  earth  and  heaven." 

But  Miss  Villeroy,  with  all  her  excellence  and  beauty,  had  one 
fault,  and  that  fault  "  shook  all  our  buds  from  blowing."  Timid 
and  fearful  of  the  control  of  her  somewhat  imperious  relatives,  she 
had  no  will  of  her  own,  sacrificing  all  her  best  feelings  to  their 
overbearing  and  caprice,  She  was  irresolute  to  a  degree,  and, 
beautiful  as  the  gentle  Desdemona  (but  unlike  her  in  spirit), 
would  have  sacrificed  herself  to  the  sooty  girardage  of  a  hideous 
Moor  (not  from  'the  incomprehensible  feelings  of  her  own. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  39 

breast  in  his  favour),  but  at  the  bidding  of  those  whom  she  con- 
sidered in  authority  over  her. 

It  was  therefore,  when  half  supporting  her,  as  I  proceeded 
homewards  by  her  side,  and  had  poured  forth  all  my  passion, 
and  received  her  confession  in  return,  sealing  my  vows  of  ever- 
lasting love  upon  her  lips,  that  she  appeared  suddenly  to  re- 
pent the  confession  I  had  wrung  from  her,  and  would  almost 
have  fled,  as  though  she  had  been  guilty  of  some  fearful  crime. 

However,  having  once  broken  the  ice,  and  found  myself 
blessed  with  some  return,  I  was  not  easily  to  be  driven  from 
my  hopes.  I  had  heard  from  those  lips  the  sweet  confession, 
and  those  eyes  the  break  of  day  (lights  which,  indeed,  might 
mislead  the  morn)  had  softly  confirmed  the  tale,  and  almost 
in  the  same  moment  had  I  again  heard  the  ill-omened  words 
which  syllabled  her  engagement  to  the  hot-headed  cousin  she 
was  bound  to  by  her  dead  father's  wish. 

I  forebore  to  press,  therefore,  at  that  time,  for  more  than  a 
transient  smile  in  return  for  all  my  devotion ;  whilst  to  myself 
I  swore  to  win  her  in  spite  of  fate,  though  hell  itself  should 
gape  to  swallow  her  from  my  arms.  Meanwhile  the  thunder- 
clouds had  rolled  onwards,  and  the  sun  shone  out  brightly  as 
we  wended  our  way  back  to  the  Grange,  the  heavy  rain-drops 
glittering  like  diamonds  amongst  the  massive  foliage  we  were 
under. 

At  length  we  neared  the  frowning  battlements  of  the  old 
building,  and,  crossing  the  drawbridge,  passed  under  the  gate- 
house, and  entered  the  court-yard.  Here  a  new  and  somewhat 
strange  scene  awaited  us,  in  shape  of  the  unwonted  apparition 
of  three  travelling  carriages,  each  drawn  by  four  posters,  reeking 
with  the  recent  speed  at  which  they  had  journeyed.  Servants 
were  also  busily  engaged  in  unlading  boxes  and  packages  from, 
within,  and  unstrapping  imperials  from  without,  these  vehicles, 
whilst  postillions,  dismounted  from  their  horses,  stood  splashed 
and  bespattered  from  head  to  heel. 

This  was  a  sight  I  had  never  before  beheld  within  "  the 
roundure  of  our  old-faced  walls,"  and  it  not  a  little  puzzled  me 
to  account  for  it.  Who  could  thus  be  taking  possession,  I  won- 
dered, of  our  heretofore  almost  monastic  and  secluded  dwel- 
ling. For  the  moment  I  almost  forgot  the  fair  companion, 
who  leant  upon  my  arm.  A  sort  of  dread  crept  over  me,  a 
presentiment  of  evil  to  come,  as  I  stopped  to  gaze  upon  this 
apparition. 

Miss  Villeroy,  however,  recalled  her  presence  to  my  remem- 
brance, and  accounted  for  the  unwonted  sight  of  tLls  party  at 
the  same  moment. 

"  This  must  surely  be  your  father,"  she  said,  "  Mr.  Blount, 
who  has  arrived  unexpectedly  from  London." 

"I  cannot  suppose  it,"  said  I,  betraying  the  annoyance  her 


40-  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

miLr/:r;  Lion  had  caused,  by  my  countenance  and  tone  of  voice,— 
"  I  unnot  suppose  it,  since  my  father  would  scarcely  travel 
with  such  a  cavalcade  as  I  see  before  me  here." 

"  There  must  surely  be  some  mistake  in  the  matter,  then," 
she  returned.  "Let  us  hasten  on,  and  inquire  the  meaning  of 
your  dwelling  being  taken  thus  by  storm." 

A  servant,  however,  hastening  to  meet  us,  saved  our  labour. 

"  Your  father  has  arrived,  Mr.  Katcliffe,"  said  he,  "accom- 
panied by  a  party  of  strangers,  and  I  have  been  directed  to 
seek  and  bring  you  to  him  immediately.  He  awaits  you  in  the 
library,  sir." 

Ordering  the  attendance  of  the  old  housekeeper,  in  order  to 
procure  Miss  Villeroy  any  change  of  apparel  she  might  require 
after  her  excursion  through  the  rain,  I  hastened  into  the  with- 
drawing-room,  where  I  had  ascertained  from  the  servants 
that  Lady  Constance  and  Mrs.  Allworthy  were  awaiting  our 
return. 

I  found  them  there  accordingly,  in  company  with  the  new 
arrivals,  whom  I  had  scarcely  time  to  take  a  rapid  glance  of 
ere  the  servant  again  sought  me  in  order  to  request  my  imme- 
diate attendance  upon  my  impatient  sire.  Attempting,  there- 
fore, a  hasty  apology  to'  Mrs.  Allworthy  for  having  so  long 
been  detained,  I  prepared  to  seek  my  honoured  parent,  pro- 
mising to  return  to  them  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  Heed  us  not,"  said  Lady  de  Clifford,  "  our  carriage  is 
ordered.  Adieu!  we  shall  be  away  before  you  return  from 
your  father,  on  whose  privacy,  I  iear,  we  'have  unworthily 
intruded." 

There  was  a  something  of  hauteur  in  Lady  de  Clifford's  man- 
ner as  she  said  this,  which  was  not  natural  to  her ;  and  I  fancied 
she  had  perhaps  either  experienced  some  slight  from  the  new- 
comers during  my  absence,  or  that  perhaps  their  very  compa- 
nionship was  disagreeable  to  her.  However,  I  entreated  of  her 
to  await  my  return,  and,  taking  a  hurried  farewell,  in  case  she 
should  not  do  so,  withdrew. 

Entering  the  library,  I  found  my  father  seated  in  an  easy 
chair,  which  he  seemed  to  occupy  most  uncomfortably  and  im- 

n?ntly.  The  angry  spot  was  upon  his  brow,  too,  and  he 
ed  pallid  and  unwell.  There  were  also  various  alterations 
in  his  dress  and  countenance,  which  made  his  appearance 
strange  to  me.  He  had  left  his  home  in  the  costume  of  a 
country  gentleman,  somewhat  of  the  old  school.  The  cut  of 
his  coat,  which  used  to  be  rather  antique  in  style,  and  his  hair, 
always  neatly  powdered,  and  combed  backwards  from  the  sides 
of  his  face  and  forehead,  ending  behind  in  a  respectable  pig- 
tail, were  both  now  altered  in  fashion.  He  wore  a  well-fitted 
and  padded  military  frock-coat  upon  his  body ;  and  the  pow- 
dered hair  and  neatly-tied  pigtail  had  given  place  to  a  patent 


THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  41 

spring  wig,  luxuriant  in  curl,  and  black  as  jet  in  colour;  his 
whiskers,  too,  had  been  allowed  to  grow,  and  having  been  put 
through  the  discipline  of  some  deep  and  searching  die,  had  a 
burnt-up  and  somewhat  fiery  hue. 

Altogether,  he  was  so  utterly  changed  in  appearance,  that 
had  I  not  beheld  him  thus  under  his  own  roof,  expecting  so  to 
find  him,  I  should  scarcely  have  recognised  him  for  the  same 
person.  We  were  always  an  odd-mannered  son  and  sire,  as 
the  world  goes,  for  we  had  none  of  the  usual  style  between  us 
in  our  everyday  intercourse.  We  generally  met  and  parted 
without  greeting;  and  when  after  an  absence  from  home  I 
returned,  we  invariably  fell  into  our  ordinary  way  of  life,  with- 
out comment  upon  each  other's  employments.  My  father 
always  disliked  having  his  health  inquired  about.  Even  if  he 
had  been  seriously  unwell,  such  a  question  would  be  sure  to 
make  him  turn  abruptly  oft',  with  a  pshaw  and  a  grunt ;  and 
he  never  by  any  chance  asked  such  a  question  of  another. 
His  manners,  somewhat  stern  at  all  times,  had  latterly  grown, 
more  so.  He  appeared  just  now,  indeed,  in  downright  ill- 
humour  with  himself,  and  seemed  inclined  to  quarrel  with 
those  about  him. 

"  How  is  this,  sir,"  he  commenced,  as  soon  as  I  entered;  "  I 
return  to  my  home  here,  which  I  supposed  would  have  re- 
mained, during  my  absence,  secluded  as  before  I  left  it,  and  I 
find  its  privacy  invaded,  and  its  apartments  filled  with  strangers. 
Who  and  what  are  these  visitors  whom  I  encountered  on  my 
•arrival  ?" 

"  They  are  the  residents  of  Marston  Hall,  sir,"  I  said ; 
"Lady  Constance  de  Clifford,  and  her  relation,  Mrs.  Allworthy." 

"  And  pray,  sir,"  returned  he,  sharply,  "  to  what  circum- 
stance am  I  indebted  for  the  honour  of  a  visit  from  Lady 
Constance  de  Clifford  and  Mistress  Allworthy,  her  relation  ? 
— and  why  am  I  thus  troubled  with  their  company  just  at  this 
particular  time  ?  Four  days  back,"  he  continued,  rising  from 
his  seat,  and  walking  to  the  window,  as  if  he  wished  to  conceal 
the  expression  of  his  countenance  from  my  steady  gaze— "  four 
•days  ago,  I  wrote  you  word  that  I  should  return  this  day, 
desiring  to  have  apartments  prepared  for  the  visitors  accom- 
panying me,  and  mentioning  in  my  letter,  also,  that  I  was 
extremely  unwell.  At  all  times,  it  is  extremely  unpleasant  to 
me  to  be  annoyed  by  strangers :  at  this  time,  it  is  both  dis- 
agreeable and  inconvenient  to  have  an  ill-timed  visit  palmed 
upon  me.  What  explanation,  sir,"  continued  he,  turning 
sharply  round,  "  have  you  to  offer  for  this  strange  conduct?" 

"  I  have  not  received  a  letter  from  you,  sir,"  I  observed, 
"  for  at  least  a  whole  month.  I  knew  nothing  of  your  move- 
ments, and  was  quite  unaware  of  your  intended  return,  or 
should  have  been  at  home  to  receive  you." 


42  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJITB. 

"  Pshaw !"  said  my  father,  stepping  from  the  window, 
glancing  down  upon  the  table,  and  taking  up  a  heap  of  un- 
opened letters  and  papers,  which  had,  for  the  last  few  days, 
accumulated  and  been  neglected. 

"  Here,  indeed,  is  my  letter,"  said  he;  "  and  unopened,  as  I 
lire !  This  is  something  extraordinary,  young  man,  to  say  the 
least  of  it.  Scarcely  have  you  attended  to  a  single  thing  I 
required  of  you  during  my  absence.  Go,  sir,  dismiss  these 
new  friends  of  yours,  and  return  hither  when  you  have  done  so/' 

During  this  interview  I  had  felt  no  slight  anxiety  to  learn 
something  about  the  strangers  he  had  brought  with  him  ;  but 
as  he  forbore  speaking  on  the  subject  I  ielt  diffident  of  making 
inquiry  about  them. 

The  explanation,  however,  came  somewhat  sooner  than  I 
thought  for.  Calling  to  me  to  return,  just  as  I  was  about  to 
leave  the  apartment,  he  pointed  to  the  unopened  letter  before 
him.  "  Stay,  sir,"  said  he,  "  perhaps  you  had  better  take  my 
letter  with  you,  and  peruse  it  before  you  return.  It  contains 
matters  which  I  would  rather  not  have  to  recur  to.  Asnongst 
other  things,  and  which  the  sooner  you  learn  the  better,  since 
the  lady  is  in  this  house,  my  letter  would  have  informed  you, 
had  you  taken  the  trouble  of  perusing  it,  that  having  thought 
proper  to  marry  again,  some  part  of  my  wife's  family  have 
accompanied  her  home." 

He  made  this  communication  in  a  hesitating  and  awkward 
manner :  something  ashamed,  he  seemed,  at  having  to  utter 
what,  perhaps,  he  could  not  reconcile  as  a  very  wise  step  he 
had  taken  in  his  old  age.  His  eye  fell,  as  I  looked  the  sur- 
prise I  felt.  Ordinarily,  he  could  look  down  a  lion,  which 
was  proof  to  me  that,  in  this  instance,  he  was  conscious  he  had 
not  acted  rightly  After  a  few  moments'  pause,  which  both 
felt  rather  awkwardly,  I  managed  to  utter  some  words  of  con- 
gratulation on  so  unlooked-for  an  event.  Again  he  arose 
abruptly,  and  turning  off',  walked  to  the  casement,  and  throw- 
ing it  open,  looked  out  upon  the  moat  beneath. 

As  for  myself,  I  quitted  the  presence  as  noiselessly  as  though 
I  feared  the  blind  mole  could  have  heard  my  footfall,  not  a 
little  astounded  and  bewildered  with  this  new  and  unforeseen 
event.  It  was  now  a  relief  to  me  when  I  found  my  visitors 
had  departed ;  and  before  I  sought  the  acquaintance  of  my  so 
recently  and  unexpectedly  found  relatives,  I  betook  myself  to 
my  own  apartment,  in  order  to  peruse  the  epistle  which,  in. 
thfe  excitement  and  delight  of  daily  intercourse  with  the  resi- 
dents of  the  neighbouring  Hall,  I  had  so  inopportunely  neg- 
lected. 

The  letter  contained  much  that  was  of  consequence  to  me  to 
know,  but  which  at  that  time  I  cared  little  about ;  for  when 
does  a  youth  setting  out  in  life  think  much  of  loss  of  fortune  ? 


THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  43 

It  explained,  amongst  other  things,  the  intricacies  and  diffi- 
culties of  a  suit  in  chancery,  and  how  it  was  likely  to  affect  my 
fortunes  in  after-life.  From  it  I  also  learned,  that  having  put 
implicit  faith  in  a  scoundrel  attorney,  entrusting  all  his  money 
matters  to  his  guidance  (instead  of  attending  to  matters  of 
business  himself),  my  father,  notwithstanding  the  princely 
fortune  he  had  hitherto  enjoyed,  was  now  in  a  most  unpleasant 
situation. 

All  these  things  were  fully  dilated  on,  as  also  the  cir- 
cumstance of  his  having  thought  proper  to  marry  the  daughter 
of  the  new  solicitor  he  had  employed,  who  had,  he  said,  in  the 
most  praiseworthy  manner,  given  up  his  whole  time  and  ener- 
gies to  his  case.  With  regard  to  the  money  transactions,  few 
men  cared  so  little  or  knew  so  little  of  business  of  the  kind  as 
myself. 

"  The  worst  thou  canst  report  is  worldly  loss,"  I  said,  as  I 
folded  up  and  pocketed  the  epistle  ;  "  and  if,  my  dearest  father, 
by  this  new  connexion  you  have  increased  your  stock  of  happi- 
ness, I  shall  not  be  made  a  jot  the  less  content,  come  what  will." 

It  struck  me,  indeed,  from  his  appearance,  although  I  had 
not  ventured  to  make  inquiry  about  his  health,  that  he  must 
have  had  a  fit  of  some  sort ;  though  I  rather  hoped  the  change 
I  observed  was  the  consequence  of  his  having  adopted  (perhaps 
at  the  wish  of  his  bride)  the  modern  and  youthful  style  of 
dress,  which  in  truth  added  at  least  ten  years  to  his  appearance. 

I  now  sought  my  new  relatives,  who  were  partaking  of  a 
hastily  furnished  repast,  in  lieu  of  the  dinner  Iliad  omitted  to 
provide.  The  second  view  of  the  party  by  no  means  gave  me 
a  more  favourable  opinion  of  them  than  the  first  had  done. 

My  new  mother-in-law  was  a  pretty-looking  woman  of  about 
five  and  twenty  years  of  age,  exceedingly  dark  in  complexion, 
with  a  dissatisfied  expression,  and  a  Jewish  cast  of  countenance. 
In  figure  she  was  short,  and  rather  embonpoint.  She  was  ac- 
companied by  her  father  and  mother,  who  had  met  the  newly 
married  pair  at  Buxton  :  with  them,  also,  had  come  their  son, 
and  the  remaining  unmarried  daughter. 

There,  indeed,  needed  but  a  glance  at  the  whole  party  to 
show  me  that  they  were  of  Jewish  extraction.  The  son,  in 
particular,  was  a  tall,  dark-looking,  awkward-figured,  and 
swollen-featured  youth :  so  truly  Jewish  in  feature,  mien,  and 
accent,  that  you  may  observe  liisfac-simile  vending  the  raal 
St.  Michael's  in  any  street  of  the  metropolis,  any  day  of  the 
year  in  which  oranges  are  in  good  repute. 

He  was  gorgeously  apparelled,  and,  like  all  Israelitish 
dandies,  sported  an  elaborately-figured  velvet  waistcoat,  and 
was  half  weighed  down  with  the  weight  of  metal  of  the  orna- 
mental chains  around  his  neck. 

In  conversation  he  appeared  determined  upon  striking  an 


44  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETUNE. 

impression,  and  out-Heroded  Herod  in  the  feats  he  had  him- 
self  performed ;  his  acquaintance,  he  would  lain  persuade  his 
hearers,  were  the  associates  of  royalty,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  was  abashed  evidently  by  the  novelty  of  the  capacious  and 
venerable  apartment  in  which  he  was  now  sitting,  and  ths 
Jiveried  attendance  by  whom  his  Tnmts  were  miniitered  to. 

The  father  was  a  sly-looking  mail,  who  veiled  his  e\il  disposi- 
tion, and  wreathed  his  countenance  in  smiles  and  affability ; 
lmt  if  you  watched  him  narrowly,  you  might  see  the  scoundrel 
every  now  and  then  peeping  out.  He  hated  a  Christian  with  a 
hate  as  deadly  as  old  Shylock  detested  Antonio  with ;  but  he 
loved  money  more  than  he  could  hate  anything. 

Nathan  Ben  Levison  was,  indeed,  a  Jew  who  would  "  eat  with, 
you,  drink  with  you,  and  pray  with  you,  as  well  as  buy  with 
you,  sell  with  you,  and  so  following,"  where  he  could,  by  so 
doing,  line  his  pockets  with  the  gold  of  the  hated  Christian. 
In  short,  he  was  an  unscrupulous  Israelite :  a  grasping,  de- 
signing, and  crafty  companion,  whose  disposition  I  thought  I 
could  discover  before  he  had  been  resident  a  week  beneath  our 
roof. 

Myself  he  looked  upon  on  our  first  acquaintance  as  a  good, 
easy  youth,  who,  amusing  himself  in  his  poetical  imaginations, 
was  unfitted  for  the  business  of  life. 

His  wife  was  not  worthy  of  much  observation,  being  but  a 
common-place  and  vulgar  specimen  of  her  class ;  and,  large  as 
an  elephant,  had,  to  all  appearance,  been  promoted  from  the 
Idtchen  to  the  head  of  the  attorney's  table. 

The  unmarried  daughter  was  a  pretty-looking  Jessica  of 
about  seventeen  years  of  age.  m  Unlike  her  relatives,  she  seemed 
retiring  in  manners,  and  amiable  in  disposition.  In  another 
part  of  my  history,  I  shall  have  to  speak  further  of  this  .young 
lady,  as  I  became  mixed  up  with  her  in  a  scene  of  fearful 
interest.  At  the  present  time,  although  she  made  several  at- 
tempts to  recommend  herself  to  my  notice,  and  become  on. 
terms  of  friendship  with  me,  I  repelled  her  courtesy  with  dis- 
dain, and  treated  her  with  the  same  hauteur  that  I  displayed 
towards  the  other  members  of  her  family. 

Such,  then,  were  the  strangers  who  had  accompanied  my  father 
to  the  Grange,  and  were  for  the  future  to  be  its  inmates.  Yes, 
upon  such  an  unpromising  looking  party  did  the  bearded 
countenances  of  my  ancestors  look  down  from  their  frames,  I 
may  almost  affirm,  with  a  scowl  of  contempt,  whilst  at  the 
same  moment  the  evil  eye  of  the  rapacious  Jew  glanced  upon 
their  features,  as  he  contemplated  the  period  at  which  he 
should  be  enabled,  by  the  web  he  was  weaving  around  their 
living  descendants,  to  have  them  disposed  of  by  the  hammer 
of  the  auctioneer,  with  as  little  remorse  as  Charles  Surface 
displayed,  in  knocking  down  his  sapient  progenitors. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

*  0,  my  sweet  master 

Why,  what  make  yon  here  ? 
Why  are  you  virtuous  ? 

And  wherefore  are  you  gentle,  strong,  and  valiant  ? 
Know  you  not,  master,  to  some  kind  of  men 
Their  graces  serve  them  but  as  enemies  ? 
No  more  do  yours.    Your  virtues,  gentle  master, 
Are  sanctified  and  holy  traitors  to  you. 
O,  what  a  world  is  this,  when  what  is  comely 
Envenoms  him  that  bears  it !" 

SHAKSPEARE. 

IT  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to  dilate  upon  the  trifles  which 
began,  and  the  consummate  art  used  by  these  designing  people 
in  order  to  promote  a  serious  quarrel  between  my  father  and 
myself,  and  the  deadly  and  mortal  hatred  which  consequently 
sprang  up  between  us.  We  could  hardly,  indeed,  under  any 
circumstances,  have  been  friends ;  even  had  we  not  interfered 
with  each  other's  interest.  They  were  as  opposite  to  me  as 
fire  to  water,  and  consequently,  from  the  first  moment  of  their 
arrival,!  hadendeavoured  to  avoid  their  society, by  being  as  con- 
tinually absent  from  my  home  as  I  thought  I  could  venture  upon, 
without  giving  offence  to  my  father.  He  was  now,  indeed,  con- 
tinually closeted  and  employed  arranging  and  settling  matters 
with  the  old  Jew  attorney,  in  the  hope  of  getting  his  involved 
affairs  into  a  somewhat  better  train,  so  that  he  might  not  be 
obliged  to  part  with  the  estate. 

^  As  far  as  I  could  understand,  for  I  was  not  allowed  to  parti- 
cipate in  their  councils,  it  had  been  proposed  by  old  Levison, 
that  my  father  should  visit  the  continent  with  his  bride,  till 
the  Jew  had  in  some  measure  arranged  matters.  But  the  old 
gentleman  clung  tenaciously  to  the  halls  of  his  ancestors,  and 
the  bare  idea  of  leaving  the  estate  was  torture  to  him.  He 
therefore  was  desirous  of  putting  off  that  evil  day  as  long  as  he 
possibly  could.  Meanwhile,  the  Jew  attorney  made  frequent 
journeys  to  and  from  the  Grange,  in  order  to  manage  the  mat- 
ters of  business  connected  with  his  office  in  town,  leaving  his 
wife  and  family  still  residents  with  us. 

The  young  dandy,  who  had  not  been  brought  up  to  any  pro- 
fession, but  who  was  doubtless  meant  to  inherit  the  ill-gotteif 
wealth  which  had  been  scraped  together  by  the  father,  and  was 
to  be  the  founder  of  the  future  greatness  of  the  family,  now 
strutted  about  the  Grange,  and  lorded  it  over  the  establishment 
as  if  he  had  been  its  whole  and  sole  proprietor.  He  had  the 
art  to  make  himself  exceedirgly  useful  and  necessary  to  my 
father,  writing  his  letters,  reading  to  him  in  his  study,  andr 


46  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

indeed,  performing  all  those  little  services  which  I  myself  waa 
too  proud,  in  his  present  mood,  to  offer  him. 

Wharncliffe  Grange,  meanwhile,  had  become  a  good  deal 
changed  in  one  short  month  after  their  arrival.  My  mother- 
in-law  having  dismissed  a  number  of  our  old  domestics,  who 
had  been  taught  to  consider  themselves  as  almost  a  part  of  the 
family,  had  substituted  one  or  two  of  her  own  creatures  in 
their  stead — so  that  the  establishment  was  now  much  cur- 
tailed, and  a  part  of  the  house  shut  up.  Even  old  Mrs.  Sweet- 
apple,  thejiousekeeper,  my  father  was  so  infatuated  as  to  allow 
his  shrewish  wife  to  drive  from  a  roof  where  she  had  so  long 
and  happily  reigned  paramount  over  the  inferior  domestics. 

It  is,  indeed,  impossible  to  describe  the  altered  appearance 
of  the  Grange,  both  within  and  without  its  walls.  It  is  true 
the  altered  circumstances  of  the  owner  admitted  and  required 
great  retrenchment  and  change ;  but  I  could  plainly  see  that 
these  destructives  were  for  levelling  everything  which  (time 
honoured  and  noble)  their  dastard  souls  had  no  comprehen- 
sion of. 

Thus,  then,  the  venerable  and  lordly  avenue,  which  stretched 
far  away  into  the  more  sylvan  scenes  of  the  park,  was  some 
time  afterwards  "  dealt  with,  branch  and  bole,"  "  delved  to 
the  roots,"  and  cumbered  the  mossy  carpet  it  for  centuries  had 
overshadowed.  It  may,  doubtless,  be  asked,  where  was  my 
father's  care,  that  so  sacrilegious  an  act  could  be  permitted 
under  his  very  eye  ?  Alas  !  there  was  as  much  change  in  him 
as  in  his  possessions. 

I  had  observed,  at  first,  and  a  short  time  fully  developed  the 
truth  of  my  suspicions,  that  he  had  the  appearance  of  one  who 
had  suffered  from  a  paralytic  stroke^  It  was  even  so,  and  this 
fit  having  seized  him  whilst  he  was  in  the  house  of.  and  trans- 
acting business  with,  the  old  Jew  attorney, he  had  overwhelmed 
him  with  attentions  during  his  partial  recovery,  managed  his 
matters  of  business,  so  as  to  give  him  little  or  no  trouble  during 
his  illness,  and  taking  most  especial  care  not  to  allow  me  to 
be  made  acquainted  with  that  or  other  circumstances  apper- 
taining, had  inveigled  him  into  a  marriage  with  his  daughter. 
It  will,  then,  be  easily  conceived  that  the  old  gentleman,  his 
mind  warped,  and  his  intellects  at  the  period  much  impaired, 
wayward  and  tetchy,  too,  was  easily  worked  upon  and  managed 
by  these  designing  people. 

|  Myself,  indeed,  they  had  now  completely  ousted  from  his 
good  graces ;  the  young  cub  in  the  cloth-of-gold  waistcoat  was 
all  in  all,  and  I  but  a  powerless  cipher. 

On  beholding,  therefore,  one  evening,  as  I  rode  homeward,  a 
party  of  labourers  dealing  their  swashing  blows  in  our  avenue, 
and  toppling  over  those  "unwedgable  and  gnarled  oaks," 
which,  had  stood  the  test  of  heaven's  artillery  for  centuries, 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTTTNE.  47 

and  still  remained  flinging  their  broad  arms  across  the  path 
beneath,  so  as  almost  to  intercept  the  rays  of  the  setting  811% 
I  struck  the  spurs  into  my  horse's  sides,  and,  bidding  the 
workmen  desist  from  their  employment,  in  a  voice  of  thunder 
demanded  by  whose  order  they  were  committing  such  a  bar- 
barous act? 

The  cottagers  of  England,  in  these  reformed  and  improving 
times,  have  almost  forgotten  their  ancient  feeling  of  love  for 
the  place  of  their  nativity ;  they  care  little  for  the  beautiful 
and  the  noble ;  neither  have  they  now  that  love  and  attach- 
ment which  some  half  a  century  back  they  bore  towards  the 
families  on  whose  estates  their  sires  before  them  had,  perhaps 
for  years,  dwelt  happily,  and  been  protected  and  cared  for. 
But  hungry  for  knowledge,  grovelling  in  dirt,  they  have  sold 
their  contentment  for  the  mess  of  reform,  and  are,  in  most 
instances,  to  be  classed  among  those  base-born  peasants  who 
cry  long  life  to  the  conqueror. 

These  fellows,  then,  who  had  been  bred,  born,  and  fostered 
on  our  estate,  and  whose  relations  had  some  of  them  accompa- 
nied and  served  in  my  father's  troop  when  he  first  joined  his 
regiment  in  America,  leaning  upon  their  weapons,  and  eyeing  me 
askance,  as  that  facetious  delver  who  boasted  of  building 
stronger  houses  than  the  mason,  the  shipwright,  and  the  car- 
penter's art  could  furnish,  glanced  a  look  upon  me.  They  at 
first  made  no  reply  to  my  demand,  and  some  two  or  three  of 
them,  after  a  sulky  scowl,  were  so  unmannerly  as  to  spit  upon 
their  hard  hands,  and  strike  their  hatchets  deep  into  the 
nearest  trunk  they  had  been  operating  upon  before  I  came 
up. 

I  shall,  doubtless,  be  blamed,  for  in  this,  as  well  perhaps  as 
in  many  other  instances,  allowing  that  violence  of  temper, 
which  has  been  my  bane  here  again,  to  get  the  mastery 
of  me  :  I  spurred  my  horse  with  such  fury  at  these  men,  that 
I  dispersed  them,  for  the  moment,  like  so  much  chaff  before 
the  tempest.  Nay,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  I  completely  over- 
threw one  man  with  my  horse's  shoulder,  and,  trampling  him 
under  foot,  lacerated  his  leg  from  knee  to  ancle.  This  was  a 
fault,  and  which  a  moment's  reflection  would  have  shown  me 
was  both  cruel  and  unjust.  It  was,  however,  perhaps  as  well 
for  me  that  this  ebullition  of  temper  seized  me  where  it  did,  as 
I  firmly  believe,  had  I  ridden  home,  after  having  learned  that 
this  vile  deed  was  being  enacted,  in  consequence  of  an  order 
from  old  Levison,  the  attorney-general  of  our  domain,  and  sup- 
posing it  had  been  given  during  my  father's  confinement  to  the 
house,  and  without  his  sanction,  'I  should  have  caned  him, 
without  so  much  as  informing  him  why  or  wherefore  he  w,as 
favoured  by  such  application. 

However,  these  bursts  of  passion  generally  have  a  reaction 


48  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

and  regret  following  them  fast.  Pitying,  therefore,  the  pros- 
trated labourer,  who,  after  gathering  himself  up,  and  seating 
himself  upon  one  of  the  fallen  trunks  at  hand,  continued 
to  howl  and  hug  his  lacerated  skin,  whilst  his  comrades, 
gathering  round  me,  began  to  handle  their  weapons,  as  though 
they  meant  to  inflict  upon  me  and  my  horse  the  return  I  in 
something  merited  at  their  hands,  I  became  sobered,  as  it 
were,  in  an  instant.  Heeding  not,  however,  their  threatening 
looks  and  menaces,  I  wared  my  hand  to  command  silence,  and 
once  more  requested  to  be  informed  by  whose  directions  they 
were  making  a  clearance — top,  lop,  bark,  and  trunk — amongst 
the  timber  of  our  respected  grove. 

If  I  had  wanted  any  additional  proof  that  my  popularity  was. 
on  the  wane  amongst  the  people  around  our  domain,  I  should 
have  found  it  now.  My  new  relatives  professed  the  most  radi- 
cal principles  ;  and  old  Levison  and  his  son  had  been  already 
making  themselves  popular  amongst  the  cottagers  on  the 
estate,  by  preaching  up  the  doctrine  of  a  universal  smash,  a  fair 
division  of  spoil,  another  golden  age,  and  liberty  and  equality 
throughout  the  land—no  church — no  king — no  laws — no  army 
— no  nothing.  The  Blounts,  on  the  contrary,  had  always  been 
most  uncompromising  and  unflinching  Tories;  and,  as  the 
Whig  party  had  just  come  into  power,  our  principles  alone 
began  to  render  us  unpopular. 

Accordingly,  the  labourers  having  gathered  round  my  steed, 
by  their  threatening  looks  appeared  inclined  to  make  me  some 
return  for  the  treatment  I  had  favoured  their  comrade  with. 

"  We  have  our  orders,"  cried  one  of  them,  seizing  upon  my 
horse's  rein,  "  from  those  whom  we  are  justified  in  obeying, 
without  asking  your  leave  upon  the  matter." 

"  Ay,"  said  another  surly-looking  ruffian,  "we're  employed 
now  by  him,  who,  if  report  speaks  truth,  is  master  of  the  place 
altogether — worse  luck  to  you !" 

"  There,  take  yourself  out  of  this,  without  bullying  and  in- 
terfering with  us,"  said  a  third ;  "or,  dang  me,  if  I  doant  fetch 
thee  out  of  thy  saddle  with  a  stroke  of  my  hatchet.  Who  the 
devil  are  you,  I'd  like  to  know?" 

"  Stand  back,  Master  Eoughhead,"  said  I,  waxing  once  more 
wroth—"  stand  back,  I  say.  Leave  your  hold  upon  my  horse's 
rein,  and  lower  that  axe  of  yours,  lest  I  bury  the  iron  hammer 
of  my  hunting- whip  in  your  brain.  Answer  me  truly — for  I 
am  in  no  mood  to  be  trifled  with— by  whose  direction  are  you 
felling  this  avenue  P  Methinks  I  have  some  little  right  to  ask 
the  question." 

"  Ask  it,  then,  somewhere  else,"  said  the  first  fellow,  draw- 
ing back,  and  turning  off;  "  we  have  our  orders,  I  suppose, 
from  those  who  have  a  right  to  give  them." 

''  By  what  right,  since  you  come  to  the  rights  of  the  matter," 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  TOBTTTNE.  49 

cried  the  man  whose  leg  I  had  wounded,  "  do  you  come  here 
galloping  over  our  bodies.  I  wonder  who  is  to  maintain  me 
for  the  next  six  months,  whilst  I  am  unable  to  work  ? — not 
you,  I'll  be  sworn." 

"  Knock  him  off  his  rocking-horse,"  said  another ;  "  that'll 
teach  him  better  manners  for  the  future." 

In  short,  growing  more  irate  at  the  impertinence  of  these 
ruffians,  we  quickly  came  to  blows,  and  a  scene  ensued  which 
I  willingly  spare  the  description  of.  Being  mounted,  I  had 
the  advantage,  and,  pitching  upon  the  most  forward  of  the 
fellows,  I  gave  him  a  severe  lesson  on  the  spot,  and  succeeded 
in  driving  his  companions  out  of  the  avenue  before  me.  When 
I  returned  to  the  spot  where  the  wounded  man  still  continued 
seated  upon  the  trunk  of  one  of  the  fallen  oaks,  I  again  de- 
manded, after  giving  him  five  pounds  to  salve  the  hurt  he  had 
received,  by  whose  sanction  the  devastation  I  beheld  had  been 
undertaken. 

"  Our  orders  were  from  Squire  Levison,"  said  the  fellow, 
doggedly,  "  who  himself  was  here,  and  directingthe  work,  nothalf 
an  hour  ago.  See,"  he  added,  pointing  his  finger  down  the 
grove,  "  there's  the  young  'un  standing  there  now.  Best  pitch 
into  him,  since  you  don't?  like  what's  done,  instead  of  gallop- 
ing about  over  our  limbs." 

I  turned  my  head  as  the  fellow  pointed,  and  saw  the  young 
cub  sneak  hastily  off,  on  seeing  that  he  was  discovered,  from 
under  the  dark  shadow  of  the  tree  whence  he  had  witnessed 
the  whole  of  this  transaction. 

"  No !"  said  the  labourer,  rising  painfully,  and  endeavouring 
to  hobble  after  his  comrades,  "you  don't  choose  to  meddlethere,  I 
see.  'Cause  he's  a  gentleman,  I  'spose,  he's  not  to  be  ridden  over." 

Muttering  some  further  savage  threat  as  he  gathered  up  his 
tools,  he  limped  away,  turned  off  from  the  avenue,  and  vanished 
from  a  scene  which,  indeed,  he  added  little  to  the  beauty  of  by 
his  presence,  and  soon  afterwards  made  "  desolation  where  he 
found  such  plenty." 

Having  thus  fairly  routed  these  worthy  specimens,  I  rode 
slowly  homewards,  pondering  deeply  upon  what  had  just  tran- 
spired. Can  it  be  possible,  I  thought,  that  amongst  the  various 
alterations  and  spoliations  I  had  observed  since  these  wretches 
had  become  his  main  advisers  and  managers,  my  father  has 
consented  to  destroy  the  avenue  in  front  of  his  dwelling, 
reckoned,  as  it  is,  one  of  the  finest  and  oldest  specimens  in  the 
county !  If  so,  what  desecration  may  we  not  expect  here ! 
if  so,  "then,  farewell,  thou  loveliest  spot  of  earth."  "Fare- 
well, Ionia,"  as  the  Assyrian  says;  "my  own,  my  father's 
land,  farewell ;  I'll  owe  thee  nothing,  not  even  a  grave." 

I  could  not,  however,  think  such  measures  were  by  his  sanc- 
tion ;  but  rather,  that  the  attorney,  having  been  desired,  in  one 

E 


60  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

of  their  conferences,  to  fell  timber  sufficient  to  raise  immediate 
funds,  in  the  malignity  of  his  heart  had  taken  the  opportunity 
of  making  an  attempt  to  destroy  the  avenue.  Many  of  his 
operations  had  been  marked  by  an  equal  want  of  sense,  taste, 
and  proper  feeling,  but  which  I  had  found  it  vain  to  combat 
and  hinder. 

The  moat  around  the  Grange,  for  instance,  had,  within  the 
last  few  days,  been  converted  into  a  dry  ditch,  the  waters  having 
been  undammed,  and  suffered  to  empty  themselves  into  some 
pieces  of  water  situated  amongst  the  meadows  in  rear  of 
the  building. 

These  sequestered  pools  were  curious,  and  pleasant  to  look 
on,  being  clustered  together,  and  dug  with  paths  amongst 
them.  -Overgrown  and  half  hidden,  too,  by  the  rushes  and 
reeds  which  had  been  allowed  for  years  to  choke  them  up,  they 
were  well  filled  with  carp  and  other'still- water  tenants,  and,  time 
out  of  mind,  had  been  known  by  the  name  of  the  Abbot's  Fish 
Ponds.  Tradition,  indeed,  and  the  remains  of  the  foundation, 
of  the  old  monastery  upon  which  the  Grange  was  built,  made 
it  more  than  probable  that  they  had  been  dug  there  in  olden 
times  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  forth  the  boards  of  the  suc- 
cessive abbots  of  the  establishment,  and  their  holy  brother- 
hood. 

Be  that,  however,  as  it  may,  the  pike,  and  carp,  and  eels 
that  sojourned  pleasantly,  and  flapped  and  splashed  in  the 
waters  of  our  moat,  were  now,  as  many  as  young  Master  Moses 
had  not  secured  in  a  net  (and  for  whose  amusement  I  believe 
the  alteration  was  chiefly  got  up),  sent  to  pay  a  visit  to  their 
Catholic  neighbours,  and  get  sufficing  absolution  Nithe  Abbot's 
Fish  Ponds. 

All  this  my  sire  was  taught  to  believe  had  been  done  in  very 
reverend  care  of  his  health,  as  the  exhalations  of  the  stagnant 
waters  were  pronounced  extremely  hurtful  to  his  constitution. 

Our  old  pleasure-grounds  and  gardens,  too,  once  so  unique 
in  style,  with  their  dark  walks,  leafy  screens,  terraces,  and 
statues,  were  now  being  altered  and  modernized  to  meet 
the  taste  of  their  new  mistress;  and  the  prostrate  figure 
of  Diana  lay  beside  the  antlered  Actseon  and  the  fragments 
of  his  hounds ;  whilst  many  an  attendant  nymph,  buxom  and 
fresh-looking  as  an  April  morn,  and  with  the  proportions 
of  a  porter,  fully  accoutred,  too,  "with  bended  bow,  and 
quiver  full  of  arrows,"  were  prostrated  amidst  the  grubbed-up 
yews,  by  which  they  had  before  stood  concealed  and  half  hidden; 
river-gods,  and  satyrs,  and  fauns,  too,  were  overthrown  and 
borne  away.  Apollo  no  longer  haunted  his  grot,  and  the  cave 
where  babbling  Echo  so  lately  lied,  now  untenanted  and  half 
demolished,  was  about  to  be  converted  into  a  citizenish-looking 
summer-house.  The  Muses'  seat ' '  was  now  their  grave  j"  and  in 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  51 

the  crystal  waters  surrounding  the  temple  they  had  adorned, 
and  where  they  were  formerly  reflected  from,  lay  their  veritable 
leaden  forms. 

Workmen  were  meanwhile  employed  in  dislodging  their 
pedestals,  collecting  and  carrying  off  their  various  amputated 
limbs  and  bodies,  and  bearing  them  in  vulgar  wheelbarrows 
out  of  their  sometime  paradise:  Altogether,  these  new-comers 
promised  a  total  reformation  and  alteration  in  our  dwelling  and 
domain ;  and  considering  what  they  had  in  so  short  a  time 
effected,  I  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  I  should  some  day- 
return  home,  and  take  it  for  the  abode  of  another  person. 

Whilst  deeply  grieving  over  these  alterations  and  improve- 
ments— for  every  one  of  their  barbarities  had  already,  as  San- 
cho  says,  hit  me  in  the  teeth,  and  were,  to  a  youth  of  my  dispo- 
sition, like  so  many  sharp  injuries  inflicted  upon  my  person— I 
rode  into  the  stable-yard,  were  also  a  change  awaited  me  ;  and 
the  stalls  so  lately  filled  with  our  cavalry  were  now  as  empty 
and  tenantless  as  Echo's  cave. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

"  Now  by  my  life,  the  day  grows  wondrous  hot. 
Some  airy  devil  hovers  in  the  sky, 
And  pours  down  mischief." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

MY  father  and  myself  having  been  on  the  ill  terms  I  have 
mentioned,  we  had  not  met  for  some  time.  I  had,  indeed,  felt 
it  awkward  to  intrude  upon  his  privacy,  as  he  now  seldom  left 
the  apartments  he  had  appropriated  to  himself,  and  conse- 
quently I  saw  but  little  of  him  except  we  chanced  to  meet  by 
accident  on  the  stairs,  or  in  the  passages  of  the  house.  Upon 
these  occasions,  in  consequence  of  these  cogging  slaves  having 
so  puddled  his  clear  spirit,  and  slandered  me,  he  always  passed 
frowning  by  without  question  or  comment. 

However,  I  was  now  resolved  to  meet  him  face  to  face,  and 
hear  from  his  own  mouth  whether  he  was  really  aware  of  the 
extent  of  the  destruction  going  on,  and,  above  all,  if  he  had 
indeed  given  his  sanction  to  the  condemnation  of  the  avenue. 

To  ask  an  interview,  I  considered  would  have  only  met  with 
a  refusal,  remembering,  as  I  did,  that  the  last  time  I  had 
sought  and  held  conference  with  him  upon  the  subject,  our  de- 
bate had  been  so  violent,  that  I  was  told  I  should  not  again 
be  allowed  to  enter  his  apartments.  I  therefore,  some- 
what unwisely  perhaps,  walked  into  the  withdrawing-room,  in 
•which  he  was  sitting,  amongst  his  new  connexions,  without  so 
much  as  asking  permission. 

E2 


62  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

Tlie  whole  party  were  rather  taken  aback  by  my  sudden  ap- 
pearance. The  tea  equipage  was  upon  the  table,  and  my 
mother-in-law  presiding  over  it.  My  father,  seated  in  his 
easy-chair  meantime,  was  listening  to  the  description  of  my 
sudden  onslaught,  and  consequent  dispersion  of  the  workmen 
in  the  avenue,  related  with  no  slight  exaggeration  of  circum- 
stances by  the  youth  in  the  gilded  waistcoat,  who  I  found  had 
hurried  home  before  me,  with  an  account  of  this  new  out- 
break. 

There  is  generally  an  awkward  lull  in  the  previously  noisj 
conversation,  when  the  hero  of  the  tale,  suddenly  and  un- 
wished for,  joins  the  throng,  and  an  attempt  at  turning  it  upon 
something  so  urijointed  and  out  of  season,  that  the  visitor  can- 
not easily  mistake  the  fact,  "  that  his  lordship  was  the  last 
man  in  their  mouths."  Thus  it  happened  here. 

At  first,  tale-bearer  and  commentators,  stopping  short,  and 
looking  confounded,  suddenly  broke  out  into  various  silly 
questions  at  each  :>ther ;  no  one  answering  what  the  other  had 
demanded.  My  iather  alone,  silently  and  fiercely  regarding 
me,  rose  from  his  seat,  and  stood  full  before  the  ample  fire- 
place. 

"  I  thought  I  told  you,  sir,"  said  he,  interrupting  me  as  I 
was  about  to  speak,  "  that  after  your  improper  behaviour 
when  last  in  this  room,  I  declined  the  favour  of  your  again 
coming  into  my  presence  till  you  had  offered  proper  apologies 
to  my  friends  here  and  myself,  for  the  language  you  then 
thought  proper  to  indulge  in." 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry,"  I  said,  "for  having  on  that  occa- 
sion offended  you." 

"  I  perceive,  sir,"  he  continued,  "  that  you  are  determined, 
in  every  way  in  your  power,  to  annoy  myself  and  family  ;  and 
this  very  evening,  I  am  told,  you  have  countermanded  my 
orders,  assaulted  and  wounded  my  people,  and  used  the  grossest 
language  towards  myself." 

"  And  your  informant,"  I  said,  pointing  to  the  youngster, 
who  had  placed  himself  beside  him,  "  is  the  young  gentleman 
on  your  right  hand." 

"  You  have  not  dared  to  seek  me  here,"  he  returned,  "  ill 
as  I  now  am,  in  order  to  repeat  your  former  violence,  and  de- 
stroy the  comfort  of  my  apartment,  have  you  ?" 

"  I  am  merely  here,"  I  said,  "  to  inform  you  of  one  circum- 
stance, and  inquire  if  such  transaction  has  been  commenced 
by  your  orders.  When  you  have  answered  that  question,  I  will 
instantly  relieve  you  of  my  presence.  Is  it  your  intention, 
and  have  you  really  given  orders  to  your  people,  to  fell  the 
avenue  in  front  of  your  house  ?" 

"When,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I  know  of  any  right  my  own 
8on  has  to  question  me,  I  shall  then  take  into  consideration 
the  propriety  of  answering  him." 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNB.  53 

" It  is  enough,"  I  said ;  "the  circumstance  of  your  hearing 
my  question  without  betraying  the  surprise  I  expected,  is 
answer  sufficient.  I  now  leave  you :  but  before  I  do  so,  I  take 
this  opportunity  of  saying,  that  your  behaviour  towards  me 
latterly  has  been  totally  wanting  in  the  kind  feeling  I  have 
hitherto  enjoyed,  and  which  I  do  not  so  much  take  to  heart, 
knowing  it  to  proceed  from  the  influence  of  the  new  friends 
who  are  around  you.  My  home,  therefore,  is  no  longer  plea- 
sant to  me,  nor  can  I  see  its  beauties  thus  destroyed  piecemeal, 
without  feeling  so  great  a  disgust  that  every  alteration  I  have 
hitherto  beheld  has  been  like  a  dagger  to  my  soul." 

"  It  is  well,  sir,"  he  returned,  resuming  his  seat.  "  I  trust 
you  will  soon  have  an  opportunity  of  finding  quarters  more 
suitable  to  your  tastes  and  feelings,  where  you  will,  perhaps, 
conduct  yourself  in  a  less  insubordinate  and  lawless  manner. 
I  have  written  again  to  the  Horse-guards  about  the  commis' 
sion  promised  you." 

Out  of  temper,  and  discomfited  at  the  severity  of  my  parent, 
and  the  triumphant  looks  of  the  young  gentleman,  my  rival  in 
his  favour,  I  could  not  quit  the  presence  without  a  parting 
word  or  two,  expressive  of  my  disgust  at  the  young  Jew's  pro- 
ceedings. I  spoke  of  him  in  no  measured  terms ;  and  finished 
my  discourse  by  bidding  him  beware  how  he  continued  his 
present  system  of  falsehood  and  detraction. 

"  I  swear  by  heaven,"  said  I,  "  that  any  repetition  of  your 
conduct,  in  endeavouring  to  alienate  the  affection  of  my  only 
parent  from  me,  shall  procure  you  chastisement,  even  tnougn 
you  took  refuge  on  his  very  hearth !" 

This  outbreak  produced  a  frightful  accession  of  female 
clamour.  The  old  attorney,  too,  who  was  too  wary  to  take  a 
decided  part  in  the  discussion  whilst  I  was  present,  by  his 
elevated  eyebrows  and  shrugged-up  shoulders,  sufficiently  testi- 
fied his  feelings.  The  young  cub,  however,  emboldened  by 
the  shrill  clamour  of  the  females,  stepped  round  to  where  I 
was  standing,  and,  with  fist  clenched,  defied  me  to  strike  him. 

My  father,  who,  enraged  and  excited  beyond  his  strength, 
had  sat  down  in  his  leathern  chair,  with  a  hearse  voice  de- 
sired me  instantly  to  leave  the  room.  I  looked  at  the  young 
Jew  with  an  eye  that  told  him  how  much  I  should  have  liked 
to  accommodate  him,  and  was  turning  to  retire,  when  he 
echoed  and  repeated  my  father's  order  to  quit  the  apartment. 
The  next  moment  he  lay  stretched  upon  the  floor. 

My  father  rose  slowly  from  his  seat,  his  finger  pointed  to 
the  door,  and  his  countenance  resembling  that  of  a  corpse.  He 
made  but  one  step  towards  me,  and  fell  senseless  upon  the 
hearth.  This  was,  indeed,  a  dreadful  finale  to  the  dispute. 
All  stood  aghast  for  the  moment. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  my  feelings  at  that  i«oment 


54  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

Gladly,  indeed,  would  I  have  consented  to  tlie  destruction  of 
half  the  avenues  and  ancient  buildings  in  Yorkshire,  could  I 
but  have  recalled  the  blow,  which,  falling  upon  the  miserable 
fragment,  had,  it  appeared,  hit  the  life  of  my  lather.  "Whilst 
I  bewailed  my  unhappy  stars  aloud,  and  tried  to  restore  the 
old  gentleman  to  life,  the  females  of  the  company,  instead  of 
aiding  my  endeavours,  were  upbraiding  me  with  the  villany 
which  had  slain  him.  The  old  J  ew  attorney  meanwhile  quietly 
awaited  the  event.  Whether  my  father  recovered  or  not,  it 
was  the  same  to  him.  Equal  to  either  fortune,  he  had  so  en- 
tangled his  affairs,  that  he  had,  at  all  events,  secured  a  suit 
which  would  serve  his  turn. 

After  awhile,  to  my  great  joy,  my  father  opened  his  eyes, 
and  I  beheld  signs  of  returning  animation,  and,  assisted  by  the 
servants,  I  conveyed  him  to  his  room.  The  sight  of  his  re- 
covery restored  also  the  care  and  tenderness  of  his  wife  ;  and 
the  party  once  more  resuming  their  kind  attentions  towards 
Mm,  I  left  him  to  their  care. 


ICHAPTEB  X. 

"t  Still  though  the  headlong  cavalier, 
O'er  rough  and  smooth,  in  wild  career, 
Seemed  racing  with  the  wind  ; 
His  sad  companion  ghastly  pale, 
And  darksome  as  a  widow's  veil, 
Care  kept  his  seat  behind." 

DBYDEN. 

ALTHOUGH  I  had  despatched  a  servant  on  horseback  for  the 
nearest  medical  aid,  yet  I  determined  to  go  in  quest  also  of  my 
friend,  Dr.  Probe,  of  whose  skill  and  judgment  I  had  reason 
to  think  highly.  I  therefore  rode  swiftly,  as  if  a  whole  legion 
of  fiends  were  at  my  back,  till  I  reached  the  little  village  where 
lie  dwelt. 

I  was  lucky  enough  to  find  him  at  his  residence,  although 
retired  for  the  night,  and  explained  to  him  the  nature  of  the 
case,  without  dismounting  from  my  horse.  Receiving  his  pro- 
mise to  be  at  the  Grange  without  delay,  I  returned  towards 
my  home  as  speedily  as  I  had  ridden  from  it. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  avenue  which  had  unhappily 
caused  this  most  unlucky  dispute,  I  drew  bridle,  to  proceed  some- 
what more  deliberately,  as  well  for  the  purpose  of  breathing  my 
panting  horse,  as  from  the  deep  gloom  of  the  place ;  for,  owing  to 
the  great  size  and  massive  foliage  of  the  trees,  the  avenue  was  so 
dark,  that  unless  well  acquainted  with  the  locality,  a  horseman 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTtTNE.  55 

might  easily  have  been  unseated  by  the  overreaching  boughs. 
As  I  therefore  cautiously  made  my  way,  I  was  suddenly  aware 
of  a  moderately-sized  light,  which,  at  first,  only  showing  me  in 
succession  the  trunks  of  the  oaks  in  my  progress,  at  the  mo- 
ment, I  rather  felt  grateful  towards.  As  I  proceeded,  how- 
ever, the  light  growing  rapidly  larger,  at  length  forced  me  to 
ride  outside  the  avenue,  and  stop  and  gaze  more  curiously 
upon  it.  Whilst  I  did  so,  it  rose  into  a  broad  sheet  of  flame.  , 

Some  buildings  were  evidently  on  fire,  and  burning  away, 
in  the  direction  of  the  Grange. 

In  a  few  minutes  more,  the  avenue  became  illuminated  from 
end  to  end,  and  the  Grange,  at  its  termination,  displayed  with 
its  various  casements,  as  though  the  sun  itself  was  shining  up- 
on it  at  mid-day. 

A  bustling  hubbub  also  was  now  heard,  and  that  dire  yell — 

"  As  when  by  night  and  negligence,  the  fire 
Is  spied  in  populous  cities." 

^Figures,  also,  like  the  motes  which  "  mine  host"  of  the 
"  Bonny  Black  Bear,"  at  Cumnor,  saw  dancing  in  his  cup  of 
canary,  began  to  flit  about  before  the  flame.  In  fact,  there 
needed  little  more  to  convince  me  that  some  of  the  outbuild- 
ings of  the  Grange  had  suddenly  taken  fire. 

Clapping  spurs  to  my  horse,  with  the  speed  of  thought,  I 
rode  onwards.  Just  when  about  to  strike  into  a  path  which 
ran  slanting  across  the  avenue,  and  led  from  the  farm-yard 
and  its  buildings,  I  saw  a  figure  stealing  towards  me,  but  so 
intent  in  looking  back  upon  the  increasing  conflagration,  as 
not  to  have  noticed  my  approach  upon  the  soft  grass.  Sud- 
denly, however,  he  heard  the  hoof- tread  of  my  steed;  and, 
stopping  short,  turned,  and  strove  to  avoid  me.  The  move- 
ment was  suspicious,  and  I  resolved  to  arrest  him ;  and,  in  a 
few  plunges  more,  was  nearly  at  his  side.  The  cover  was  so 
near,  that,  had  he  not  been  lame,  he  might  easily  have  reached 
it ;  but  I  threw  myself  from  my  horse,  and  seized  him.  The 
increasing  conflagration  showed  me  the  features  of  Ephraim 
Roughhead,  the  man  whose  leg  I  had  wounded  on  that  same 
evening. 

The  fellow  seemed  so  scared  at  the  rencontre,  that  he  was 
quiie  unable  to  answer  the  questions  I  put  to  him.    I  there- . 
fore,  although  suspecting  something  wrong  from  his  strange 
manner,  after  recognizing,  released  him,  and,  putting  spurs  to 
my  steed,  galloped  onwards. 

The  nature  of  the  conflagration  became  more  apparent  every 
step  I  took.  A  whole  rick-yard  had  taken  fire,  and  was  burn- 
ing with  such  fury,  that  barns,  cart-stabling,  outbuildings,  cot- 
tages, and  nearly  all  the  et  ceteras  of  a  well-appointed  £»1>jtt- 
yard,  were  becoming  involved  in  the  general  ruin. 


W  THE  SOLDIES  OF  FOETUNE. 

Tlie  confusion  of  such  a  scene  needs  hardly  to  be  related.  Men 
were  to  be  seen  hurrying  hither  and  thither,  impeding  each 
other's  efforts,  marring  each  other's  labour,  and  helping  the 
flames  by  their  unorganized  and  unauthorized  attempts  :  others 
again  were  flying  in  every  direction,  except  where  they  might 
have  rendered  service,  no  one  attending  to  the  suggestions  of 
his  fellow,  but  all  directing,  and  none  to  obey.  One  cried  out 
for  water,  another  roared  for  buckets  and  ladders ;  whilst 
women,  clustered  in  a  group,  stood  screaming  as  loudly  as 
though  they  considered  each  particular  howl  was  worth  a 
parish  engine  in  full  play. 

Water !  water !  was  all  the  cry,  and  no  man  ran  to  fetch  it. 
The  quarter  containing  the  cart-horses  and  cows  had  just  be- 
come ignited,  and  there  the  scene  was  the  most  distressing ; 
for  the  cattle  having  been  neglected  by  these  wiseacres  in  their 
panic  on  first  discovering  the  flames,  the  wretched  animals 
resisted  all  attempts  to  bring  them  out ;  but,  kicking  and 
plunging  in  their  stalls,  were  there  smothered  and  burnt. 

A  cry  arose  to  get  water  from  the  moat;  but  "  youDg  Mas- 
ter Launcelot"  had  made  that  easier  to  call  for  than  to  have. 
In  the  midst  of  this  confusion,  I  made  my  appearance  on  the 
scene.  Though  somewhat  of  the  latest,  my  presence  restored 
something  like  confidence  and  order  amongst  the  labourers  and 
farm  servants. 

Managing  to  get  together  a  couple  of  working  parties,  I  es- 
tablished a  chain  from  the  horse-pond  to  that  part  of  the  out- 
buildings nearest  to  the  Grange  ;  for  the  wind  setting  strongly 
in  that  direction,  threatened  danger  to  the  building.  Heading 
the  other  party  myself,  we  scaled  the  walls,  and,  with  axes, 
cut  away  and  pulled  down  the  outhouses,  as  long  as  the  heat 
would  allow  us  to  work  there.  By  this  means  we  saved  the 
Grange  itself  from  destruction  ;  but,  before  morning  dawned, 
most  of  the  buildings  of  our  farm,  together  with  granaries 
filled  with  corn,  and  a  large  and  valuable  lot  of  hay  and  straw, 
twenty  horses,  and  a  decent  accompaniment  of  cows  and  pigs, 
were  entirely  consumed. 

The  conduct  of  the  young  gentleman,  my  Jew  relative,  was 
as  extraordinary  as  it  was  characteristic.  Amidst  all  this  con- 
fusion, having  risen  from  his  bed  on  the  very  first  alarm,  ho 
had  sallied  out  to  observe  the  fire,  and,  turning  up  an  old  easy 
leathern  chair,  which  had  (amongst  other  articles  of  furniture) 
been  hurled  from  the  windows  of  the  bailiff's  cottage,  he  de- 
liberately seated  himself  opposite  the  blaze,  and,  lighting  his 
havannah,  sat  and  smoked,  and  watched  the  progress  of  the 
conflagration,  with  apparently  the  utmost  satisfaction,  content, 
and  curiosity. 

The  conduct  of  the  other  members  of  his  family  on  that 
night  was,  I  am  afraid  to  say  (although  not  quite  so  eccentric), 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  57 

very  much  more  wicked  and  unprincipled;  for  papers  and 
deeds  were  from  that  time  missing  which  were  of  the  greatest 
consequence  for  me  to  have  obtained  possession  of,  after  my 
father's  demise;  but  which  were  never  afterwards  fortH- 
coming. 

That  all  these  disastrous  events  had  happened,  and  followed 
fast  upon  each  other,  by  and  through  my  unlucky  influence,  I 
had  every  reason  to  lament  the  truth  of. 

A  small  matter  of  what  I  had  so  little  (patience),  mixed  up 
with  half  a  scruple  of  forbearance,  and  these  things  had  not, 
perhaps,  taken  place.  The  farm  buildings  had  been  fired  by 
the  man  I  had  so  unjustly  injured ;  and  it  was  by  my  evidence 
that  the  matter  was  subsequently  brought  home  to  him,  and  he 
washanged— a  circumstance  that  long  weighed  heavily  upon  my 
conscience. 

The  avenue,  which,  of  course,  I  cared  not  again  to  advocate 
the  cause  of,  is  (for  aught  I  know  to  the  contrary)  floating 
upon  the  broad  waves  of  the  Atlantic,  in  the  form  of  "petty 
traffickers,  or  portly  argosies."  At  all  events,  no  vestige  of  it 
will  be  found  at  this  time  in  front  of  the  Grange. 

The  vile  crew,  too,  who  had  insinuated  themselves  into  the 
good  graces  of  my  father,  and  were  stealthily  plotting  his  ruin, 
had  I  but  possessed  tact  and  forbearance  enough  to  have 
watched  quietly,  instead  of  waging  open  war  with  them,  might 
have  perhaps  shown  themselves  to  him  in  their  true  colours. 
But  I  served  to  keep  them  in  check  by  my  violence,  thus 
making  myself  the  most  obnoxious  person,  apparently,  of  the 
party.  My  father,  too,  I  had  openly  and  seriously,  offended, 
and*reduced  to  the  verge  of  the  grave,  -as  I  mignt,  indeed, 
have  expected  would  be  likely  to  happen,  from  his  present 
weak  state  and  irascible  disposition. 

By  care  and  medical  skill,  however,  he  was  at  length  pro- 
nounced out  of  danger,  and  was  advised,  as  soon  as  possible, 
to  Isave  his  home,  and  try  the  benefit  of  change  of  scene. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"  I'd  make  me  a  willow  cabin  at  your  gate, 
And  call  upon  my  soul  within  the  house ; 
Write  loyal  cantons  of  contemned  love, 
And  sing  them  loud,  e'en  in  the  dead  of  night." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

I  HAVE  not,  for  some  time,  mentioned  my  neighbours  at  the 
hall,  but  where,  indeed,  much  of  my  time  had  been  lately 
passed.  Whilst  these  disagreeables  were  happening  at  my  own 


68  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

home,  I  shall  not  perhaps  be  blamed  for  availing  myself  of 
the  intimacy  I  was  upon  there,  to  make  it  my  occasional 
refuge. 

Constance,  who,  during  the  time  she  remained  in  our  neigh- 
bourhood, had  grieved  at  the  accounts  I  gave  of  the  destruc- 
tion going  on,  and  the  imbecility  of  my  father,  who  allowed  of 
it,  was  now  in  -  Scotland,  having  been  summoned  there  by  her 
mother,  the  duchess. 

Miss  Villeroy  had  also  received  a  sort  of  invitation,  which, 
indeed,  might  be  called  a  command  to  accompany  her :  but,  in 
this  one  instance,  my  influence  overruled  her  grace's  wish,  and 
she  remained  at  Marston  Hall  with  old  Mrs.  Allworthy  to 
keep  her  company  in  her  retirement,  and  myself  to  sigh  at  her 
feet.  The  old  Earl  of  Marston,  too,  occasionally  came  down 
for  a  few  days,  together  with  others  of  her  family. 

With  this  paradise,  therefore,  as  a  refuge,  and  where  I  was 
the  welcomed  and  cherished  guest  of  the  radiant  creature,  its 
occupant  and  mistress,  the  sorrows  and  annoyances  of  my 
own  home  sat  lighter  upon  me  than  they  otherwise  would  have 
done.  Still,  however,  I  always  experienced  a  sort  of  fear, 
whenever  I  approached  the  hall,  of  some  untoward  event, 
likely  to  interrupt  the  fair  terms  I  was  upon  with  its  inmates. 
A  presentiment  of  evil,  which  I  could  never  effectually  shake 
oft,  eternally  pervaded  me.  I  seemed  born  under  an  unlucky 
Star,  and  the  certainty  of  my  destiny  to  be  fixed  on  my  mind. 

For  some  time  Miss  Villeroy  had  not  seen  her  betrothed, 
and  as  she  now  often  confessed  to  me,  she  dreaded  even  to  hear 
from  him.  I  thought  I  saw  that,  each  day  we  spent  together, 
she  was  gathering  courage  to  break  off  an  engagement,  which 
she  now  loathed  to  think  upon.  On  my  part,  however,  I  never 
alluded  to  my  rival  or  made  mention  of  his  name,  being  suffi- 
ciently satisfied  to  find  myself  gaming  ground  in  her  good 
graces  j  a  vain  hope,  alas  !  but  too  soon  dashed. 

•*  Hard  fate  to  have  been  once  possessed 

As  victor  of  a  heart, 
Achieved  with  labour  and  unrest, 
And  then  forced  to  depart !" 

Such,  however,  was  the  constant  presentiment  of  evil  with 
which  I  was  haunted.  Completely  banished  from  the  good 
opinion  and  presence  of  my  father,  I  seemed  indeed  not  to  be- 
long to  the  family. 

My  step,  nevertheless,  was  not  a  whit  the  less  assured  in  the 
dwelling  of  my  ancestors  :  whilst  my  enemies,  on  the  contrary, 
sneaked  about  the  premises,  as  if  afraid  to  encounter  my  eye 
or  provoke  my  reproof.  They  saw,  doubtless,  that  I  had  some- 
thing dangerous  in  me,  which  their  wisdom  and  their  villany 
taught  them  to  fear.  The  young  cub,  especially,  since  the 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETUNE.  59 

lesson  I  had  given  him,  had  a  wholesome  and  praiseworthy 
dislike  even  to  pass  me  in  the  house ;  but  his  countenance 
showed  the  hatred  of  his  heart,  and  I  could  see  that  he  stored 
up  the  blow  I  had  given  him,  to  be  paid  for  with  compound 
interest  at  the  proper  opportunity. 

Under  these  circumstances,  as  1  said  before,  I  saw  my  home  as 
little  as  I  could,  and  old  Mistress  Allworthy,  whose  goodness  of 
disposition  was  not  to  be  kept  in  check  by  the  narrow  ideas  of 
the  more  worldly-minded  portion  of  society,but  who  always  acted 
from  the  dictates  of  her  own  heart,  was  never  so  happy  as  when 
I  was  a  visitor  and  inmate  of  the  hall. 

Thus,  then,  matters  continued  at  a  stand  some  little  time. 
My  father  was  now  much  recovered,  and,  I  understood,  medi- 
tated leaving  his  home  for  Italy,  where  he  had  been  advised  to 
go  by  his  medical  attendants,  for  change  of  scene. 

One  morning,  I  was  beguiling  the  time,  and  amusing  myself 
in  those  luxuriant  meadows  containing  the  pieces  of  water 
which  were  called  the  Abbot's  fish-ponds,  to  which  I  have 
alluded,  a  lovely  and  sequestered  spot,  where  the  monks  of 
old  were  wont  to  "  dafF  the  world  aside,  and  bid  it  pass."  In- 
deed, I  have  generally  remarked,  that  in  places  where  the 
mouldering  remains  of  a  monastic  establishment  are  found, 
the  surrounding  scene  seems  greener  and  more  luxuriant  than 
any  other  spot  in  its  neighbourhood — fat  abbey  lands,  on  which 
these  drones  loved  to  dream  away  their  cloistered  life,  and  pass 
the  lazy-footed  time  by  the  help  of  the  luxuries  they  had  at 
command. 

When  I  looked  around,  therefore,  seated  amidst  the  reedy 
Bwamp  of  these  stock  ponds,  and  ever  and  anon  captured  a 
goodly  carp,  the  pleasure  was  two-fold,  from  following  my 
sport  in  such  a  quiet  vicinity  as  would  have  delighted  old  Izaac 
Walton. 

Whilst  thus  amusing  myself,  a  servant,  approaching,  informed 
me  that  my  presence  was  required  at  home,  my  father  being 
desirous  of  seeing  me. 

Somewhat  surprised  at  this  unusual  summons,  I  immediately 
obeyed  the  order,  and  waited  upon  him  in  his  room.  Not 
having  seen  him  since  the  affair  in  which  I  had  made  so  un- 
lucky a  hit  regarding  the  avenue,  the  opportunity  of  an  inter- 
view was  hailed  by  me  with  joy. 

I  loved  my  father,  and,  I  think,  he  entertained  all  the  affec- 
tion of  a  parent  towards  myself :  but  we  were  both  of  a  stern 
and  unbending  disposition ;  each  kept  the  other  at  a  most  un- 
affectionate  distance.  There  was  too  much  of  strict  discipline 
in  his  mode  of  reclaiming  me  from  the  ungovernable  state  he 
supposed  I  had  fallen  into,  owing  to  his  own  previous  neglect 
of  my  youth :  and  he  fully  believed  that  I  had  become  of  so 
haughty,  overbearing,  and  insolent  a  disposition,  that  it  was 
absolutely  dangerous  to  thwart  or  contradict  me. 


60  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

I,  on  the  other  hand,  felt  that  he  ought  to  have  known  me 
better,  and  not  have  thus  suffered  his  judgment  to  be  warped 
and  his  affections  to  be  alienated  from  me  by  the  artful  set 
with  whom  he  had  connected  himself.  I  would,  therefore,  wil- 
lingly have  "  hinged  my  knee,"  and  begged  his  forgiveness  for 
having  even  unintentionally  offended  him ;  but  that  rash 
humour,  which  he  himselt  had  given  me,  held  me  stern  and 
reserved.  I  could  not  bend,  even  to  my  own  parent,  where  I 
felt  I  had  done  no  wrong ;  and  thus  we  once  more  met. 

I  found  him  wasted  and.  pallid  with  the  discipline  he  had 
undergone,  consequent  upon  the  violence  of  his  illness,  but  still 
possessing  all  that  dignity  and  presence  for  which  he  was 
always  noted.  He  was  alone,  and,  with  a  look  of  some 
severity,  but  with  a  countenance  altogether  "  more  in  sorrow 
than  in  anger,"  he  motioned  me  to  take  a  seat.  Most  people 
who  have  suffered  from  paralysis  have  a  distressed  and  sorrow- 
ful expression.  So  it  was  with  my  father;  and  his  mouth 
being  drawn  down,  gave  his  features  a  still  more  unhappy  and 
changed  appearance.  I  felt  my  eyes  fill  with  tears  as  I  looked 
on  him,  but  I  conquered  my  feelings  so  as  to  prevent  their 
flowing.  He  also,  I  saw,  brought  his  angry  feelings  to  his 
aid. 

"I  have  sent  for  you,  sir,"  said  he,  "  to  inform  you  of  my 
wishes  regarding  your  future  career.  It  is  somewhat  painful 
to  me  to  nave  to  enter  upon  matters  of  business  in  my  present 
precarious  state,  as  any  exertion  is  likely  to  bring  upon  me  a 
severe  return  of  pain  and  illness.  I  will  thank  you,  therefore, 
to  hear  what  I  have  to  say,  and  make  no  reply. 

"  You  have,  somewhat  against  my  wishes,  chosen  to  apply 
for  a  commission  in  the  army.  I  have  tried  that  life  myself, 
and  had  reason  to  be  disgusted  with  it  as  a  profession.  I 
objected  to  it  at  first  in  your  case,  from  a  desire  that  you  should 
content  yourself  here  on  the  estate  of  your  forefathers,  and  lead 
the  life  of  a  respectable,  and  not  altogether  useless,  member  of 
society.  The  gentleman  of  landed  property,  who  lives  on  his 
own  estate,  improving  his  poorer  neighbours,  and  (within  the 
sphere  of  hiis  influence)  scattering  plenty  and  diffusing  happi- 
ness, I  consider  a  character  fit  for  the  notice  of  approving 
heaven.  But  the  life  of  an  officer  in  tune  of  peace,  on  the 
contrary,  I  think  a  most  unprofitable  and  miserable  waste  of 
existence.  I  have,  however,  seen  enough  of  you  lately  to  sus- 
pect that  a  quiet  country  life  would  never  suit  your  disposition. 
I  have  also  changed  my  views  entirely  regarding  you ;  and  as  I 
before  reluctantly  gave  my  consent  to  your  choice,  I  now  de- 
sire that  you  follow  the  profession  you  have  chosen.  But  I 
tell  you  beforehand,  that  you  are  about  to  enter  a  service  in 
which,  according  to  the  vulgar  adage,  '  there  are  more  kicks 
than  half-pence  ;'  and.  to  string  another  old  saw  to  the  end  of 


THE  SOLDIER  <>F  POBTUNE.  61 

that,  I  can  also  assure  you,  there  are  but  two  happy  days 
in  the  soldier's  life, — '  the  day  he  puts  on,  and  the  day  he  puts 
off,  his  red  coat.'" 

I  knew  this  was  not  quite  the  real  opinion  my  sire  enter- 
tained of  the  profession  of  arms,  as  no  man  had  been  more 
devoted  to  the  service  than  himself.  But,  although  he  affected 
to  desire  me  to  follow  my  choice,  he  had  yet  so  much  affec- 
tion remaining,  that  he  would  have  felt  glad  if  I  had  re- 
nounced it. 

According  to  his  desire  I  made  no  reply,  and  he  continued 
his  discourse  :  "  What  I  now  therefore  wish  is,  that  you  should 
either  write  to,  or  attend  the  levee  of  the  commander-in-  chief, 
refreshing  his  memory  in  regard  to  the  promise  given  to  your 
first  application.  State  at  the  same  time  that  you  are  ready  to 
serve  in  any  part  of  the  globe ;  for  I  must  inform  you  that  'the 
profession  you  have  fixed  on  must  be  now  your  whole  and  sole 
trust.  A  soldier's  life  you  have  chosen,  and  a  soldier  you  must 
now  become.  Matters  are  altered  with  me  here,  since  you 
first  applied  for  your  commission ;  I  granted  your  request  then 
the  more  readily,  as  I  thought  a  year  or  two  spent  in  country 
quarters,  together  with  an  Irish  detachment,  would  be  quite 
sufficient  to  tire  you  of  the  foppery  of  your  hussar  jacket  and 
steel  scabbard.  I  therefore  considered  it  as  good  a  way  of 
amusing  your  romance,  and  passing  a  few  years  of  your  youth, 
as  any  other.  My  circumstances,  however,  as  I  told  you,  are 
now  much  changed,  and  I  no  longer  possess  the  means  to  allow 
of  your  making  that  figure  amongst  your  brother  officers 
which  I  intended.  I  shall,  however,  be  able  to  give  you  a  fair 
start  in  life,  and  have  no  doubt  but  that,  with  my  interest  at 
the  Horse-guards,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  push  you  up  the  list  as 
rapidly  as  you  can  desire." 

I  thanked  him  and  he  continued  his  discourse. 

"If  you  ask  my  advice,  I  should  recommend  your  joining 
the  infantry,  as  then  you  will  learn  the  military  art  best.  In 
that,  however,  I  leave  you  to  do  as  you  please.  Let  not,  how- 
ever, any  more  time  be  lost ;  for  the  life  you  have  lately  led 
here  is  disreputable  to  yourself,  and  makes  me  miserable  to 
hear  of.  In  our  last  interview,  when  you  intruded  yourself 
into  my  presence,  and  assaulted  the  brother  of  my  wife,  you 
sufficiently  showed  me  the  error  1  had  committed  in  not  send- 
ing you  to  a  public  school,  where  your  violence  would  have 
been  properly  watched  and  corrected. 

"  I^will  hear  no  reply,  sir,"  said  he,  rising  to  put  an  end  to 
my  visit,  "  either  write  or  attend  the  levee  of  the  commander- 
in-chief ;  meanwhile,  consider  well  what  I  have  said,  and  I  wish 
you  all  success  in  the  profession  you  have  chosen ;  but  I  tell 
you  fairly,  before  you  enter  upon  it,  that  it  leads  to  nothing. 
I  am  now  too  ill  to  speak  further  on  the  subject ;  but  will 


63  THE  SOIDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

in  a  few  days  see  you  again,  and  hear  the  event  of  your  second 
application." 

Thus  finished  my  interview  with  my  father.  Being  forbid- 
den to  reply,  I  was  precluded  from  any  attempt  at  reconcilia- 
tion: for,  although  he  accused  me  of  so  much  violence  of 
temper,  I  well  knew  that  had  I  attempted  to  disobey  him,  he 
would  have  perhaps  been  reduced  to  the  same  situation  I  had 
brought  him  iuto  at  our  last  conference. 

I  was  not,  however,  sorry  that  he  had  directed  me  to  write 
to  the  Horse-guards  ;  as,  although  I  feared  to  leave  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  hal] ,  yet  I  felt  that  had  he  (in  addition  to  his 
other  somewhat  tyrannical  treatment)  put  a  veto  upon  my  now 
accepting  the  commission  promised,  I  should  have  been  alto- 
gether in  a  most  hopeful  situation.  I,  therefore,  indited  a 
letter  to  the  commander-m-ehief  without  delay,  and,  calling  for 
my  horse,  resolved  to  put  it  into  the  post  at  the  little  village  at 
^oodville,  which  was  about  a  mile  from  Marston.  Indeed,  it 
was  vain  for  me  attempt  to  ride  in  any  other  direction,  for  if  I 
did  turn  the  head  of  the  beautiful  barb  Lady  Constance  had 
given  me,  the  beast  so  well  his  knew  old  home  and  comfortable 
stall  there,  that  at  the  first  opportunity  he  would  bend  his 
steps  in  the  direction  he  was  sure  to  be  allowed  eventually  to 
traverse. 

So  it  was  with  the  rider:  no  spot  seemed  so  green,  no  road 
so  pleasant,  as  the  short  cut  through  the  plantations,  and  across 
the  common,  till  I  came  in  sight  of  the  venerable-looking  hall, 
and  was  brought  to  a  stand  by  the  deer-palings  of  the  sur- 
rounding park.  The  very  trees  which  grew  there,  and  over- 
shadowed them,  appeared  to  my  eyes  more  noble  and  stately 
than  any  other  in  the  county. 

Strange  passion,  which  thus  in  the  heyday  of  our  youth 
seizes  upon  us  like  some  violent  distemper,  and  drives  away  all 
interest  and  enjoyment  unless  pertaining  to  the  being  who 
alone  fills  all  our  thoughts,  and  distracts  us  with  alternate 
doubt,  fear,  and  delight ! 

Here,  then,  oft-times  when  I  did  not  think  proper  to  introduce 
myself  into  the  presence  of  the  ladies,  it  was  my  wont  to  pause 
and  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  neighbourhood  which  they  sancti- 
fied by  dwelling  in ;  and,  like  the  knight  of  the  mirrors,  throw- 
ing myself  on  the  ground,  whilst  I  allowed  my  horse  to  feed 
upon  the  pasture  with  which  the  place  abounded,  I  indulged 
in  the  silence  and  solitude  necessary  to  my  amorous  thoughts- 
On  these  occasions  the  Muses  were  not  so  opposite  but  they 
deigned  to  visit  me  sometimes ;  and  I  composed  a  whole  litany 
of  songs,  sonnets,  and  poems  to  the  fair  empress  of  my  soul. 

At  the  present  time,  whilst  lying  thus  along,  "  like  a  dropt 
acorn,"  I  composed  a  rhapsody,  which  I  thought  so  excellent 
that  I  determined  to  serenade  my  mistress  with  it  that  very 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  63 

night.  Accordingly  I  arose,  and,  proceeding  to  the  vilkge  at 
hand,  stabled  my  steed,  and  resolved  to  dine  at  the  little  inn 
there,  and  then,  accompanied  by  solitude  and  the  dews  of  night, 
spend  my  time  till  morning  in  wandering  about  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  hall. 

I  had  despatched  my  letter  and  reasoned  with  myself,  that 
now  every  moment  I  passed  away  from  this  spot  was  tune  lost, 
"  like  offered  mercy,"  never  to  be  regained. 

Mine  hostess  of  the  little  inn  where  I  baited,  having 
promised  a  rasher  and  eggs  for  my  supper,  it  was  accordingly 
served  up  by  her  daughter,  a  buxom  lass  with  corkscrew  ring- 
lets, and  cheeks  as  red  as  her  top-knot.  During  the  intervals 
of  her  attendance  upon  me,  she  amused  herself  by  thrumming 
upon  a  broken-winded  instrument,  which  she  denominated  a 
guitar ;  and  which  I  borrowed  of  the  fair  songstress  to  aid  me 
in  my  serenade. 

The  moon  shone  out  brightly  as  I  crossed  the  park,  and, 
leaping  the  garden-wall  like  the  love-sick  Montague,  found 
myself  under  the  window  of  her  I  adored.  The  clock  tolled 
eleven  as  I  stood  with  my  back  against  a  mulberry-tree,  and 
nearly  hidden  by  the  shade  it  afforded. 

Presently  I  was  rewarded  by  the  appearance  oi  a  light  at 
Miss  Villeroy's  window,  which  flitted  backwards  and  forwards 
in  the  apartment,  and  then  became  stationary.  "  The  flame  o* 
the  taper  (methought)  bows  towards  her."  I  was  about  to 
strike  upon  my  instrument,  but  at  that  moment  she  appeared, 
and,  throwing  open  the  window,  looked  out  upon  the  moonlit 

garden  beneath.  What  a  picture  was  there  for  a  Juliet !  Her 
ark  ringlets  almost  concealed  her  cheek  of  cream  as  she  leant 
from  the  casement.  She  looked  long  and  fixedly  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Grange.  I  was  about  to  discover  myself,  when, 
some  one  within  the  room  speaking  to  her,  she  withdrew  and 
shut  the  casement. 

Presently  the  light  was  removed,  and  all  remained  quiet. 
Then,  when  I  thought  the  inhabitants  of  the  hall  had  retired 
for  the  night,  I  touched  the  strings  of  my  guitar,  and  com- 
menced  my  serenade. 

THE  SERENADE. 

"  You  sleep — and  o'er  your  slumbers  light 

May  happy  visions  play, 
And  people  thy  soft  dreams  at  night 
With  all  the  joys  of  day. 

"You  sleep — your  long  hair  twined  around 

A  neck  like  mountain  snow ; 
Your  sweet  lips  hushed  in  slumber  sound, 
No  more  with  music  flow. 


64  THE  SOLDIER   OF   FORTUNE. 

"  You  sleep — your  dark  eye  shines  not  now 

Nor  beams  like  love's  own  star : 
The  smoothness  of  your  soft  white  brow 
May  sorrow  never  mar  ! 

"You  sleep — your  small  hands  gently  lie 

Like  snowdrops  of  the  spring ; 
The  fringe  that  guards  thy  close  shut  eye, 
Is  like  the  black  cock's  wing. 

"  You  sleep — and  on  your  lip  a  smile, 

Nursed  by  young  Cupid,  lies ; 
Its  silent  eloquence  would  wile 
A  spirit  from  the  skies. 

"  You  sleep — in  beauty  more  supreme 

Than  Persia's  daughters  proud, 
More  lovely  than  the  early  beam 
That  gilds  the  morning  cloud. 

"  You  sleep — like  moonbeams  on  a  flower 

In  purity  sublime, 
As  rests  in  light  a  joyous  hour 
Upon  the  breast  of  Time. 

«'  You  sleep — like  some  rich  lily  fair, 

That  rests  in  shady  dell. 
In  thy  dear  heart  is  any  care 
For  him  who  loves  tliee  well  ?" 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"  Thou  fearful  man, 
Affliction  is  enamoured  of  thy  parts, 
And  thou  art  wedded  to  calamity." 

SHAKSPEAKE. 

"  Strike  on  the  tinder,  ho ! 
Give  me  a  taper ; — call  up  all  my  people ; 
This  accident  is  not  unlike  my  dream  ; 
Belief  of  it  oppresses  me  already ; 
Light,  I  say!  light!" 

SHAKSPEARE. 

I  HAD  proceeded  thus  far  with  my  song,  and  might  have 
-perhaps  continued  it,  till  I  favoured  the  night  owls  with  as 
many  more  stanzas,  when  suddenly  I  became  aware  that  I  was 
not  alone  in  the  gardens.  Indeed,  I  had  been  half  conscious, 
during  the  two  last  stanzas,  that  a  sort  of  quavering  chorus 
was  kept  up  near  me;  but  I  took  it  for  the  echo,  or  reverbera- 
iionofmy  own  voice  sent  back  from  the  stone  walls  of  the 
building.  However,  the  last  words  were  repeated  in  a  sort  of 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  65 

half  maudlin,  sotto  voce,  by  a  figure  which,  leaning  upon  his 
gun,  looked,  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees,  like  one  of  the  hunts- 
men in  Der  Freischutz.  At  first,  supposing  it  one  of  the  keep- 
ers who  had  been  attracted  by  the  melody  of  my  guitar,  I  was 
about  to  bid  him  good  night,  and  shift  my  quarters ;  but  the 
fellow  anticipated  me  by  coming  forward. 

"Good  night  to  you,  Master  Blount;"  said  he,  "a  pretty 
caterwauling  this,  you're  making  here." 

He  was  evidently  half  drunk,  and  as  he  spoke,  the  moon, 
shining  full  upon  his  hang-dog  visage,  I  recollected  the  trucu- 
lent rutfian  whom  I  have  before  mentioned  as  having  witnessed 
my  unlucky  adventure  with  Miss  Villeroy's  father.  Indeed,  I 
have  omitted  to  record  in  the  "  twisted  and  ravelled  skein  of 
this  history,"  that  after  my  first  encounter  with  this  man,  I 
had  succeeded  in  purchasing  his  silence  regarding  the  baronet's 
death. 

At  the  present  moment  I  felt  annoyed  and  vexed  at  his  pre- 
sence, and  would  fain  have  left  the  garden,  but  his  dogged  in- 
solence permitted  not  my  doing  so.  His  success  on  a  former 
occasion  rendered  him  again  desirous  of  making  an  attack  upon 
my  purse.  Had  I  acceded  to  his  demand  for  money,  all  per- 
haps had  been  well ;  but  my  choler  arose,  and  seizing  him  by 
the  throat,  I  threatened,  unless  he  quitted  the  spot,  to  drag 
him  from  the  gardens. 

He  was,  however,  a  resolute  fellow,  as  ready  to  strike  as  to 


"  Stand  back,"  cried  he,  suddenly  shaking  himself  clear  of 
my  grasp,  "  unless  you  want  a  charge  of  shot  through  your 
lungs." 

He  clapped  the  muzzle  of  his  piece  to  my  breast  as  he  said 
this.  The  next  instant  I  had  struck  it  aside,  and  closed  with 
him.  He  pulled  the  trigger  as  I  did  so,  and  the  smash  of  half- 
a-dozen  panes  of  glass,  accompanied  by  a  female  shriek,  told 
that,  although  he  had  missed  my  unfortunate  carcase,  he  had 
brought  down  some  person  within  the  house. 

It  was  even  so.  I  had  never  considered  whilst  I  sung,  that 
my  serenade  was  likely  to  delight  the  ears  of  any  one  besides 
Miss  Villeroy,  who,  in  fact,  had  not  heard  a  single  stanza: 
whilst  poor  old  Mistress  Allworthy,  who  reposed  upon  the 
ground-floor,  having  been  effectually  prevented  from  sleeping 
by  my  ditty,  arose  from  her  bed  to  observe  who  thus  thrumbed 
before  her  lattice,  and  received  the  contents  of  the  poacher's 
fowling-piece  full  in  her  unfortunate  face. 

At  first  I  thought  the  unlucky  villain  had  shot  Miss  Ville- 
roy ;  but  a  sisigle  glance  showed  me  such  was  not  the  case ; 
the  casement  on  the  ground-floor  being  the  one  shattered. 

Meantime,  I  held  the  fellow  so  tightly,  that  he  found  it  im- 
possible to  get  free.  Indeed,  I  felt  almost  inclined  to  strangle 

p 


66  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTTNE. 

him,  so  great  was  my  anger  at  the  miserable  termination  he 
had  caused  to- my  serenade ;  but  I  thank  Heaven  the  words  of 
my  father  on  that  very  morning,  came  to  my  remembrance, 
and  I  contented  myself  with  keeping  him  secure. 

Finding  himself  unable  to  get  free,  he  made  a  desperate 
thrust  at  my  breast,  with  a  knife  he  managed  to  get  out  of  his 
pocket.  I  wras,  however,  aware  of  his  purpose,  and  prevented 
the  thrust  taking  effect.  And  now  commenced  a  deadly 
struggle  for  the  mastery,  in  the  midst  of  which  we  went  down 
together,  and  lay  rolling  and  fighting  under  the  tree  where  I 
had  begun  my  unlucky  serenade.  It  was  fortunate,  indeed, 
that  we  fell  at  that  moment,  as  I  heard,  whilst  we  grappled 
together,  a  casement  swung  cautiously  open,  and  the  servants 
in  fall  consultation. 

"  There  a  be  Thummus,"  said  the  head-coachman ;  "  I  saw'd 
un  go  under  the  mulberry-tree  this  moment.  Give  un  Brown 
Bess  like  a  good  un." 

The  sweeping  discharge  of  a  well-filled  blunderbuss  imme- 
diately rung  out,  and  half-a-score  of  slugs  rattled  amongst  the 
foliage  above  our  heads. 

My  foe  now  redoubled  his  efforts  to  escape.  I  however  helf* 
him  secure,  and  dragged  him  into  the  open  space. 

The  moment  I  did  so,  a  gun  was  again  discharged  from  the 
open  window,  and  the  shots  (luckily  too  far  off  to  do  us  any 
harm)  penetrated  our  clothes,  and  stung  our  bodies  like  a  swarm 
of  hornets.  The  poacher  shook  his  ears  as  the  shower  flew 
about  him,  and  half-a-dozen  pellets  entered  his  black-looking 
visage :  a  small  retribution  for  what  he  had  just  inflicted  upon 
Mistress  Allworthy's  respected  countenance.  I  called  out  to 
these  heroes  to  cease  firing,  as  I  had  captured  the  offender,  or 
rather  that  the  culprits  had  captured  each  other.  Such,  how- 
ever, was  their  alarm,  that  (having  reloaded  the  blunderbuss) 
they  gave  us  the  benefit  of  another  discharge  ere  they  did  so ; 
and  shot  and  slugs  flew  about  our  bodies,  whistling  in  the  night 
air,  and  cutting  the  shrubs  of  the  garden  all  round  the  spot 
where  we  continued  so  affectionately  locked  in  each  other's  em- 
brace. Indeed,  I  should  have  been  obliged  to  give  up  my  cap- 
ture, and  remove  from  the  vicinity  and  range  of  the  besieged, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  interference  of  the  butler  of  the  Hall,  who, 
recognising  my  voice,  effected  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 

On  the  sally  of  the  garrison,  therefore  (which  immediately 
took  place,  on  finding  an  ally  under  the  walls,  and  the  enemy 
taken  prisoner),  I  delivered  him  up  to  their  custody.  As  for 
me,  as  I  entered  the  house,  I  felt  afraid  to  learn  the  extent  of 
the  mischief  I  had  caused, 

I  found  the  female  servants  clinging  for  protection  around 
the  portly  form  of  Thummas  Brasington  the  coachman,  who 
(although  during  the  heat  of  the  engagement  he  had  winked  at 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  67 

the  flash  of  his  own  weapon)  was  now  manfully  chiding  the 
fears  of  the  females.  From  this  party  I  learned,  that  it  was 
Mrs.  Allworthy  who  was  the  sufferer;  and  had.  I  believed  the 
direful  story  they  related,  I  should  have  credited  an  account 
dreadful  as  the  exaggerated^  report  of  Sir  Peter  Teazle's  duel, 
in  which  the  pistol  ball  of  his  opponent,  after  doing  incredible 
mischief,  knocked  over  the  general  postman  with  a  double- 
letter  from  Northamptonshire. 

Leaving  them,  therefore,  I  sought  Mrs.  All  worthy's  apart- 
ment, knocked  at  the  door,  and  begged  to  know  the  extent  of 
the  mischief.  It  was  answered  by  Miss  Villeroy  herself,  who, 
on  the  alarm,  had  hastily  thrown  on  her  clothes,  and  descended 
to  Mrs.  Allworthy 's  room.  From  her  I  learned  that  the  old 
lady's  respected  countenance  had  been  grievously  wounded  by 
small  shot:  and  although  she  was  much  pained  by  the  inflic- 
tion, she  treated  the  accident  lightly;  and  having  witnessed 
the  passage  of  arms  before  her  window,  was  more  anxious  about 
iny  safety  than  her  own  misfortune. 

As  Miss  Villeroy  herself  was,  however,  in  much  alarm  about 
her  friend,  having  learned  the  extent  of  the  mischief,  I  returned 
to  the  village,  in  order  to  despatch  a  medical  man  to  her  as- 
sistance. 

As  I  hastened  onwards,  I  held  council  with  myself  about  the 
unlucky  chances  that  had  of  late  befallen  me.  My  acquaintance 
amongst  the  faculty  was  becoming  extensive. 

"  This  is  the  third  errand,  Master  Hatcliffe  Blount,"  said  I 
to  myself,  "  that  you.  have  undertaken  of  the  same  sort,  and  all 
to  repair  the  mishaps  and  misfortunes  you  yourself  have 
caused."  The  reflection  was  not  a  pleasant  one.  I  hated  un- 
pleasant reflections.  "What  signifies  looking  back,"  said  I, 
"when  the  journey  lies  forward?  But  then,  that  unlucky 
scoundrel  of  a  poacher.  My  intemperate  zeal,  in  capturing 
that  rascal,  was  the  most  unlucky  scrape  of  all.  N'importe, 
'twas  too  late  to  think  about  it  now;  the  deed  was  done,  and  I 
had  reached  the  village." 

Knocking  up  mine  hostess  of  the  little  inn  at  Woodville 
where  I  had  dined,  she  directed  me  to  the  house  of  the  most 
eminent  practitioner  of  the  place. 

"  If  you  can  get  him  up,"  said  the  landlady,  "'  you'll  be 
cleverer  than  most  people,  for  he's  a  queer  chap  yon^  and  not 
fond  of  attending  upon  folks,  either  by  night  or  day." 

I  however  effectually  aroused,  waited  for,  and  returned  with 
the  doctor  to  Marston  Hall. 

Mistress  Allworthy  had  now  left  her  apartment,  and  was 
lying  on  a  sofa  in  the  drawing  room.  She  was  pallid  and  faint 
from  loss  of  blood,  but  lively  as  ever. 

"Come,  Sir,"  said  she,  "  produce  the  man  of  art,  for,  believe 
me,  I  am  very  ill;  though,  indeed,  after  all,  I  believe  a  bottle 

F  2 


68  THE  SOLDIEE  OP  FOBTUNE. 

of  Kuspini's  Styptic,  and  a  half-pennyworth  of  lint,  (if  I  had 
them  here),  would  be  worth  all  the  surgeons  in  the  kingdom. 

Dr.  Misaubin,  the  professional  I  thus  captured  and  brought 
with  me,  was  an  elderly  man,  of  eccentric  mariners  and  extra- 
ordinary appearance.  His  conversation  was  curious,  as  his 
manners  were  odd,  being  interlarded  with  a  continual  series  of 
scraps  from  old  plays,  and  extracts  from  his  various  reading, 
and  he  introduced  himself  accordingly. 

Stopping  short,  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  apartment,  he 

guietly  took  out  and  adjusted  his  spectacles,  and  with  his  gold- 
eaded  cane  to  his  nose,  he  bent  a  long  and  searching  look  upon 
every  part  of  the  room,  and  each  individual  in  it.     He  finished 
his  survey  as  soon  as  his  eye  alighted  upon  the  invalid,  and  he 
immediately  stepped  up,  and  examined  her  wounded  face. 

''Upon  my  word,  madam,"  said  he,  taking  from  his  pocket 
a  flask,  and  pouring  out  about  a  glassful  of  its  contents ;  "  upon 
my  word,  madam,  you  seem  to  have  been  made  the  mark  of 
smokj'-muskets ;  permit  me  to  prescribe  a  restorative  in  the 
first  instance." 

^  After  examining  the  wounds  of  his  patient,  the  doctor  de- 
sired her  to  be  removed  back  to  her  own  apartments,  in  order 
that  he  might  extract  some  of  the  shot  which  disfigured  her 
countenance.  Miss  Yilleroy  accompanied  her,  and  I  remained 
to  learn  the  result. 

The  night  was  far  spent  before  Miss  Villeroy  returned.  She 
informed  me  that  the  patient  was  much  exhausted  from  loss  of 
blood;  but  that  the  doctor  had  succeeded  in  rendering  her  a 
trifle  less  like  a  tattooed  red  Indian.  I  was  obliged  to  explain 
the  part  I  had  in  the  transaction,  for  which  I  ventured  the 
more  readily  to  hope  for  forgiveness,  as  the  accident  had  hap- 
pened from  my  devotion  and  serenade. 

I  threw  myself  upon  my  knees,  as  I  pleaded  my  suit.  Miss 
Villeroy  seemed  annoyed  and  vexed.  She  was  seated  beside 
the  table,  her  cheek  leant  upon  her  hand,  and  as  I  seized  upon 
its  fellow, 

"  My  lips,  two  blushing  pilgrims  ready  stood, 
To  smooth  that  rough  touch  with  a  gentle  kiss." 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Dr.  Misaubin  re- 
entered. 

The  doctor  was  a  great  observer.  He  stopped  short  when 
he  saw  he  had  interrupted  a  love-scene,  bowed  to  the  lady  as 
she  left  the  room,  and  then  approaching,  as  I  arose  accosted 
me  with  a  quotation  from  his  favourite  Hudibras : — 

"  Forgive  me  fair,  and  only  blame 
The  extravagancy  of  my  flame  ; 
Since  'tis  too  much  at  once  too  shew 
Excess  of  love  and  temper  too." 


THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FOBTUNE.  69 

"How  do  you  once  more,  sir?"  he  continued.  "Really, 
you  rode  before  me,  at  so  fearful  a  pace  just  now,  that  until 
this  moment  I  have  not  had  opportunity  of  exchanging  a  word 
with  you.  You  reminded  me,  sir,  of  that  humorous  fellow, 
Andrew  Fairservice,  who  galloped  over  moss  and  moor  on  the 
night  he  acted  as  guide  to  Francis  Osbaldiston  across  the 
border.  I  really  was  obliged  to  track  you  by  the  sparks  from 
your  horse's  shoes,  upon  the  beaten  flint.  May  I  beg  the 
favour  of  your  name?" 

"  Blount,  sir,"  I  said,  "  at  your  service." 

"  What,  of  the  Grange  here,  hard  by?" 

"  The  same,"  I  answered. 

"  Truly,  I  am  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  of  making  your 
acquaintance,  Mr.  Blount,"  returned  the  doctor.  "And  now, 
inform  me  if  that  young  lady  who  left  the  apartment  is  Miss 
Villeroy.  I  thought  as  much,"  said  he,  "  from  her  extraordi- 
nary beauty.  You  admire  Miss  Villeroy,  Mr.  Blount;  I  see 
you  do. 

•If  lusty  love  should  go  in  quest  of  beauty, 
Where  should  he  find  it  fairer  than  in  Blanche  ?' 


Don't  be  angry,  Mr.  Blount,"  he  continued,  ofierii 
snuff-box ;  "  take  a  pinch  of  this  rappee.    Eather  a  ci 


offering  me  his 
a  curious  sort 

of  an  accident  this  old  gentlewoman,  my  patient,  has  met 
with." 

"  I  was  about  to  ask  you,  sir,"  said  I,  interrupting  his  loqua- 
cious mood,  "what  is  your  opinion  of  her  case?  I  trust  that 
a  few  days'  inconvenience  to  her  will  be  the  extent  of  the 
mischief." 

"A  few  days'  what?"  almost  shrieked  the  doctor;  "why, 
what  in  the  fiend's  name  do  you — do  you  pretend  to  know 
about  gun-shot  wounds,  my  dear  sir;  that  old  lady  will  perhaps 
have  erysipelas  in  a  few  days,  and  die  in  the  torments  of  St. 
Anthony's  fire.  Inconvenience !  quotha,  as  who  should  say,  a 
female  aged,  without  mark  of  mouth  or  even  tooth  in  her  head, 
could  receive  a  matter  of  a  couple  of  score  of  leaden  pellets  in 
her  cheeks,  lips,  and  chin,  with  half  as  many  perforating  her 
neck  and  breast,  and  only  suffer  a  few  days'  inconvenience! 
Sir,  I  tell  you,  upon  the  faith  of  a  practitioner  of  five-and- 
thirty  years,  that  old  lady,  if  she  does  not  expire  of  erysipela- 
tous  inflammation,  will  be  likely  to  be  seized  with  tetanus,  in 
the  vulgar  tongue,  lock-jaw,  but 

•  Why  so  pale  and  wan,  fond  lover, 
Prithee  why  so  pale  P 

Come,  I  am  not  quite  serious,  and  hope  and  trust  that,  as  you 
say,  a  few  days  of  my  attendance  will  set  all  to  rights.  Pome 


70  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

the  favour  to  lay  hands  upon  that  bell.  I  am  told  there  is 
another  patient  here  in  the  person  of  the  prisoner  ta'en.  The 
captive  of  thy  spear  and  thy  bow." 

I  accordingly  accompanied  the  lively  doctor  into  a  room,  in 
the  lowei  part  of  the  house,  where  my  evil  genius  was  kept 
in  durance,  guarded  by  that  redoubtable  hero  of  the  blunder- 
buss, Thummas  Brassington,  who,  weapon  in  hand,  was  in 
waiting  as  gaoler  and  sentinel  without  the  door. 

"  Come,  Buckingham,"  said  the  doctor,  "  some  of  your  func- 
tion; turn  the  key,  and  let  us  see  this  formidable  hero." 

The  poacher  was  sitting  in  a  chair,  close  against  the  wall, 
with  his  feet  thrust  out  before  him,  and  apparently  half  asleep. 
The  doctor  took  the  candle  and  approached  him : 

"  Why,  you  cateran,  you  born  devil !  as  Nichol  Jarvie  has 
it,  what  a  visage  thou  hast  gotten :  what  with  thy  accustomed 
hideousness,  and  the  blood  and  dirt  thou  art  begrimed  in, 
you  look  like  the  genius  of  rapine  and  murder." 

"  I  never  murdered  any  one  yet,"  said  the  fellow,  "whatever 
I  may  do ;  and  that's  more  than  some  of  the  present  company 
can  say.  I  don't  allude  to  you,  doctor,  though  I  dare  say 
you've  not  gotten  a  cleaner  breast  than  others  of  the  physicing 
trade ;  but  we  shall  see,  since  young  master  there  has  brought 
me  to  this,  whether  I  cannot  make  a  nice  story  of  his  doings." 

"  What  the  devil  does  the  injurious  thief  mean?"  said  the 
doctor.  "  Hold  your  tongue,  thou  canker  of  a  calm  world,  or 
tell  us  where  you  have  been  hurt,  and  what  we  can  do  for  you. 
Are  you  struck  anywhere,  besides  in  your  Caliban  visage?" 

"  There's  not  much  the  matter,  doctor,"  said  the  poacher : 
"I've  had  small  shot  in  my  hide  before  to-day.  So  unless  you 
mean  to  release  me,  I  shan't  trouble  you  to  bother  yourself 
about  my  wounds." 

"  I  let  thee  out  of  durance!"  said  the  physician.  "  I  unma- 
nacle  thy  caitiff  limbs  !  Marry,  I'll  see  thee  hanged  (which  I 
think  in  truth  I  am  like  enough  to  do)  ere  I  give  thee  oppor- 
tunity 'to  rob  a  foot  further.'" 

"  Then,"  returned  the  ruffian,  "  go,  and  take  your  gibberish 
elsewhere." 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  the  doctor,  "  our  consultation 
has  lasted  a  sufficient  time.  With  regard  to  this  gentleman,  I 
know  of  nothing  so  likely  to  suit  his  malady  as  a  ligature 
applied  over  the  muscles  of  his  throat,  and  an  uncertain  foun- 
dation beneath  his  feet.  He  is  troubled  with  a  redundancy  of 
rascality ;  this  fellow,  I  know  him  better  than  he  knows  him- 
self. Thomas  Brassington,"  continued  he,  taking  the  coach- 
man's gun  from  him,  "traverse  me  your  caliver  thus;  and 
attend  upon  this  civil  gentleman  within  the  apartment — mind, 
within  the  apartment ;  or  whilst  you  are  looking  fierce  and 
playing  soldiers  there  outside  the  door,  this  '  minion  of  the 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  71 

moon'  will  be  shaking  the  dust  from  his  feet,  and  making  him- 
self beautiful  upon  the  hills  withoutside  the  mansion.  Why, 
this  fellow,  Mr.  Blount,  has  broken  half  the  jails  in  the  country. 
Now,  sir,  I  am  ready  to  attend  you." 

And  the  doctor,  leaving  the  apartment,  ascended  to  the  hall. 

"Your  guitar.  Sir,"  said  the  footman,  who  had  waited  on  us: 
"  we  found  it  lying  under  the  mulberry-tree,  and  the  man's  gun 
also,  sir,  we  have  got  here." 

"  Keep  the  gun  till  called  for,"  I  said. 

"  And  light  the  kitchen  fire  with  that  crotchet  box,"  added 
the  doctor ;  "for!  never  yet  knew  or  heard  of  any  good  that 
came  of  serenading  old  dowagers  by  moonlight.  And  now, 
Sir  John  Blount,  of  the  Dale,  or  Grange,  or  whatever  else  you 
love  to  be  styled  by,  what  are  you  about  to  do  with  yourself 
after  this  last  action  ?  Do  you  mean  to  '  incontinently  drown 
yourself?'  Or  are  you  going  to  your  own  home  to  bed  ?  Or, 
as  the  lovely  Aurora  is  just  about  to  disclose  herself  from  the 
balconies  of  the  east,  suppose  you  ride  home  with  me.  We 
will  have  a  strong  cup  of  coffee,  my  custom  always  in  the 
morning,  when  I  have  been  molested  and  called  up  in  the 
night;  after  that  I  will  show  you  over  my  farm;  after  which, 
you  shall  breakfast  with  me.  When  that  is  over,  we  will  have 
a  dish  of  chat,  and  by  that  time  it  will  be  requisite  for  me  to 
revisit  my  patient  here." 

I  accepted  the  doctor's  offer,  and  the  village  being  only  two 
miles  from  the  Hall,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  I  accompanied 
him  home. 

The  old  gentleman's  house  was  just  at  the  end  of  the  long 
street  (of  which  the  village  was,  indeed,  composed),  and  he  let 
himself  in  without  disturbing  the  servants,  after  having  stabled 
his  steed,  and  taken  off  the  bridle  and  saddle  himself.  There 
was  fire  in  his  parlour,  coffee-pot  on  the  hob,  and  cups  and 
saucers  on  the  table.  The  doctor  boiled  his  coffee,  blew  up  his 
fire,  uttered  at  least  a  couple  of  dozen  quotations  from  his 
favourite  Shakspere  as  he  did  so,  lighted  a  cigar,  and  motion- 
ing me  to  seat  myself  in  one  of  the  easy  chairs  by  the  fire,  took 
the  other  himself,  and  then  pouring  out  his  favourite  beverage, 
leaned  back  in  his  seat,  and  scarcely  uttered  even  a  line  from 
Ms  beloved  author,  until  he  had  puffed  away  his  cigar  to  the 
very  nose. 

"  My  havannah  has  evaporated,"  he  then  said,  "  and  now  I 
am  ready  to  give  audience  to  any  tongue,  speak  it  of  what  it 
may.  Mr.  Blount,  you  must  know  I  have  rather  taken  a  fancy 
to  you.  You  seem  to  me  a  proper  and  extremely  modest 
youth.  Come,  another  cup  of  coffee ;  I  always  think  that  the 
cursed  misery  of  being  dragged  from  one's  bed,  and  out  of  a 
fresh  sleep  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  is  nearly  atoned  for  by 
the  delight  of  a  cup  of  well-made  coffee  and  mine  havannali 


72  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

on  returning  home;  and  now,  if  you  feel  inclined  to  wander 
with  me  over  my  farm,  have  with  you." 

The  doctor's  farm  was  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from 
his  house,  and  was  his  hobby.  Being  independent  of  his 
profession,  which  yet  he  professed  to  practise,  he  spent  most  of 
his  time  at  his  farm;  indeed,  when  once  he  got  safe  there,  it 
was  a  hard  job  to  draw  him  from  his  earth.  He  had  only  been 
a  year  in  the  village  of  Woodville,  having  for  some  few  years 
before  resided  in  the  town  of  Sheffield ;  but  Ms  reputation  as 
a  clever  although  extremely  odd  man,  was  great.  In  early 
life,  he  had  been  surgeon  to  a  regiment  of  the  line,  and  seen 
much  service.  Indeed,  so  great  a  favourite  was  he  in  the  corps 
to  which  he  belonged,  that  his  retirement  was  regarded  as  a 
calamity  by  the  whole  corps.  In  the  regiment  he  went  by  the 
name  of  Will  Shakspere ;  not  from  any  likeness  he  bore  to  the 
bust  or  picture  of  Nature's  '  private  secretary,'  but  because  he 
had  him,  amongst  others,  eternally  at  his  tongue's  end,  and 
consequently,  whenever  he  spoke,  quotations  from  various 
authors  seemed  to  quarrel  for  utterance.  With  the  doctor, 
then,  I  walked  forth,  accompanied  by  half-a-dozen  bandy- 
legged terriers  of  all  sorts  and  sizes ;  so  that,  being  an  odd- 
looking  little  man,  with  an  exceeding  red  face,  and  not 
particularly  smart  in  his  appearance,  wearing  an  antique  and 
half  military  cat  coat,  and  horseman's  boots  pulled  up  nearly 
to  his  knees,  at  the  first  glance  he  was  rather  a  puzzling  figure 
to  understand. 

He  showed  me  his  farm,  and  the  improvements  he  had  made; 
and  might,  perhaps,  have  omitted  to  go  home  to  breakfast 
altogether,  had  he  not  recollected  having  invited  me  to  partake 
of  that  meal  with  him.  Accordingly,  we  returned  to  enjoy 
some  of  the  luxuries  his  hobby  afforded,  and  found  a  table 
covered  with  a  meal  which  would  have  served  for  a  highland 
breakfast. 

"  How  now,  dame  Partlet,  the  hen,"  he  commenced  to  an 
old  woman,  his  only  attendant,  one  of  those  clever  useful  old 
bodies,  who  make  a  house  more  comfortable,  and  get  through 
more  work  than  half-a-score  of  your  London  bred  servants  : 
"  Bring  us  another '  chalice  for  the  nonce,'  and  make  the  tea  in- 
stanter.  Now  that  old  creature,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he  to  me, 
understands  everything  I  say  to  her  from  the  motion  of  my 
lips  ;  for  she  has  been  deaf  as  a  post  the  two-and-forty  years, 
*  Heaver  reward  her  for  it !'  As  for  me,  I  have  exhausted  mine 
art  and  my  lungs  in  trying  to  make  her  hear.  What  the  devil 
are  you  at  ?"  he  roared  to  the  old  dame,  who,  heeding  him  no 
more  than  if  he  had  been  a  post,  indeed,  blew  up  the  fire. 
"  What  the  devil  are  ye  at?  '  All  the  plagues  of  Sycorax,  toads, 
beetles,  bats,  light  on  you."  What's  all  this  trouble  to  make  '  fire 
burn  and  kettle  bubble  ?'  Come,  Mr.  Blount,  here's  eggs,  ham, 
tongues  and  fowls ;  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  and  half-a-dozen  things 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOBTUNE.  73 

beside.  So  to  breakfast  with  what  appetite  you  may :  '  Avaunt 
and  quit  the  presence,  Sycorax,'  'plod  away  on  the  hoof,' 
*  seek  shelter,  pack.'  Kick  all  these  freckled  whelps  out  before 
ye,  and  give  'em  some  breakfast,  too." 

The  dogs,  who  seemed  to  understand  their  master  as  well  as 
the  old  dame,  trotted  out  with  her,  and  we  were  left  to  the 
pleasure  of  our  meal. 

"It  is  not  often,"  said  the  doctor,  "that  I  am  honoured 
with  the  company  of  a  guest,  either  at  breakfast,  dinner,  or 
supper,  Mr.  Blount ;  but  as  I  told  you  just  now,  I  have  taken 
rather  a  liking  to  you ;  I  know  not  wherefore,  except  that  you 
do  not  look  happy  or  prosperous  in  this  '  wide  and  universal 
theatre.'  You  are  the  only  exact  personification  of  the  Master 
of  Ravenswood,  I  ever  saw  in  life.  Take  some  more  cream 
to  your  coffee  :  and  had  you  but  a  coal-heaver's  hat  on  your 
head,  and  a  bottle-green  tunic  on  your  body,  as  you  sit  there 
opposite  me,  I  should  fancy  myself  that  old  hen-pecked  sneak- 
cap,  the  lord-keeper,  taking  my  breakfast  in  the  tower  of 
Wolfs  Craig.  Come,  you  must  eat  that  chicken,  and  those 
eggs,  and  that  bacon.  Hand  me  your  cup,  and  leave  the 
'berry-bitch'  for  the  tea-pot.  No,  it's  not  often  that  I 
allow  myself  to  be  intruded  upon :  and  my  duenna  here  has 
orders  to  deny  me  to  all  comers  during  my  meals." 

"But,"  I  said,  "  suppose  it  to  be  an  accident,  where  a  few 
minutes  gained  might  save  the  life  of  the  patient:  or  a  fit  of 
apoplexy,  or  something  of  that  sort." 

"Well,  sir,  what  then?"  returned  the  doctor;  "what  then? 
'  Fore  me  this  fellow  speaks,'  what's  that  to  me,  sir.  There's 
Doctor  Stirrit  t'other  side  the  way,  let  him  try  his  skill." 

"  But  he  may  be  out,"  I  said. 

"  And  am  I  to  put  myself,"  he  answered,  "in  the  very  situa- 
tion of  the  knave  who  has  sent  for  me,  and  fall  down  in  a  fit 
of  that  same  '  whoreson  apoplex'  described  by  Galen,  and  under 
which  the  patient  is  lying(awholesomeexample,asortof  memento 
mori),  by  Being  hurried  out  of  my  parlour  here,  vino  ciboque  gra~ 
vatus.  Not  I,  believe  me ;  I  am  an  old  and  infirm  man  myself,  Mr. 
Blount,  and  have  spent  the  better  part  of  my  life  in  foreign 
climes.  No,  no  ;  I  have  no  objection  to  do  my  best,  as  far  as 
in  me  lies,  to  benefit  my  neighbours ;  but  if  they  will  dig  their 
graves  with  their  teeth,  I  cannot  help  it.  Well,  and  so  if  you 
will  not  take  anything  more,  we'll  have  half-an-hour's  chat  before 
we  pay  a  visit  to  the  Hall.  You  seem  a  favourite,  Mr.  Blount, 
with  the  good  old  dame,  whose  countenance,  according  to  your 
own  showing,  you  have  so  injured.  Are  your  elegant  friends 
yonder,  relatives  as  well  as  admirers  of  yours  ?  Excuse  me, 
but  what  great  ones  do,  the  less  will  prattle  of.  You  are  not 
altogether  unknown  to  me  by  name,  and  your  reputation  is 
gone  rather  like  a  jolting  hackney-coach,  (as  Sancho  has  it,) 
and  been  tossed  about  like  a  tennis-ball.  I  expected  to  find  in 


74  THE   SOLDIER  OF   FOETUNE. 

Mr.  Blount,  instead  of  a  quiet,  unassuming  young  fellow,  an 
imperious,  haughty,  overbearing  puppy." 

"  Except,"  I  replied,  "by  some  youths  of  my  own  age,  and 
whom  I  have  met  in  the  hunting-field,  I  am  not  known  to  many 
persons  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  My  father  lives  a 
very  secluded  life." 

"  That's  wondrous  pitiful,"  said  the  doctor,  "  in  every  sense  ; 
and  perhaps,  you  are  thought  to  set  yourself  above  your  neigh- 
bours hereabouts,  on  account  of  the  oldness  of  your  Norman 
shield :  however,  I  cannot  say  you  experience  much  loss,  as 
society  is  constituted  now-a-days.  As  for  me,  all  I  ask  of  the 
world  is  to  avoid  me ;  to  say  of  me  what  they  like,  but  leave 
me  to  enjoy  my  hours  of  idleness  without  interruption. — 
Here  I  am,  as  you  see,  with  my  farm,  which  estate  being 
left  me  by  a  relative,  was  the  cause  of  my  exchanging.  Here 
I  am  with  my  goats,  as  that  capricious  poet  Ovid  was  amongst 
the  Goths,  '  content  with  my  own  harm ;  glad  of  other  men's 
good,  and  the  greatest  of  my  pride  is,  to  see  my  ewes  graze, 
and  my  lambs  suck.'" 

"  *  Such  an  one  is  a  natural  philosopher,' "  I  added,  from  the 
same  play;  and  the  doctor,  who  found  in  me  a  kindred 
spirit,  and  one  who  was  nearly  his  match  in  knowledge  of 
the  Bard,  grew  more  and  more  pleased  with  me  as  a  Ion 
camarado. 

In  short,  the  eccentric  manners  and  pleasant  society  of  this 
good  man  made  a  great  impression  upon  me ;  and  I  laughed 
and  chatted  with  him  with  the  greatest  delight.  Though  ever 
and  anon,  the  statement  I  was  sure  that  caitiff  poacher  would 
make,  when  brought  before  a  magistrate  for  his  attempt  at 
shooting  me,  and  the  unlucky  accident  which  happened  in 
consequence,  would  seize  me  like  some  sudden  pain,  and, 
breaking  the  career  of  laughter  with  a  sigh,  spoil  the  enjoyment 
of  the  hour. 

So  sharp  an  observer  as  my  host  could  not  fail  to  perceive  a 
mind  ill  at  ease. 

"  Halloo  !"  said  he,  at  last,  "  what  the  devil's  wrong  with  you  ? 
'Love  on  windy  colic.'  Why  you  change  from  Gray  to  Gay, 
from  swipes  to  wine.  Does  the  coffee  pinch  you,  or  is  your 
'mind  diseased,'  eh?" 

It  was  not  often  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  making  a 
friend;  here  I  found  a  man  whose  soul  I  could  read  in  a 
moment.  Under  an  exterior  of  much  oddity  and  eccentricity, 
some  roughness  of  manner,  he  possessed  a  disposition  gentle 
as  Zephyr;  but  directly  the  reverse,  where  he  found  rude 
treatment  or  worthless  customers.  To  this  new  friend  my 
heart  warmed,  and  before  I  had  left  his  hospitable  table,  I  told 
him  all  my  mishaps,  and  all  my  story.  The  doctor  was  a  good 
dealpuzzied  at  the  account. 

"  There  was  a  mixture  of  good  and  ill  in  my  conduct,   he 


THE   SOLDIER   OP   FOETUSTE.  25 

said ;  "  but  how  I  was  to  get  through  it  all,  and  achieve  the 
lady,  it  puzzled  him  to  fathom.  Here  is  a  mine  about  to  burst, 
if  it  has  not  already  blown  up,"  said  he,  "that  will  hoist  you 
into  the  air,  to  begin  with,  and  I  suppose  you  know  that  if  you 
mean  to  carry  this  lady  off,  it  must  be  over  the  prostrate  car- 
case of  her  other  admirer.  '  Not  to  flatter  ye,  you  have  as 
clear  a  case  of  battery  as  heart  can  wish ;'  but  come  what  may, 
I  am  your  friend,  so  long  as  you  carry  yourself  uprightly. 
You  are  a  good  youth ;  I  knew  as  much  from  the  first  glance, 
and  I  wish  your  credentials  from  the  Horse-guards  were  ar- 
rived, and  you  yourself  was  fairly  out  of  this  neighbourhood." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  You've  read  Shikspur,  my  lady  ? 
Never,  my  lord  duke. 
O',  I  love  Shikspur. 
Ah,  well  I'll  read  him  some  wet  afternoon." 

Actor's  Version  of  "  HIGH  LIFE  BELOW  STAIRS." 

"AND  now,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  the  worthy  doctor,  rising, 
"  for  the  next  three  hours  I  must  leave  you.  Stay  here  and 
read  Galen  and  Paracelsus,  or  anything  else  you  can  find  on 
those  book-shelves  to  amuse  you ;  '  or  in  pure  melancholy  and 
troubled  brain'  wander  over  my  farm ;  or  view  the  wonders  of 
the  village :  or,  in  fact,  amuse  yourself  as  best  seemeth 
to  yourself ;  only  promise  me  to  be  present  here  again  when 
my  dinner  is  upon  table,  and  which  I  shall  give  orders  for,  if 
agreeable,  at  five  o'  the  clock." 

Haying  accepted  the  good  man's  invitation,  he  called  for  his 
nag,  in  order  to  proceed  on  his  visit  to  the  Hall,  and  I  ac- 
companied him  into  the  stable-yard,  to  see  him  mount. 

His  horse  was  brought  out  by  a  queer-looking  nondescript 
animal,  who  officiated  as  groom  and  gardener,  making,  also, 
an  occasional  and  vastly  awkward  footman.  A  short,  square 
built,  ill-favoured  fellow,  with  herculean  proportions,  arid  a 
most  infantine  countenance ;  with  cheeks  puffed  out  as  if  he 
carried  two  eighteen-pound  shots,  by  way  of  plumpers,  and 
a  colour  in  them  deep  as  a  peonei.  There  was  evidently  be- 
tween master  and  man  a  deep-seated  feud,  and  consequent 
continued  state  of  hostility.  They  looked  daggers  at  each 
other,  as  the  old  gentleman  prepared  to  mount. 

"  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he,  as  he  climbed  with  some  difficulty 
into  the  saddle,  "  don't  forget  five  o'clock.  You,  sir,  Mister 
Frederick,  attend  in  the  house  to-day :  I've  company." 

"  Wh-wh-why,  zur,"  answered  the  gardener,  with  a  York- 


76  THE   SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE. 

sliire  accent,  and  an  extraordinary  stutter,  "  I've  three  hosses 
four  cows,  besides^he  pigs  at  yard.  Wh-wh-why,  how  can  ] 
come  in  at  house  P" 

"Why,  why,  why,"  iterated  the  doctor,  "let  the  cowi 
take  care  of  the  horses,  dolt,  and  the  pigs  can  amuse  eacl 
other." 

"O  de-ear,  O  dear!"  stuttered  the  serving-man,  "I  can'i 
abide  waiting  at  teable,  zur." 

"  Don't  stand  whoying  and  stuttering,  like  a  hog  in  a  higl 
wind,"  said  the  doctor,  "but  let  go  my  horse's  rein  and  gel 
out  of  the  road." 

"  I  bean't  to  wait  at  teable,  zur ;  be  I  ?"  said  the  gardener 
resolutely  keeping  his  ground. 

"Yes,  I  tell  you,  blockhead,"  returned  the  doctor ;  "yoi 
be " 

"  Then  dang  me  if  I  do  it,"  stammered  the  servant :  "  C 
de-ar,  I'm  sure  on't." 

"  Saw  you  ever  the  like  of  that,"  said  the  doctor,  turning  t( 
me,  "  here's  a  fellow,  with  a  stipend  and  a  livery-cloak,  thinkf 
himself  too  good  to  serve  ritt-master,  Dugald  Dalgetty,  o: 
Drumthwacket ;  quit  the  presence,  hound,"  said  he,  addressing 
the  groom,  "  either  obey,  or  leave  my  service — you're  the  mosi 
ill-conditioned  scoundrel  in  all  Illyria !" 

"  Wh-wh-why,  then,  I'm  sorry  I  ever  came  into  it,"  returnee 
the  gardener,  leaving  his  hold  upon  his  master's  rein,  and  step 
ping  aside ;  "  I'm  no  scoundrel :  pay  me  my  wages,  anc 
I'll  go." 

"  Clear  the  course,"  said  the  doctor,  clapping  spurs  to  hii 
horse,  and  almost  capsizing  his  serving-man,  by  way  of  final< 
to  the  dispute,  as  he  galloped  off. 

The  serving-man  felt  discomfited  and  enraged.  He  stooc 
looking  after  his  master,  his  cheeks  purple  with  rage ;  one  arn 
a-kimbo,  and  his  other  hand  pointing  like  a  tea-kettle  spout 
and  sputtering  forth  imprecations  and  threats,  like  that  vesse 
when  operated  upon  by  a  boiling  heat. 

After  giving  vent  to  a  portion  of  his  wrath,  he  turned  anc 
glanced  at  me  from  head  to  heel  with  a  look  of  the  most  con 
centrated  contempt ;  and  then  betaking  himself  to  the  garden 
he  commenced  digging  with  fearful  energy.  Not  a  little 
amused  at  this  pair  of  oddities,  I  returned  into  the  house ;  anc 
after  passing  a  quiet  half-hour  in  looking  over  the  doctor's 
collection  of  prints,  I  then  strolled  to  the  little  village  hotel 
where  I  had  borrowed  the  unlucky  guitar. 

The  fair  owner  of  the  instrument  was  profuse  in  her  congra- 
tulations on  my  escape;  the  news  of  the  adventure  having 
reached  her  with  the  usual  exaggeration  of  circumstance 
The  culprit,  too,  I  heard,  had  been  lodged  in  the  stronghold  oi 
the  village ;  and  after  whiling  away  another  hour  at  the  inn. 


THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  77 

proceeded  to  isake  my  way  to  Marston  Hall.    I  found  Miss 

illeroy  in  a  monstrous  flutter.  She  had  just  received  a  letter 
•om  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane,  who  was  on  her  way  to  Marston 
•om  Scotland.  The  Earl  of  Moreton  was  also  expected  to 
rrive  that  day. 

What  with  the  unlucky  accident  which  had  happened,  and 
le  expected  arrival  of  her  visitors,  she  appeared  excited  and 
onstrained  in  manner.  She  stood  in  great  awe  of  her  stately 
jlative,  the  duchess ;  and  I  thought  I  could  perceive  a  sort  of 
3cret  dread  of  being  chidden  about  the  familiar  footing  I  was 
pon  in  the  family.  It  has  ever  been  "  my  nature's  plague  to 
Loy  into  abuses;  and  oft  my  jealousy  shaped  faults  which  were 
ot."  With  some  hauteur  I  arose  to  take  my  leave. 

Miss  Villeroy  saw  that  I  was  offended.  She  rose  from  her 
eat,  and  presented  me  her  hand. 

"  Dp  not  leave  me  thus,"  she  said ;  "  I  am  unwell  to-day, 
jast  night's  accident,  and  consequent  want  of  rest,  haveunnerved 
ie;  when  I  have  laid  down  for  an  hour  or  two,  I  shall  recover, 
lean  while,  remain  here  till  Dr.  Misaubin  has  seen  his  patient, 
nd  write  me  a  copy  of  the  serenade  which  has  caused  all  this 
turry,  for  my  album." 

I  carried  her  hand  to  my  lips,  and  she  left  the  room. 

For  some  minutes  I  paced  up  and  down  the  apartment,  in  a 
tate  of  mind  by  no  means  enviable,  angry  with  myself,  and 
iut  of  sorts  with  all  the  world.  That  one  cool  reception  had 
down  half  my  love  to  heaven. 

I  threw  myself  into  a  chair,  and  took  pen  in  hand  to  write  a 
opy  of  the  serenade.  I  was  at  least  ten  minutes  in  getting 
brough  one  line,  whilst  the  paper  I  wrote  on  was  scrawled  all 
•ver  with  caricatures  and  hieroglyphics,  and  covered  with 
inseemly  blots. 

"  Master  K/atcliffe  Blount,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  thou  art  an 
uterloper  here ;  your  favour  begins  to  warp  at  Marston." 

I  looked  around  me  as  I  philosophized  upon  the  matter,  and 
[uestioned  the  propriety  of  allowing  my  passion  to  beat  down 
he  sense  of  pride  and  independence  I  had  hitherto  encouraged. 

My  thoughts  recurred  to  Constance  de  Clifford.  Would  this 
:ave  been  the  case  if  I  had  sought  her  love !  No !  that  noble 
pirit  would  scarce  have  been  afraid  to  own  the  feelings  of  hei 
teart. — The  usual  violence  of  my  feelinors  came  upon  me,  and 
!  resolved  to  write  a  farewell  epistle  to  Miss  Villeroy,  and  quit 
he  neighbourhood  for  ever.  Seizing  my  pen,  I  finished  my 
rerse,  and  commenced  my  letter.  It  was,  however,  much  easier 
;o  begin  than  to  finish  to  my  own  satisfaction.  It  was  like  the 
ilown's  letter  to  his  sweetheart,  in  which,  with  all  his  invention, 
ie  could  get  no  further  than,  "  My  dear  Molly." 

I  arose  and  promenaded  the  apartment ;  that  noble  old  room 
nto  which  I  had  been  first  introduced  when  I  came  in  such 
repidation  to  Marston. 


78  TJEE  SOLBIEE   OP  FOETT7NE. 

It  was  indeed  a  splendid  apartment.  The  ample  window- 
shutters  bore  the  household  coat  on  their  panels.  The  elabo- 
rately carved  mantelpiece,  on  which  the  cunning  artists  of 
old  had  exhausted  their  skill,  might  have  adorned  a  regal 
palace.  I  remembered  how  often  of  late  I  had  passed  my  time 
in  that  room,  listening  to  the  dulcet  tones  of  it's  unmatchable 
owner.  Is  all  the  council,  methought,  that  we  two  have  shared 
— the  hours  that  we  have  spent, 

"When  T7e  have  chid  the  hasty-footed  time 
For  parting  us — O,  and  is  all  forgot." 

With  Lady  de  Clifford,  too,  I  had  here  spent  many  a  brilliant 
hour;  here  had  we  laughed  with  Touchstone;  sighed  o'er  thex 
deep  sorrows  of  the  Moor;  moralized  with  Jacques,  and  envied 
the  banished  Duke  and  his  exiled  brothers  their  hunter  life, 
their  trees,  their  running  brooks,  and  their  sequestered  ban- 
quet in  the  forest  glade.  To  write  my  farewell  epistle  was 
impossible ;  I  therefore  tore  it  in  pieces,  and  gave  it  to  the 
winds,  leaving  my  verses  in  its  stead  on  Miss  Villeroy's  open 
writing-case. 

Time  had  flown  while  I  had  lingered  here.  It  was  evident 
Miss  Villeroy  did  not  wish  to  see  me  again,  on  that  day  at 
least. 

' '  What  ho ! — within  there,  who  waits  ?  "  I  said,  with  a  theatrical 
air,  and  a  strut,  as  I  threw  open  the  door ;  "  will  you  inform 
Dr.  Misaubin  I  am  here  ?" 

"  The  doctor  has  been  gone  this  hour,  sir,"  said  the  servant. 

Looking  at  my  watch,  I  found  that  it  approached  the  hour 
I  was  invited  forth  to  dinner.  I  therefore  called  for  my  steed, 
and  took  my  departure  from  Marston. 

Passing  out  through  the  ample  hall,  I  paused  to  contemplate 
the  richness  and  beauty  of  the  park-like  scene  before  me. 
'Twas  the  scene  of  my  departing  joys  I  felt.  A  something 
whispered  to  me,  as  I  looked  along  the  dark  avenue,  with  the 
deer  lying  clustered  in  the  long  grass,  that  my  last  visit  had 
been  paid  at  Marston.  The  feeling  was  not  a  pleasant  one ;  I 
threw  mj^self  on  the  soft  moss  beneath  one  of  the  trees,  and 
lay  and  contemplated  the  distant  building. 

Whilst  I  reclined,  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  disturbed  the 
deep  solitude  of  the  place.  The  herded  deer  started  up,  and 
bounded  into  the  open  chase,  and  the  next  minute  two  horse- 
men galloped  rapidly  past  me,  and  alighted  at  the  Hall. 

The  shade  of  the  tree  I  reclined  beneath  hid  me  from  their 
view ;  but  as  they  passed,  I  thought  I  recognised  in  one  of  the 
cavaliers,  my  rival,  Lord  Hardenbrass. 

The  recognition  was  not  calculated  to  add  to  my  comfort. 
I  arose,  and  mounting  my  steed,  took  my  way  towards  tlie 
village  of  Woodville,  as  if  an  evil  spirit  'had  possessed  me. 


THE  SQLBIEE  OF  FORTUNE.  79 

Arriving  at  Woodville,  I  found  the  good  physician  dozing  in 
his  easy  chair,  with  spectacles  on  nose,  and  his  favourite  author 
on  his  knee. 

"  You  come  most  carefully  upon  your  hour,"  said  he,  start- 
ing up,  "  and  I  am  glad  on't.  I  like  punctuality  in  men, 
particularly  in  young  men.  Blow  upon  that  pipe  beside  you, 
and  we  will  have  the  eatables  instanter." 
t  The  pipe  he  mentioned  was  apparently  belonging  to  a  bag- 
pipe, and  I  afterwards  found  that  it  was  a  relic  of  the  highland 
regiment  to  which  he  had  belonged.  It  sent  forth  a  shrieking 
note,  and  was  promptly  answered  (somewhat  to  my  surprise) 
by  the  offending  groom,  Frederick  Elliot,  now  dressed  to  the 
level  of  the  doctor's  dining-room.  He  wore  a  green  Jerry- 
Hawthorn  coat,  and  a  countryman's  red  figured  waistcoat, 
buckskin  knee-breeches,  clean  white  stockings,  and  his  usual 
heavy  hob-nailed  boots,  which  had  apparently  gone  through 
the  operation  of  a  hasty  wipe  over  with  a  greasy  dish-cloth,  so 
that  with  feet  thus  encased,  he  made  as  much  noise  in  his 
progress  from  parlour  to  kitchen,  as  if  the  statue  of  Don, 
Giovanni,  or  one  of  his  master's  cart- horses,  was  plodding  up 
and  down  stairs.  I  expressed  my  satisfaction  to  the  doctor, 
that  his  man  had  thought  twice  on  the  subject  of  quitting  so 
good  a  place,  and  doubtless  had  apologized  for  his  behaviour. 

"  Who  apologize?"  said  he,  laughing ;  "  not  that  scoundrel, 
Elliot.  He  would  be  torn  with  wild  horses  first.  He  has 
quarrelled  with  me,  morning  and  night,  any  time  these  five 
years,  that  fellow.  We  perfectly  detest  each  other ;  but  the 
y&ea  of  parting  never  enters  either  of.  our  heads.  I  have 
persuaded  the  drunken  scoundrel  that  he  would  starve  in  a 
week  if  he  was  to  leave  me,  and  he  stays  here  in  his  own 
despite.  As  for  me,  I  could  no  more  exist  without  him  than 
I  could  without  my  bottle  of  black-strap  after  dinner.  Here 
the  wretch  comes,  clattering  up  stairs  like  the  Festin  de  Pierre. 
Now,  mark  him,  he'll  spoil  the  look  of  as  good  a  dinner  as  the 
Clarendon  would  turn  out,  by  placing  it  on  the  table  ill- 
favouredlv.  However,  behave  as  he  will,  he'll  not  get  me  to 
dispute  with 'him  till  it's  over,  that's  a  rule:  we  tiff'  it  only 
morning  and  night." 

Mine  host  offered  no  empty  boast,  when  he  affirmed  that  the 
repast  he  had  provided  was  as  good  and  neat  a  turn-out  as 
the  Clarendon  could  have  sent  up.  Whatever  means  the  old 
housekeeper  possessed  in  the  regions  below,  whether  she  em- 
ployed man  or  woman  cook,  I  know  not;  but,  for  well-seasoned 
and  accurately-dressed  viands,  I  think  the  doctor's  table  could 
have  vied  with  that  of  the  most  fastidious  epicures  in  the 
kingdom. 

"  It  was  one  of  his  weaknesses,"  he  said,  "to  see  a  dinner 
daily  served  up,  which  would  have  satisfied  the  eye  ' 


80  THE  SOLDIEE  OP  FORTUNE. 

Greedy  himself.  Still,  he  was  no  gourmand,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, rather  abstemious  in  his  living.  Barring  a  bottle  of  port 
a  day,  Monsieur  Blount,"  said  he,  "lam  not  an  indulger  in 
the  good  things  of  life,  and  although  I  love  to  sit  down  to  a 
well-filled  board,  (for  both  the  one  and  the  other,  I  have  been 
used  to  find  at  mess  from  my  youth  upwards,)  yet  I  seldom 
taste  of  more  than  one  dish,  and  only  temperately  of  that. 
'  Fat  paunches  make  lean  pates,'  as  that  wondrous  writer  of 
my  idolatry  hath  it,  and  I  quite  agree  with  the  man,  who  wrote 
some  century  and  a-half  back,  that  he  never  sat  down  to  a  well- 
filled  table,  but  he  saw  all  the  various  diseases  incident  to 
'this  piece  of  work,  man,'  lying  perdue  beside  each  seasoned 
dish  of  viands  on  the  board.  However,  this  is  strange  lan- 
guage wherewith  to  encourage  a  guest  to  eat,  and  more  befit- 
ting the  discourse  of  Don  Pedro  Positive,  at  the  table  of  the 
chagrined  governor  of  Barataria.  You  see,  I  am,  notwith- 
standing my  words,  full  of  performance  myself.  Come,  now 
that  specimen  of  liveried  lacqueys  has  carried  his  leaden  heels 
out  of  the  room,  and  descended  for  the  pippins  and  cheese, 
we'll  have  another  glass  of  champagne.— Here's  to  the  grace 
and  ornament  of  female  society;  the  beauty  of  the  county 
(we'll  no  names):  the  radiant  and  unmatchable;  the  Olivia 
of  Yorkshire! — Ah!  Sir  Blount,  what  a  creature  is  there!  I 
Lave  looked  upon  the  world  these  threescore  and  ten  years, 
and  I  never  saw  so  exquisitely  beautiful  a  woman  as  the  one 
we  drink  to.  She  is  the  only  personation  in  figure,  face,  grace, 
and  appointments,  to  the  Olivia  of  Shakspere,  I  ever  beheld. 
I  thought,  with  Duke  Orsino  (when  she  entered  the  room  at 
Marston  Hall  this  morning) — 'now  heaven  walks  on  earth!' 
Come,  don't  be  sad  and  silent,  the  moment  I  begin  to  praise 
the  goddess  of  your  idolatry :  let  us  turn  the  conversation. 
Sound  the  pipe  beside  you,  and  refresh  the  memory  of  that 
beef-head,  Elliot.  Ah !  Shakspere,  Shakspere,"  he  continued, 
"  what  a  god-like  creature  thou  must  have  been.  Shakspere, 
Mr.  Blount,  has  been  my  only  book  for  the  last  twenty  years 
of  my  life ;  and  no  single  day  of  my  life,  since  I  first  opened 
his  page,  have  I  omitted  to  pay  him  a  visit.  I  am  altogether 
lost  in  astonishment  at  the  extraordinary,  the  wonderful,  and 
the  (elsewhere)  unheard-of.  Never  was  there,  sir,  so  compre- 
hensive a  talent  as  that  of  Shakspere.  Bank,  sex,  age,  king, 
hero,  outlaw,  idiot,  murderer,  soldier,  sailor,  monster,  and 
ghost,  all  speak  and  act  with  equal  reality.  The  distant  age, 
and  foreign  nation,  he  brings  before  you  so  truly,  that  you  live 
in  another  world  as  you  read.  The  ancient  Roman,  the' French 
and  English  in  their  wars,  even  the  very  walls  they  fought 
Tinder,  he  alone  has  made  as  palpable  to  our  eyes,  as  if  we  had 
lived  a  former  life,  and  been  actors  and  participatord  in  the 
stirring  scene.  '  Athens  ripe  for  stroke'  he  pictures  to  the 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTtTNE.  81 

very  life.  The  amiable  Timon,  too,  banqueting  in  a  marble 
palace,  his  lobbies  filled  with  tendance,  and  sacrificial  whisper- 
ings rained  in  his  ear,  is  as  happily  described  as  the  same  man 
(disgusted  at  the  society  and  friendship  he  has  discerned  to  be 
'  merely  poison')  when  naked  and  exposed  in  a  wild  and  dismal 
forest,  we  find  him  scorning  the  yellow  slave,  and  asking 
nothing  (on  this  side  the  grave)  but  roots,  '  Roots,  ye  clear 
heavens!  earth  yield  me  roots.' 

•  Fear  and  piety, 

Religion  to  the  gods,  peace,  justice,  truth, 
Domestic  awe,  night-rest,  and  neighbourhood 
Instructions  ;  manners,  mysteries,  and  trade  ; 
Degrees,  observances,  customs,  and  laws,* 

"All  and  everything,  this  wondrous  man  talks  as  familiarly 
about  '  as  maids  of  thirteen  dp  of  puppy  dogs.'  Come,  another 
cup  of  wine,"  continued  the  lively  doctor." 

•  Do  me  right, 
And  dub  me  knight 
Samingo.' 

"  Is't  not  so?  Why  then,  say  an  old  man  can  do  something. 
Clear  all  away,"  he  called  to  his  footman,  "  and  take  thy  face 
hence.  And  now,  Mr.  Blount,  let's  have  your  opinion  of  that 
port.  By  the  mass,  we'll  crack  a  quart  together.  Ha!" 

"  Be  I  to  bring  in  coffee  and  cigars  now,  Zur,  or  wait  till  you 
blows  up,"  inquired  the  serving-man,  opening  the  door,  and 
putting  his  head  into  the  room. 

"  When  I  sound  upon  the  pipe,  dolt,"  said  the  doctor;  "  and 
d'ye  hear,  let  in  the  dogs,  Blanch,  Tray,  and  Sweetheart,  and 
shut  yourself  out." 

The  old  gentleman's  bottle  of  port  was  excellent ;  when  we 
had  finished  it,  he  called  for  coffee  and  cigars,  and  returned  to 
his  favourite  subject,  Shakspere.  "  For  no  other  author,  Mr. 
Blount,"  said  he,  "  does  one  feel  the  inadequacy  of  language 
to  find  sufficient  praise.  I  laud  him  '  with  a  powerless  tongue;' 
but  with  a  heart  filled  with  unstained  love;  for  what,  sir,  can 
we  say  of  one  so  wondrous,  that  no  tongue  but  his  own,  no 
language  but  his  own,  can  describe  him? — 

4  Hear  him  but  reason  on  divinity, 
And  all-admiring,  with  an  inward  wish, 
You  would  desire  the  bard  were  made  a  prelate; 
Hear  him  debate  of  commonwealth  affairs, 
You  would  say,  it  hath  been  all  in  all  his  study: 
List  his  discourse  of  war,  and  you  shall  hear 
A  fearful  battle,  rendered  you  in  music : 
Turn  him  to  any  cause  of  policy, 

a 


82  THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

The  Gordian  knot  of  it  he  will  unloose, 
Familiar  as  his  garter.     When  he  speaka^ 
The  air,  a  chartered  libertine,  is  still  ; 
And  the  mute  wonder  lurketh  in  men's  ears 
To  steal  his  sweet  and  honied  sentences.' " 

Tlie  doctor  was  now  fairly  mounted  upon  his  Pegasus,  his 
hobby;  next  to  pottering  about  his  farm,  he  loved  to  descant 
upon  and  talk  scholarly  and  wisely  of  his  favourite,  Shakspere. 

"He  is  a  Prometheus,  sir,"  he  continued,  "as  some  one 
somewhere  says.  He  not  only  forms  men,  and  in  half  a  line 
shows  us  their  dispositions,  faults,  virtues,  nay,  the  very  oddi- 
ties of  their  manners ;  in  fact,  brings  us  as  intimately  ac- 
quainted, as  though  we  had  been  familiar  with  them  'from 
fourteen  to  fourscore,  and  upwards;'  and  which  I  will  maintain 
no  other  author  has  effected,  or  could  accomplish,  in  twenty  set 
speeches ;  but  he  calls  up  the  mighty  dead,  exhibits  before  us 
the  midnight  ghost  of  Danish  ground,  peoples  the  air  with 
spirits,  and  makes  the  gentle  sea  breeze  of  a  lovely  and  en- 
chanted island  steal  over  our  ears,  and  fan  us  with  the  almost 
inaudible  melody  of  unearthly  music.  He  brings  us  again,  in  a 
single  line,  upon  the  comfortless  and  trackless  wastes  of  Scot- 
land, making  the  bleak  winds  kiss  our  cheek,  as  we  march 
towards  Fores;  intercepts  us  with  his  unhallowed  witches,  and 
their  infernal  mysteries ;  and  all  these  creatures  of  his  imagi- 
nation possess  a  truth  and  consistency,  that  we  are  convinced, 
had  there  been  really  such  beings,  and  monsters,  and  spirits, 
they  would  have  so  spoken,  and  so  conducted  themselves. 
Then,  for  matters  connected  with  these  latter  times,  for  once  I 
agree  with  one  of  his  commentators,  that  if,  instead  of 
bothering  and  puzzling  their  brains  with  politics,  reading  de- 
bates in  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  or  studying  Burke  or  Tom 
Paine,  men  would  content  themselves  with  Coriolanus ;  there 
will  they  find  a  whole  library  of  political  common-places." 

"You  have  doubtless  seen," ^ I  said,  "most  of  the  great 
actors  of  your  time,  Dr.  Misaubin?" 

"  There  you  are  wrong  in  your  supposition,"  he  replied.  "  I 
never  was  fond  of  '  sitting  at  a  play.'  Nay  more,  I  never  was 
at  above  three  plays  in  my  life ;  and  for  this  reason, — I  once 
went  to  see  Macbeth.  It 'was  the  first  play  I  had  ever  wit- 
nessed;— need  I  say  I  was  utterly  disgusted.  I  went,  sir,  to 
observe,  and  actually  expecting  to  see,  a  poor  macerated  actor 
look  like  the  man  who  had  encountered  the  weird  sisters.  I 
forgot  I  was  going  to  Covent  Garden,  and  actually  expected  to 
see  the  heath  at  Fores.  After  this,  I  resolved  never  again  to 
see  a  play;  at  least,  never  to  witness  the  performance,  so 
called,  of  one  of  Shakspere's  plays.  I  was,  however,  beguiled 
again,  and  went  to  see  '  As  you  like  it.'  Oh,  sir,  '  for  Shak- 
gpere's  sake/  never  put  yourself  in  a  situation  to  have  your  im- 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  83 

aginings  on  the  knowledge  and  perusal  of  that  play,  destroyed. 
Never  disenchant  the  forest  of  ^Arden!  No,  Mr.  Blount,  I 
have  no  objection  to  Filch  picking  pockets  in  the  'Beggar's 
Opera;'  but  I  hope  never  to  see  the  weird  sisters,— those  'se- 
cret, black,  and  midnight  hags,'  whose  very  first  encounter 
with  Macbeth  spell-bound  him  and  swayed  his  destiny,  repre- 
sented by  two  or  three  ill-looking  scene-shifters,  wretchedly 
ill  furnished  with  red  rags,  shreds,  and  patches,  and  as  many 
stable-brooms  to  horse  upon.  I  have  no  dislike  to  theatrical 
representation  in  general,  and  can  see  the  productions  of  other 
authors  with  pleasure; — nay,  I  have  been  greatly  amused  by 
witnessing  those  poor  devil  performances  at  our  country  fairs. 
I  saw  '  Virginius'  at  our  fair  here,  a  couple  of  months  back; 
nay,  Appius  Claudius  dined  with  me  in  this  very  apartment,  and 
died  in  the  room  above  stairs." 

"  Indeed !"  said  I :  "  that  was  singular." 

"  You  must  know,  sir,"  continued  the  doctor,  "that  one  of 
these  booths  was  a  penny  theatre  ;  and  I  was  especially  struck 
with  the  utter  misery  of  the  whole  company,  as  they  played 
their  parts  upon  the  platform,  in  order  to  beguile  the  audience 
into  their  tent.  I  could  have  advised  them  to  turn  melan- 
choly forth  to  funerals ;  but  I  saw  they  lacked  not  only  the 
attributes  of  actors,  but  were  many  days  in  arrear  of  a  meal ; 
they  lacked  the  vis  vitce.  Nothing,  indeed,  could  be  mon 
mirthless  than  the  sickly  smiles  of  Monsieur  Merryman,  and 
the  want  of  alacrity  of  the  harlequin.  Wondering  at  these 
*  faint  stars,'  I  entered,  and  witnessed  the  performance.  Appius 
Claudius  was  performed  by  the  principal  tragedian.  This 
Roman  wore  a  garb  quite  different  from  what  we  have  been 
used  to  see  or  hear  of,  as  the  costume  of  the  descendants  or 
countrymen  of  Romulus  and  Remus.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
ploughman's  Sunday  waistcoat  (none  of  the  newest  or  cleanest) 
a  world  too  wide  for  his  emaciated  body.  On  his  postique 
parts  he  wore  the  cast-off  knee  breeches  of  a  footman,  and  his 
toes  were  visible  through  his  well-worn  pumps.  He  had  but 
one  eye,  the  socket  of  the  other  being  scantily  covered  by  a 
few  straggling  hairs,  combed  down  from  his  wig.  The  wig 
itself  was  a  study  for  an  artist,  if,  indeed,  it  was  a  wig ;  for  in 
appearance  it  much  more  resembled  the  corner  torn  from  a 
well-trodden  door-mat.  Appius  Claudius  was  certainly  dying 
— and  I  saw  it.  On  the  following  day  the  fair  was  over. 
Whilst  the  company  of  the  caravan  made  their  preparatory 
arrangements  for  their  march,  I  fell  in  with  them  on  the  com- 
mon, and  was  asked  to  step  into  their  booth,  and  look  on  the 
principal  performer,  who  was1  suffering  from  the  previous  day's 
exertion.  In  Appius  Claudius  I  found  one  whom  I  had  for- 
merly known  well,  and  served  with  in  foreign  lands.  He  had 
been  promoted  in  a  regiment  of  the  line  for  merit  j  and  had 

a  2 


84'  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

risen  from  the  ranks  to  an  ensigncy.  Yes,  sir,  lie  was  one  of 
those  instances,  showing  how  seldom  promotion  of  this  sort,  to 
the  rank  of  a  commissioned  officer,  is  of  real  benefit  to  the  in- 
dividual soldier  in  our  service.  Appius  Claudius  was  a  brave 
Mian  (we'll  still  call  him  by  his  Eoman  name,  if  you  please, 
Mr.  Blount),  and  till  he  became  serjeant-major  had  conducted 
himself  with  so  much  credit  and  renown,  that  no  man  in  the 
service  was  better  thought  of.  But  when  he  once  attained  the 
'  topmost  round  of  fortune's  ladder,'  he  began  to  scorn  '  the 
base  degrees  by  which  he  did  ascend.'  It  is  strange,  but  not 
singular  in  such  cases,  that  Appius  Claudius,  like  his  name- 
sake, was  a  tyrant  too,  and  an  oppressor  of  those  beneath  him, 
and  arrogant  and  unbearable  to  the  officers  with  whom  he  had 
been  promoted.  I  was  in  that  dreadful  retreat  to  Corunna 
with  him.  We  both  served  in  the  same  regiment ;  that  regi- 
ment in  which^  he  before  had  '  trailed  the  puissant  pike.'  A 
better  soldier  in  battle  or  in  hardship  never  stepped ;  but  in 
quarters  he  was  not  endurable  ;  and  ultimately  lost  his  com- 
mission. He  turned  duellist,  sir,  and  became  a  perfect  nuisance 
in  the  corps.  Not  only  was  he  pugnacious  himself,  but  the 
cause  of  serious  disturbance  and  eternal  quarrel  amongst 
others.  When  I  tell  you  that  in  several  of  these  encounters, 
the  wife  of  Claudius  was  the  acting  and  exciting  cause,  you 
will  conceive,  sir,  that  lady  to  have  been  as  lovely  as  the  virgin 
for  whose  possession  the  Roman  Appius  went  such  unwar- 
rantable lengths." 

"Exactly  so,"  said  I. 

"  Sir,  'twas  no  such  thing ;  for  the  spouse  of  our  Appius  was 
•nearly  as  hideous  as  that  Asturian  wench  of  Cervantes,  who 
distilled  vennillion  with  one  eye,  and  brimstone  with  the  other. 
•She  had  been  promoted,  together  with  her  husband,  he  having 
married  her  at  Portsmouth,  when  a  private.  The  station 
she  attained  to  it  was  difficult  for  her  to  fill  with  propriety,  and 
consequently  the  husband  was  eternally  embroiled.  She  was 
'  an  Ate  stirring  him  to  blood  and  strife ;'  and  at  length  so 
thoroughly  embroiled  her  husband,  that  he  deservedly  lost  his 
commission.  Our  indulgent  commander-in-chief  permitted 
him,  however,  to  sell  out ;  and,  with  this  money,  he  entered 
into  the  publican  business.  'Twas  a  life  more  suited  to  his 
taste ;  and,  for  a  time,  he  wielded  the  spiggot  with  success. 
His  wife,  however,  drank  up  all  the  spirits,  liquors,  and  pro- 
fits :  so,  to  drown  reflection,  he  took  to  drinking  himself,  until 
at  last  he  came  to  the  situation  in  which  I  found  him.  In  fine, 
I  took  compassion  on  my  sometime  companion  in  arms,  whom 
I  should  never  have  recognised  in  the  wreck  before  me,  had 
he  not  made  himself  known,  and  I  had  him  conveyed  to  my 
house  here.  I  also  did  what  I  could  for  the  dramatis  persona 
of  the  '  wagon  of  the  company  of  death.'  He  rallied  for  a 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  85 

few  days  under  my  care,  but  at  last  sank  like  one  of  the  flick- 
ering footlights  of  his  own  theatre.  And  now,  Mr.  Blount, 
govern  me  the  vantages  of  the  pipe  before  you,  and  sound 
out  that  we  are  ready  for  tea,  since  I  perceive  your  chalice  has 
been  unfilled  the  whole  time  I  have  been  telling  this  long- 
winded  story." 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

Senvolio. — By  my  head,  here  come  the  Capulets. 
Mercutio. — By  my  heel,  I  care  not. 
Tybalt. — Gentlemen,  good  den  ;  a  word  with  one  of  you. 
Mercutio. — And  but  one  word  with  one  of  us?    Couplet  it  with  some- 
thing ;  make  it  a  word  and  a  blow. 


THE  flourish  I  gave  upon  the  instrument  was  answered  by  a 
reveille  upon  the  street  door.  The  old  gentleman  started, 
turned  his  head,  and  set  his  wine-glass  upon  the  table,  whilst 
the  olive  which  he  was  about  to  wash  down  with  it  stuck  in 
his  throat  like  the  "  amen"  of  his  favourite  Thane. 

"  I'll  not  be  interrupted  to-night,"  said  he,  sharply.  "  I'll 
not  be  molested  in  my  retirement — in  the  loveliness  of  my 
private  life — in  my  otium  cum  dignitate — no ;  not  if  the  Mayor 
of  Grimsby  be  taken  ill.  Oh!  if  that  Yorkshire  Tyke  dare 
to  say  I  am  accessible,  I'll  have  his  stupid  brains  beaten  out 
with  billets." 

The  serving-man,  however,  seemed  either  not  to  stand  in. 
proper  awe  of  his  master,  or  the  new  comer  was  not  to  be  de- 
nied ;  for,  after  a  considerable  altercation  without,  he  entered 
the  room,  and  announced  that  some  one  wanted  to  see  "At 
doctor,  oh  dear,  he  was  sure  on't !" 

"You  caitiff,  how  came  you  to  say  I  was  at  home  ?"  croaked 
his  master. 

"A'  know'd  a'  was  at  whoam,  a'  said,"  returned  the  «erFing» 
man. 

"  What  kind  of  a  thing  is  it?"  inquired  the  suffering  Escuc 
lapius. 

"Why — why — why— it's  amon." 

"It's  a  man,  is  it?"  said  the  doctor,  with  the  calmness  of 
concentrated  rage.  "  A  south  fog  rot  ye  !  What  manner  of 
man,  servant-monster?" 

"  Why— why,  I  told  'e  it  was  a  mon.  Oh  dear,  I'm  sure  I 
did,"  returned  the  irritable  footman. 

"  What  height,  Chops  P"  said  his  master,  setting  his  teeth  in 
rage. 


86  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

'"  Why— why— a  tall  thin  mon,  about  t'height  of  that  chop 
there,  or  mayhap  bigger,"  answered  the  servant,  pointing  to 
me. 

"What  face,  dolt?"  asked  the  other. 

"Why — why— a  feace  like  his'n,  too,"  returned  the  servant, 
"  only  he  have  a  gotten  as  much  hair  under  his  nose  as  above 
it.  Ha !  ha !  oh  dear,  I'm  sure  on't." 

"  What  kind  of  eyes,  thou  clay -brained  guts  ?"  said  the 
doctor. 

"Why,  he  squints,"  returned  his  man,  "like  a  picture; 
always  seems  a  looking  at  yer,  and  never  is." 

"  What  has  he  on  his  head,  thou knotty-pated  fool?" 

"Why,  his  hat,  to  be  sure,"  answered  the  man,  sharply. 
"Now,  don't'e  call  I  such  dreadful  names,  zur,  doan't." 

"  Round  his  neck  ?"  continued  the  doctor,  quickly. 

"A  black  shiny  handkerchief." 

"  On  his  legs  ?"  said  the  doctor,  rising  from  his  seat. 

"  Why — why— I  can't  tell  everything  the  mon  have  a  gotten. 
Mayhap  it's  boots,  mayhap  it's  shoes." 

With  Tarquin  strides,  and  bent  nearly  double,  did  Doctor 
Machaon  Misaubin  make  the  half  circle  of  his  dinnig-table,  and 
approaching  on  tip-toe  the  closed  door,  applied  his  eye  to  the 
keyhole,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  this  pest  and  disturber  of  his 
comfort. 

"  Son  of  Atropos!  I  know  thee  now,"  said  he,  as  he  drew 
himself  up  from  his  doubled-up  position,  and  came  to  the 
right-about,  like  a  soldier  upon  parade.  "  This  is  what  I  ex- 
pected ;  but  it  has  come  upon  us  somewhat  of  the  soonest. 
Mr.  Blount,  there  is  a  hero  yonder.  The  man  I  know ;  and 
from  the  tale  you  have  told  me  this  morning,  I  suspect  his 
errand.  I  shall  not  be  called  out  to-night ;  heaven  send  the 
same  luck  to  you!  'The  day  is  hot,  the  Capulets  abroad.' 
This  visitor,  and  who  I  expected  was  some  one  of  my  tedious 
village  patients,  is  the  intimate  of  my  Lord  Hardenbrass,  a 
man  with  whom  I  am  myself  not  on  good  terms.  His  visit 
here  must  therefore  be  to  you.  You,  Sir  Fieri  Facias,"  said 
he  to  his  servant,  "what  made  you  say  the  gentleman  without 
there  asked  for  me,  when  he  inquired  for  Mr.  Blount?" 

"  Why — why,  I  said  nothing  o'  th'  sort,"  returned  Elliot. 
"  He  told  I  he'  know'd  you  were  at  hoame,  and  that  he  wanted 
to  see  Muster  Eatcliffe  Blount;  and  told  I  to  give  un  his 
ticket.  There  a' be,"  he  said,  producing  a  card. 

"  Hand  it  here,  you  rustic  mountaineer,"  said  his  incensed 
master.  "  This  is  the  way  you  always  behave." 

The  doctor  snatched  the  card,  glanced  at  it,  and  handed  it 
tome. 

"  Show  the  gentleman  in  here,  sirrah,"  he  said.  "  We  are 
not  obliged  to  suspect  his  errand,  Mr.  Blount." 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  87 

The  doctor  was,  indeed,  like  the  old  war-horse.  He  sniffed 
the  encounter,  and  he  longed  to  be  mixed  up  in  it ;  moreover, 
he  mistrusted  my  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  wished  to  be  at 
my  elbow,  in  case  the  matter  was  serious,  as  he  suspected. 

The  stranger  entered  the  room,  a  tall  gentlemanly -looking 
person.  He  was  evidently  a  military  man,  as  his  card  had 
announced,  and  it  was  as  easy  to  perceive,  at  a  glance,  that  he 
belonged  to  the  cavalry. 

He  was  upwards  of  six  feet  in  height,  broad  at  the  shoulders, 
and  wasp-like  at  the  waist.  His  dress  was  the  plainest  of  the 
plain,  being  a  brown  afternoon  coat,  buttoned  up  to  the  chin, 
and  wide  dark  trousers  ; — not  a  particle  of  linen  was  visible, 
except  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the  wristband  of  his  shirt. 
In  feature  he  was  extremely  handsome:  and  (but  that  he  carried 
in  his  look  an  air  of  the  most  assured  superiority  and  hauteur,) 
he  might  have  been  called  exceedingly  agreeable  and  pleasing 
at  first  sight.  There  was  nothing  of  the  military  fop  about 
him,  as  might  have  been  observed  in  a  cavalry  officer  of  Aus- 
tria, Prussia  or  France.  But  he  showed,  as  'indeed  all  high- 
bred military  men  in  the  British  army  invariably  do,  that  in 
getting  out  of  harness,  he  had  entirely  divested  himself  of  the 
arrack,  the  guard-room,  and  the  parade ;  and  that  although 
toujours  soldat,  he  was  yet  able  to  be  the  private  gentleman  at 
any  time. 

I  rose  to  receive  him.  The  doctor,  however,  sat  still  in  his 
chair,  returned  his  bow  haughtily,  and  desired  him  to  be 
seated.  The  major  declined  sitting  down,  and  immediately 
entered  upon  his  business. 

"  I  am  here,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he,  addressing  me,  "for  I 
believe  I  am  speaking  to  Mr.  RatclifFe  Blount,  of  Wharncliffe 
Grange  ?" 

"  You  are  quite  right,  sir,"  I  answered ;  "  Blount  is  my  name 
— the  Grange  my  residence." 

"  I  am  here  then,  Mr.  Blount,"  resumed  Major  Belcour, 
"on  an  unpleasant  business,  which  we  had  better  discuss, 
perhaps,  in  private.  Dr.  Misaubin  will  favour  us  by  permitting 
me  to  hold  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  you  alone." 

"  By  all  means,  gentlemen,"  said  the  doctor;  "make  what 
use  you  please  of  my  poor  dwelling.  Pipe  all  hands,  Mr. 
Blount,  for  my  scoundrel  to  take  candles  into  the  drawing- 
room." 

I  thought  I  could  perceive,  by  the  old  gentleman's  manner, 
that  he  was  disappointed. 

"This  gentleman,  Major  Belcour,"  I  observed,  "is  my 
excellent  and  valued  friend.  Whatever  business  you  may 
have  to  treat  of  may  be  freely  discussed  in  his  presence,  as 
I,  indeed,  have  no  secrets  with  which  he  has  not  been  made 
acquainted." 


88  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"  In  that  case,  sir,"  said  the  major,  sitting  down,  "  I  conceive 
he  is  your  friend  in  this  matter.  I  come  here,  on  the  part  of 
Lord  Hardenbrass,  and  doubt  not  that  you  have  been,  for 
some  time,  in  expectation  of  such  a  communication.  If  I  am  to 
understand  Dr.  Misaubin  is  to  be  your  friend  on  this  occasion, 
I  can  have  no  possible  objection  to  his  presence." 

I  was  not  prepared  to  say  so  much  as  that,  as  I  had  never 
thought  upon  the  subject,  but  the  doctor  struck  in  to  my 
assistance — 

"I  am  quite  at  Mr.  Blount's  service,  Major,"  said  he, 
"  either  as  friend  or  physician.  If  the  young  gentleman  will  ap- 
point me  his  adviser.  I'll  not  balk  nun.  So  now,  out  with 
your  news,  and  let's  have  this  horrid  mystery  and  terrible 
grievance." 

The  major  ^ave  an  angry  glance  at  him,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  I  know  you  for  a  troublesome  customer  of  old :"  and  proceeded 
with  his  embassy. 

"  By  desire  of"  Lord  Hardenbrass,  then,"  said  he,  "  I  have  to 
request  the  favour  of  your  informing  me  (in  the  first  instance) 
whether  this  document  is  acknowledged  by  you  as  your  com- 
position and  handwriting?" 

In  saying  this  he  handed  me  a  well-filled  sheet  of  writing- 
paper,  gilt-edged,  and  lettered,  in  glancing  at  which  I  found 
these  words,  by  way  of  a  commencement : — 

"  You  sleep — and  o'er  your  slumbers  light, 

May  happy  visions  play; 
And  people  thy  soft  dreams  at  night, 
With  all  the  joys  of  day." 

It  was,  indeed,  a  copy  of  my  eternal  serenade,  which  I  had 
written  out,  and  left  for  Miss  Villeroy  that  morning.  I  fancy  I 
must  have  looked,  as  I  felt,  an  egregious  ass. 

"You  are  of  course,"  continued  the  major,  "aware  of  the 
consequence  of  addressing  such  stanzas,  as  the  one  yon  hold 
in  your  hand,  to  the  affianced  bride  of  my  friend.  He  has, 
therefore,  desired  me  to  inform  you  that  you  must  either 
discontinue  your  attentions  in  that  quarter,  or  accept  the 
alternative." 

"  My  life  as  soon !"  I  returned.  "  These  verses  are  mine ; — 
exceptYrom  their  unworthiness,  I  glory  in  having  written  them ; 
and  unless  desired  by  the  lady  herself  not  to  do  so,  I  will 
write  a  sonnet  whenever  the  Muses  will  favour  me  with 
their  assistance." 

"I  also  will  rhyme  you  so,"  said  the  doctor,  rubbing  his 
hands  with  glee  ;  "  eight  years  together,  dinner  and  supper 
and  sleeping  hours  excepted.—  Psha !  Major  Belcour,  you  don't 
mean  to  say  that  you  have  paid  us  a  visit  this  evening,  to  tell 
this  young  gentleman  here,  my  friend,  that  he  is  not  to  profit 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  89 

by  tlie  gift  of  the  gods  (in  making  him  poetical),  unless  you 
and  Lord  Hardenbrass  choose  to  allow  it  ?" 

"  I  mean  to  say,  sir," returned  the  major,  drily,  "that  under 
the  circumstances  of  the  case,  Mr.  Blount  has  no  right  or  title 
to  address  such  verse  as  this  to  the  young  lady  in  question.  I 
mean  to  say,  sir,  that  having  acknowledged  to  me  what  he  haa 
just  now  done,  I  request  he  will  state  whether  or  not  I  am 
correct  in  supposing  you  are  the  friend  he  wishes  to  act  for  him 
.in  this  unpleasant  affair,  as  Lord  Hardenbrass  is  obliged  to  . 
return  to  his  regiment  forthwith,  having  left  it  without 
leave,  the  moment  he  was  informed  what  was  doing  in  his  ab- 
sence here." 

"  You  mean  to  say,"  said  the  doctor,  " '  because  thou  art 
virtuous,  there  shall  be  no  more  cakes  and  ale  ?'  We'll  try 
that  question,  Major ;  and  although  I  deny  the  right  of  your 
principal  to  call  out  a  gentleman  upon  these  grounds,  I  have 
not  served  so  long  in  the  British  army  without  knowing  that 
when  a  man  is  called  out,  he  must  go.  Ergo,  the  sooner  the 
better." 

The  old  gentleman  rose  from  his  chair,  and  taking  my  arm, 
led  me  to  the  other  end  of  the  room. — "  This  is  an  ugly  busi- 
ness," said  he,  "  you'll  be  shot  without  benefit  of  clergy.  Sup- 
posing, from  your  account  this  morning,  that  you  have  no 
acquaintance  sufficiently  experienced,  I  have  volunteered  to  be 
your  friend.  Lord  Hardenbrass  is  a  duellist — a  duellist,  sir,  '  a 
gentleman  of  the  first  house,'  ah,  '  the  immortal  passado,  the 
punto  reverse !  the  hay !'  He's  a  crack  shot,  Mr.  Blount ;  do 
you  know  anything  of  pistolling  ?" 

"  Not  much,"  said  I ;  "I  never  practised ;  but  I  can  bring 
down  a  buck  wi^h  a  rifle  ball." 

"And  Wat  Tyler's  mark,  too,  asLocksly  hath  it:  I'm  glad 
you  have  not  practised.  We're  in  the  hands  of  heaven,  whe- 
ther we  are  fighting  the  enemy,  or  perpetrating  the  duello. 
Bad  as  such  transaction  may  be,  '  nikil  accidit  sine  qjus 
permissione,'  as  the  school  book  saith.  Leave  me  to  arrange 
matters  here.  Say  your  prayers  and  farewell ;  you'll  sleep 
here  to-night,  and  I  shall  have  it  entered  ^  upon  to-morrow 
morning,  if  the  arrangements  are  completed." 

I  squeezed  the  old  man's  hand,  for  this  piece  of  kindness, 
which  was,  indeed,  more  than  one  in  a  hundred  at  his  time  of 
life  would  have  offered,  and  left  him  to  confer  with  the  major 
upon  the  subject. 

A  first  duel  is  a  somewhat  serious  business  to  a  youngster, 
let  him  have  as  much  nerve  as  most  men.  For,  although, 
unlike  Bob  Acres,  we  may  fear  little  for  our  personal  safety, 
the  thought  of  going  out  quietly  to  execute,  or  be  executed, 
without  finding  in  the  heart  one  particle  of  hatred,  enmity,  or 
ill-feeling  towards  our  opponent,  every  moment  increases,  our 


90  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

dislike  to  the  business  in  hand.  The  duello,  as  it  was  even 
a  few  short  years  ago  transacted,  being  fought  with  the  wea- 
pon of  our  ancestors,  the  sword,  then  constantly  worn,  was 
in  many  cases  the  instant  righter  of  the  wrong ;  and  was, 
perhaps,  a  much  more  pleasant  matter  to  be  engaged  in; 
but  the  ceremony  of  being  placed  at  stated  distance  to  shoot 
vulgarly  at  an  antagonist  with  a  pistol,  appears  not  fit  for 


reverse  !  the  hay !"  those  were  the  days. 

What  my  thoughts  were  on  this  occasion,  I  do  not  now  re- 
member. I  did  not  care  much  as  it  regarded  myself,  but  s1  ill  saw 
that  I  was  fighting  under  every  disadvantage.  It  would  be  highly 
disastrous  for  me  to  kill  my  antagonist :  whilst  I  had  reason 
to  be  pretty  certain,  that  lie  would  not  rest  satisfied  till  he 
had  winged  me  at  least — most  likely  indeed,  from  his  excel- 
lence at  his  weapon,  perforated  my  heart  or  lungs  ;  and  that, 
as  Sir  Brilliant  Fashion  has  it,  would  be  a  scrape  indeed.  In 
fact,  I  saw  no  agreeable  termination  to  the  affair.  It  was  a  fog 
which  I  could  not  look  through,  therefore  resolved  to  think  no 
more  about  the  matter ;  in  a  few  hours  more  and  it  would  be  all 
over  one  way  or  other.  In  one  thing  I  was  fortunate,  the 
doctor  was  a  knowing  hand,  and  I  considered  myself  extremely- 
happy  in  having  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  so  kind-hearted, 
and  apparently  so  bold,  that  he  dared  in  everything  toactexactly 
as  he  thought  fit. 

The  doctor,  indeed,  as  I  dare  say  the  reader  has  by  this  time 
discovered,  was  no  common  person.  He  was  a  man,  whose 
style  of  life  was  much  cavilled  at  by  the  common-place.  ^  Some 
said  he  was  an  infidel,  others  pronounced  him  vulgar  in  man- 
ner, and  coarse  and  abrupt  in  conversation  ;  and  except  by  the 
few  who  really  knew  his  sterling  worth,  he  was  considered  an  ill- 
bred,  and  even  ill-tempered  fellow.  Mankind  have  indeed 
been  forced  to  invent  a  kind  of  artificial  Immunity,  which  is 
what  we  express  by  the  word  good-breeding.  Few,  moreover, 
except  amongst  the  higher  circles,  have  the  slightest  concep- 
tion of  the  meaning  of  the  term.  With  some  of  the  county 
families,  therefore,  at  whose  houses  the  old  gentleman  chose  to 
visit,  he  was  a  particular  favourite  :  but  amongst  the  lesser  gen- 
try and  the  small  fry  of  the  village,  he  was  as  greatly  disliked. 
Perhaps  no  man,  with  means  so  small,  was  a  greater  friend  to 
the  poor  around  him.  He  would,  at  any  time,  ride  twenty 
.miles  to  see  a  half-starved  beggar,  if  really  in  danger,  in  pre- 
ference to  visiting  a  rich  patient,  if  slightly  unwell.  Of  the 
poor,  also,  he  always  refused  to  take  any  recompence :  nay, 
would  send  them  clothing,  wine,  and  other  comforts,  from  his 
own  home:  yet,  strange  to  say,  even  amongst  the  poor,  our 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  91 

doctor  was  not  always  a  favourite,  and  well  did  he  know  lie 
was  not,  though  it  never  made  him  alter  his  conduct  towards 
them.  The  poor,  he  told  me,  he  had  found  proverbially  un- 
grateful. Their  lot  was  a  sad  one,  hard  toil  and  evil  commu- 
nication soured  their  dispositions  and  hardened  their  hearts. 
Anything  beneath  the  grade  of  a  substantial  farmer  was  sure 
to  be  a  churl. 

"  'Twas  strange,  'twas  pitiful,  but  'twas  true." 

The  doctor  was  in  reality  a  man  of  great  worth,  notwith- 
standing the  prejudice  against  him;  a  gentleman  by  birth, 
true  to  religion,  and  true  to  honour  ;  he  was  also  a  scholar,  and 
a  soldier ;  had  fought  under  the  banners  of  the  Great  Duke, 
had  been  severely  wounded  in  the  hot  East :  endured  fever 
and  climate  in  the  sugar  islands  of  the  West;  gone  through  the 
toils  of  the  Peninsular  war;  and,  in  fact,  had  endured  difficulties 
and  hardships  (which  would  have  broken  the  spirit  of  many 
men)  not  only  with  fortitude,  but  with  mirth  and  good 
humour. 

Leaving  the  old  gentleman's  house,  I  desired  the  serving 
man,  Elliot,  to  say  that  I  would  be  in  waiting  at  the  village 
inn.  There  in  the  little  sanded  parlour  I  had  the  day  before 
dined  in,  I  awaited  him.  How  much  methought  had  hap- 
pened to  me  in  the  last  few  weeks  of  my  existence  ! 

I  seemed  to  have  suddenly  grown  old,  and  the  freshness  of 
my  feeling  to  have  left  me.  But  the  other  day,  my  heart  was 
buoyant  with  vigour,  undepressed  by  care,  and  every  scene 
gilded  with  pleasure  and  enjoyment.  The  sheep-bell  011  the 
hills,  the  waterfall  in  the  valley,  the  distant  watch-dog,  the 
cawing  of  the  rookery — all  and  everything  regarded  by  me 
with  delight.  Now,  however,  I  seemed  no  longer  to  find  plea*- 
sure  in  my  old,  or  look  forward  with  satisfaction  or  hope  in  my 
new  pursuits.  That  most  fantastic  of  passions,  which,  some  one 
observes,  can  never  be  fully  felt  but  once,  and  when  once  felt 
can  never  be  forgotten,  possessed  me  wholly,  and  somehow  or 
other  seemed  to  have  made  shipwreck  of  all  my  enjoyment  of 

Whilst  I  ruminated,  Doctor  Misaubin  arrived.  "Well,  sir," 
said  I,  with  something  of  the  tone  and  manner  of  a  man,  who 
felt  himself  rather  harshly  treated  by  my  Lady  fortune,  "  how 
have  you  arranged  this  meeting  ?" 

"  You  speak,"  returned  he,  "  like  one  writ  in  sour  misfor- 
tune's page,  and  indifferent  on  the  matter.  The  affair,  Mr. 
Blount,  is  thus  far  arranged :  I  have  fixed  to-morrow  morning 
at  six  o'clock  for  the  time,  and  Fulbrook  meadow  on  my  farm 
for  the  place." 

" Good,"  I  said,  "be  it  so ;  and  now  let's  talk  of  something 
else."  After  we  had  spent  about  an  hour  in  conversation,  we 


92  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

returned  together  to  his  house ;  and  after  having  put  his  pis- 
tols in  order,  showed  me  their  make,  and  descanted  on  their 
virtues,  (it  being  then  late,)  he  begged  of  me  to  retire,  assuring 
me  that  he  should  himself  remain  up  all  night,  and  would  call 
me  before  daylight  in  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

*'*  This  gentleman, 

,    My  very  friend,  hath  got  his  mortal  hurt 
In  my  behalf." 

SHAKSPERE. 

I  THREW  myself  on  the  bed,  and  notwithstanding  the  un- 
pleasant thoughts  which  intruded  themselves,  soon  fell  into  a 
deep  slumber,  from  which  I  did  not  awake  until  aroused  by  a 
rap  at  my  chamber  door,  and  the  entrance  of  my  host. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  I  have  allowed  you  to  repose  till  the  last 
moment;  there  is  no  time  to  spare.  ' The  early  village  cock 
hath  thrice  done  salutation  to  the  morn. ' " 

I  jumped  out  of  bed  immediately,  thrust  my  head  into  the 
wash-hand  basin,  made  a  hasty  toilette,  and  we  sallied  forth 
together. 

In  any  other  circumstances,  I  should  have  felt  inclined  to 
smile  at  our  present  equipage.  Myself,  at  this  early  hour, 
brushing  the  dew  from  the  grass,  and,  nolens  volens,  without  a 
particle  of  ill-humour  or  hostile  feeling,  going  out,  a  complete 
greenhorn,  to  fight  a  duel  with  a  practised  hand,  under  guidance 
and  patronage  of  a  village  Esculapius,  who  looked  old  enough 
to  be  my  grandfather!  The  said  '  Great  Medicine,'  enveloped 
in  an  old  military  cloak  of  blue  cloth,  ornamented  with  what 
had  once  been  a  red  collar,  arm-holes  having  been  cut  subse- 
quent to  its  build,  for  the  purpose  of  riding  'comfortably  on 
horseback  in  it;  a  shocking  bad  foraging  cap  upon  his  head, 
which,  being  pulled  down  over  his  ears,  and  nearly  meeting 
the  beforesaid  stand-up  collar,  left  nothing  visible  of  the 
wearer's  features  but  his  fiery  proboscis,  and  an  occasional 
sparkle  of  his  brilliant  eye.  Thus  equipped,  then,  and  with  his 
pistol-case  under  one  arm  and  his  gold-headed  cane  in  his 
other  hand,  the  worthy  doctor  strode  forth,  and  I  followed 
him.  Determination  was  in  his  step  as  he  hurried  on,  and  in 
his  own  mind  he  doubtless  felt  that  he  was  doing  as  praise- 
worthy an  act  in  thus  accompanying  a  greenhorn  to  the  field, 
and  acting  as  guardian,  both  of  his  honour  and  safety,  by  the 
knowledge  he  had  acquired  in  buffeting  about  the  world,  as 
though  he  had  been  attending  a  sick^patient  gratis,  relieving  a 
lame  mendicant,  enduring  an  hour's  infliction  of  the  village 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  93 

parson's  saw,  or  indeed,  doing  any  other  recognised  good 
action. 

We  crossed  the  meadow  adjoining,  and  entering  a  plantation 
of  firs,  proceeded  along  it,  till  we  came  upon  the  farm. 

"Heaven's  breath  smells  wooingly  here :  the  air  is  delicate," 
said  the  doctor,  stopping,  as  we  reached  the  appointed  ground. 
"  We  are,  you  see,  the  first  a-field,  and  'down  yonder  at  the 
homestead,  where  you  hear  the  cock  crowing,  there  is  as  yet 
no  signs  of  the  business  of  life.  '  Man's  o'er-laboured  sense 
repairs  itself  by  rest.'  This  is  our  ground,  and  right  glad  am 
I  that  we  have  reached  it,  for  this  cloak  and  these  pistols  have 
made  me  sweat  like  a  day-labourer.  Look  put,  Mr.  Blouat! 
— pshaw !  man,  not  in  the  direction  we  have  just  come.  Look 
towards  the  road  leading  to  MarstonHall;  you've  looked  that 
way  often  enough  before  to-day,  or  we  should  scarcely  be  here 
at  this  hour,  and  on  such  an  errand." 

Saying  this,  the  doctor  put  down  his  pistol-case  upon  the 
grass,  and  quietly  seating  himself  upon  it,  took  out  his  cigar- 
case,  struck  a  lignt,  and  proceeded  to  ignite  his  Havannah. 

"Oh!  solace  of  the  wounded  heart!"  he  began;  "my  excel- 
lent cigar! — 

'  Sublime  tobacco,  which  from  east  to  west, 
Cheers  the  tar's  labour,  and  the  Turkman's  rest.' " 

Doubtless  he  would  have  treated  himself  and  me  to  a  whole 
litany  upon  his  favourite  weed,  had  I  not  announced  that  our 
opponents  were  approaching;  and  accordingly  Lord  Harden- 
brass,  and  his  friend  Major  Belcour,  having  dismounted,  and 
secured  their  horses,  quickly  joined  us. 

A  belt  of  firs  hid  the  meadows  in  which  we  were  from  view 
of  the  road,  so  that  the  ground  was  well-chosen  in  all  respects. 

The  doctor,  spectacles  on  nose,  was  busied  in  taking  out  and 
preparing  his  instruments,  as  they  came  up.  Both  raised  their 
hats,  and  I  returned  their  salutation.  The  old  gentleman, 
however,  merely  bending  his  head,  so  as  to  get  a  glimpse  at 
them  over  his  glasses,  bade  them  good  morning,  without  dis- 
continuing his  employment.  He  was,  ^  perhaps,  as  good  a 
specimen  of  what  is  termed  *  a  cool  hand'  as  could  well  be  met 
with.  My  opponent's  second,  meanwhile,  produced  and  made 
ready  his  weapons,  and  we  were  then,  without  further  circum- 
stance, posted  on  our  different  stations,  having  the  benefit  of 
the  usual  allowance  of  paces  between  us. 

Not  a  word,  meanwhile,  had  been  addressed  by  Lord  Hard- 
enbrass  either  to  myself  or  friend.  He  was  apparently,  in  his 
own  conceit,  too  great,  and  too  much  injured,  to  honour  either 
of  us  by  giving  even  the  salutation  of  the  morn.  He  spoke  a 
word  or  two  to  his  second,  after  taking  his  ground,  and  looked 
me  steadilv  in  the  face. 


94  THE   SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

"Keep  your  eye  firmly  fixed  upon  him,"  whispered  the 
doctor,  as  he  left  my  side. 

The  pistols  were  now  in  our  hands,  and  we  awaited  the  sig- 
nal. It  was  quickly  given,  and  we  both  fired.  I  believe  I  owe 
my  life  to  my  second's  advice,  and  the  unflinching  look  I  kept 
upon  my  adversary's  eye.  His  ball  passed  through  my  neck- 
handkerchief,  and  slightly  wounded  my  neck,  whilst  mine  went 
wide  of  the  mark. 

Major  Belcour  and  Dr.  Misaubin  immediately  approached. 
The  former  was  desired  by  his  principal,  to  ask  me  if  I  still 
intended  to  persevere  in  my  attentions  at  the  Hall.  I  denied 
his  right  to  propose  the  question. 

"  Give  me  the  other  pistol,  Major  Belcour,"  said  his  lord- 
ship; "  the  affair  must  go  on,  I  see." 

"I  see  nothing  of  the  sort,  Major  Belcour,"  said  the  doctor. 
"  I  conceive  Mr.  Blount  has  given  reasonable  satisfaction 
here.  An  exchange  of  shots  is  all  that  was  necessary  in  such 
a  case.  The  field  is  as  open  for  one  candidate  as  the  other. 
The  affair,  my  lord,  permit  me  to  suggest,  with  all  deference,  is 
now  entirely  out  of  your  hands.  The  lady  herself  is  the  better 
person  to  engage  with,  whichever  of  the  swains  she  most 
affects.  '  Utrum  horum  mavis  accipe,'  as  we  used  to  say  at 
Westminster." 

"  Your  ideas  upon  the  subject,"  returned  his  lordship,  with 
some  warmth,  "  are  as  impertinent  as  you  yourself  are  ungen- 
tlemanlike  in  mentioning  the  lady,  as  you  have  this  moment 
done;  for  which  you  may  consider  yourself  properly  chastised, 
without  my  degrading  myself  by  the  infliction." 

"Now,  the  red  pestilence  strike  thee  for  an  inordinate  ass!" 
said  the  old  gentleman,  in  violent  rage.  "By  heaven!  you 
shall  answer  that  affront,  ere  you  leave  this  ground.  Major 
Belzebub,  your  principal  is  unsatisfied,  is  he?" 

"  He  is,  sir,"  returned  the  Major,  haughtily. 

"  Take  your  weapon,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  the  doctor,  stepping 
to  me,  and  handing  the  pistol.  "I  will  indulge  'this  cou- 
rageous captain  of  compliments,'  for  once.  I  give  the  signal  this 
time,  Major  Belcour.  Beady.  One,  two,  three,"  shouted  the 
old  man,  without  stirring  a  foot  from  my  side,  or  giving  his 
brother  second  time  to  get  out  of  the  way  either. 

Although  this  was  not  quite  regular,  we  both  obeyed  the 
signal,  fired,  and  again  were  both  unhurt.  Again  I  owed  the 
doctor  a  life. 

"  Are  you  touched  this  time?"  said  he  to  me.  "  Come,  it's 
lucky  you  are  not." 

"  His  lordship  insists  upon  going  on,"  said  the  M&jor.  "  He 
is  still  unsatisfied." 

"Is  he,  sir?  returned  the  old  gentleman,  proceeding  T^th 
,  to  lead  the  pistols  again.  "  Then,  well  may  1,— 1*0  Jie 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  95 

poor  Lieutenant  of  Sterne  has  it.  He  shall  be  indulged  in 
another  shot,  Major  Belcour,"  he  continued,  as  soon  as  he  had 
prepared  the  weapons;  "but  this  time,  if  he  shoot  at  all,  it 
must  be  at  me,  sir.  I  will  not  permit  this  youth  here  to  be 
fired  at,  like  a  pigeon,  for  his  peculiar  satisfaction  any  longer; 
Mr.  Blpunt,"  he  continued,  turning  to  me,  "a  small  exchange 
of  civilities  makes  life  pass  agreeably,  as  my  Lord  Ogleby  has 
it.  Do  you  now  perform  that  office  for  me  which  I  have  just 
done  for  you.  Major  Belcour,  I  expect  satisfaction  from  that 
walking  ferocity  there,  for  the  gratuitous  insult  he  has  just 
conferred  upon  me.  I  will  not  permit  your  principal  to  fire 
another  shot  at  my  friend,  '  that's  the  humour  of  it.'  If  you 
still  continue  his  lordship's  second  in  this  second  business, 
place  your  man.  Here  is  my  ground;  I  stand  here  for 
justice." 

The  major  and  his  friend  consulted  for  a  few  minutes,  and  at 
length  Lord  Hardenbrass,  taking  his  stand  where  he  had 
before  fired  from,  the  doctor  remaining  upon  my  former  station, 
we  stepped  aside,  after  agreeing  upon  a  signal,  which  the  major 
this  time  gave,  and  duel  number  two  proceeded. 

Unhappily,  both  shots  took  effect,  and  quick  almost  as  the 
reports  of  their  weapons,  both  the  principals  lay  sprawling 
upon  the  greensward.  I  gazed  for  an  instant  with  dismay 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  then  hastening  to  Dr.  Misaubin, 
knelt  down,  and  raised  him  in  a  sitting  posture. 

"My  excellent  young  friend,"  said  he,  with  difficulty,  "I  am 
fairly  sped  this  bout.  I  have  it,  and  that  soundly  too." 

I  was  so  deadly  shocked  and  confounded  at  this  catastrophe 
and  misfortune  to  my  friend,  who,  indeed,  I  had  begun  to  love 
with  almost  filial  affection,  that  I  could  scarcely  speak  to  him, 
and  forgot,  for  the  moment,  that  there  was  another  sufferer  on 
the  ground,  only  a  few  paces  from  me. 

"  Let  me  down  again,"  screamed  the  doctor.  "  For  heaven's 
Bake,  lay  me  down  easily.  A  curse  upon  the  man,  he  has  cut  me 
in  half!*  '  Is  he  gone  and  hath  nothing,'  as  Mereutio  says.  Oh, 
bullets  and  triggers  !  my  back  bone  is  broken  in  twain !"  The 

Eain  was  now  so  great,  that,  together  with  loss  of  blood,  he 
linted  in  my  arms. 

"  Help,  Major  Belcour,  help !"  I  cried,  starting  up,  and  run- 
ning to  him,  "  unless  we*  get  some  assistance  quickly,  I  fear 
my  friend  will  die,  if  he  is  not  already  gone." 

"  We  are  in  a  scrape  here,"  said  the  Major,  who,  on  one  knee, 
was  supporting  Lord  Hardenbrass—"  My  friend  is  also,  I  fear, 
mortally  wounded.  Doctor  Misaubin  insisted  last  night,  that 
no  surgeon  was  necessary  on  the  ground,  as  he  himself  was 
sufficient  for  the  occasion;  doubtless,  little  suspecting  that, 
by  becoming  a  principal  himself,  he  would  leave  us  in  such  a 
dilemma  as  this. 


96  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"Do  me  the  favour  to  look  in  the  direction  of  the  farm, 
and  see  if  you  can  observe  any  of  the  labourers  about  in  the 
field." 

As  I  could  see  no  one  near,  he  advised  me  to  run  imme- 
diately to  the  farm-yard  to  get  assistance,  and  at  the  same  time 
despatch  a  messenger  for  the  village  surgeon. 

Accordingly  I  flew  back  to  the  doctor,  who,  I  perceived,  was 
now  recovering  from  his  swoon,  and  placing  his  old  cloak  un- 
der his  head  by  way  of  pillow,  made  off,  fast  as  I  could  run, 
towards  the  farm. 

I  flew  like  a  Pawnee  Indian  across  the  fields,  taking  hedge 
and  ditch  in  my  progress,  till  I  reached  the  farm-yard.  With 
one  bound  I  cleared  the  palings,  and  was  seized  by  the  doctor's 
mastiff,  which  happened  to  be  kennelled  just  on  the  spot  where 
I  alighted,  and  it  required  all  my  efforts  to  prevent  him  from 
throttling  me.  The  fellow  pistol  to  the  one  which  Dr.  Mis- 
aubin  had  fired  with,  was  in  my  hand,  which  I  was  uncon- 
scious of,  until  I  found  myself  defending  my  life  with  it 
against  this  powerful  brute,  by  thrusting  the  barrel  into  his 
jaws.  Despite  my  efforts,  however,  to  get  free  from  him,  the 
faithful  animal  held  me  fast,  and  I  found  it  impossible  to 
extricate  myself  without  destroying  him. 

Cocking,  therefore,  the  pistol,  I  discharged  it  down  his 
savage  throat. 

The  noise  of  my  encounter  with  the  mastiff  aroused  some  of 
the  labourers  of  the  farm,  who  hastening  to  the  spot,  instantly 
surrounded  me.  Seeing  their  guardian  in  the  agonies  of  death, 
and  a  man  armed  and  looking  wildly,  rising  conqueror 
from  the  encounter,  they  made  at  me  with  the  weapons  which 
they  had  snatched  up  on  the  alarm,  and  I  found  myself  ac- 
cordingly, delivered  from  one  action  only  to  commence  upon 
another.  Assailing  me  with  imprecations  and  blows,  they 
would  fain  have  beaten  me  to  the  earth  first,  and  then  inquired 
into  the  justice  of  such  measure,  after  I  was  unable  to  explain 
the  cause  of  my  intrusion.  It  was  in  vain  for  me  to  cry  out  to 
them  to  desist.  They  out-tongued  my  complaints,  and  taking 
me,  I  suppose,  for  a  burglar  or  a  madman  just  escaped  from  his 
keepers,  with  a  deadly  weapon  in  his  gripe,  they  seemed  deter- 
mined to  make  their  capture  in  the  safest  way  to  themselves, 
by  rendering  me  incapable  of  doing  more  mischief.  "Whilst  I 
fought  an  unequal  combat,  therefore,  and  was  upon  the  point 
of  being  overpowered  by  these  rustic  barbarians,  the  bailiff  of 
the  doctor's  villa,  thrusting  his  red  nightcap  from  the  window, 
effected  a  cessation  in  the  efforts  of  his  ploughmen,  and  saved 
me  from  the  disgrace  of  being  vanquished  by  the  cudgels  and 
pitchforks  in  their  unknightly  hands.  Quickly  explaining  to 
the  farmer  my  reason  for  coming,  and  the  dangerous  situa- 
tion of  his  master,  after  despatching  a  messenger  for  Dr. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  97 

Stirret,  we  procured  a  mattress  and  blankets,  and  returned  as 
last  as  we  could  to  the  scene  of  the  unhappy  duel. 

We  found  matters  there  bad  enough.  'The  doctor  was  as 
severely  wounded  as  he  had  at  first  proclaimed,  and  his  agony 
was  so  great  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  succeeded  in  placing 
him  on  the  mattress  we  had  brought.  Lord  Hardenbrass  was 
also  apparently  mortally  hurt.  The  ball  having  gone  through 
his  stomach,  his  second  feared  that  he  would  die  on  the  ground. 
With  some  trouble  we  managed  to  carry  my  poor  friend,  in  a 
faintly  state,  to  the  farm  house.  Lord  Hardenbrass,  however, 
refused  to  be  conveyed  anywhere  but  to  the  Hall.  "  I  will 
perish,"  said  he,  "where  I  am,  Major  Belcour,  or  be  conveyed 
to  Marston  Hall.  Tell  me  not,  sir,"  he  continued,  "  about 
assistance  sent  for  to  this  man's  farm.  If  I  am  doomed  to  die 
by  the  hand  of  a  village  apothecary,  methinks  the  disgrace  of 
such  a  duel  is  quite  infliction  enough,  without  breathing  my 
last  breath  under  shelter  of  his  roof.  It  was  by  your  ad- 
vice I  consented  to  grant  this  person  satisfaction,  and  behold 
the  result." 

"But,  my  dear  lord,"  urged  the  major,  "consider,  it  is 
merely  till  a  conveyance  can  be  sent  for  you ;  and,  in  order 
that  your  wound  (which  I  trust  is  not  so  bad  as  you  think,)  may 
be  looked  to  as  speedily  as  possible,  that  I  ask  it." 

"  Major  Belcour,"  returned  the  wounded  noble,  "  I  beg,  sir, 
you  will  not  further  irritate  me  at  this  time.  Favour  me  by 
either  directing  these  men  to  convey  me  to  Marston  Hall,  or 
send  one  of  them  off  speedily,  for  a  carriage  from  the  village  of 
Woodville.  Cursed  misfortune,"  he  continued,  "  to  be  thus 
pinked  by  a  crack-brained  surgeon  of  a  country  town !  I  could 
die,  major,  with  perfect  satisfaction  to  myself,  had  I  been  cut 
down  by  the  commonest  trooper  in  the  field  ;  but  to  be  thus 
brought  low  by  an  itinerant  quacksalver !  Oh,  it's  too  ridicu- 
lous. It  really  almost  makes  me  laugh  to  think  of." 

So  saying,  the  noble  lord  fell  back  into  the  arms  of  his  second 
in.  a  violent  fit  of  hysterical  laughter,  and  fainted. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

^ 

"  Oh,  Romeo,  Romeo,  brave  Mercutio's  dead  ; 
That  gallant  spirit  hath  aspir'd  the  clouds." 

SHAKSPERE. 

IT  happened,  luckily,  that  a  post-chaise,  which  Doctor  Mis- 
aubin  had  arranged  to  have  in  the  road  that  morning,  in  case 
of  accident,  and  which  he  had  ordered  from  the  Shin  of  Beef 
and  Gridiron  (as  if  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  him  on  a  visit 

H 


9$  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

of  some  distance  to  a  patient),  at  this  moment  hove  in  sight, 
and  I  immediately  informed  Major  Belcour  of  its  approach.  We 
therefore,  with  the  assistance  of  two  or  three  of  the  gaping  and 
affrighted  bumpkins  around,  carried  Lord  Hardenbrass  across 
the  meadow  into  the  road,  and  placing  him  in  it,  he  was  sup- 
ported in  the  arms  of  his  second,  and  conveyed  gently  towards 
the  Hall. 

As  for  me  I  felt,  as  usuaUthe  chief  agitator  and  cause  of  this 
misery  and  bloodshed,  and  yet,  as  it  were,  quite  independent  of 
it  all.  My  best  friend,  who  had  apparently  sprung  up  in  the  last 
few  hours,  as  adviser  and  guardian  to  my  future  ill-omened 
career,  was  hurt  almost  to  death  in  my  cause,  and  my  foe  was 
in  as  bad  a  condition.  It  was  no  piece  of  good  fortune,  I  con- 
sidered, that  the  bullet  of  my  antagonist  had  been  directed 
from  my  own  heart  into  the  body  of  another ;  as  I  conceived 
it  a  most  unlucky  chance  which  had  hindered  the  missile 
from  ending  the  career  of  one  so  apparently  useless  and 
unlucky.  I,  the  exciting  cause,  and  by  whose  actions  these 
disasters  had  come  about,  forlorn  and  miserable,  seemed  to  have 
no  more  to  do  with  them  now  all  had  happened,  than  the 
horned  beast  which  quietly  chewed  the  cud  in  the  meadow 
beside  me. 

As  I  was  left  alone  in  the  field,  I  walked  off  to  the  farm,  in 
order  to  see  after  my  unfortunate  friend,  whose  wound  I 
dreaded  to  hear  a  report  of.  Farmer  Blackthorne  had  ordered 
him  to  be  placed  upon  his  own  bed;  and  Doctor  Stirret  arriving 
just  as  I  reached  the  cottage,  proceeded  to  examine  his  hurt. 
It  was  one  of  those  curious  perforations  which  sometimes  hap- 
pen in  gunshot  wounds.  The  ball  had  entered  the  right  side, 
traversing  round  till  it  lodged  upon  the  spine.  The  torture  of 
such  hurt  is  generally  most  excruciating,  and  the  screams 
of  the  sufferer  were  so  dreadful  as  to  drive  me,  during  the 
surgeon's  examination,  from  the  room.  Alas !  I  cannot  bear 
to  dwell  upon  the  remembrance  of  my  poor  friend's  suffering 
in  my  cause  ;  suffice  it,  that  from  the  time  of  the  duel  up  to 
the  hour  of  his  death,  I  never  left  him. 

For  nearly  a  week  his  sufferings  were  dreadful,  and  the 
cries  he  uttered,  day  and  night,  still  ring  in  my  ears.  They 
pierced  me  then  like  daggers  driven  into  my  own  flesh ;  and 
frequently  in  the  dead  of  night  methinks  I  hear  them  re- 
proaching- me,  as  it  were,  for  being  the  cause  of  so  good  a 
man's  suffering  and  death.  At  the  end  of  five  days  a  ces- 
sation of  pain  took  place,  and  I  consented  to  relinquish  for 
a  few  hours,  my  post  behind  his  pillow,  thinking  he  was 
about  to  recover.  Mortification,  however,  had  taken  place, 
and  my  poor  friend  died,  when  I  imagined  all  my  care  was 
about  'to  be  rewarded  with  success.  Both  himself  and  his 
medical  friend  knew  that  the  cessation  of  suffering  was  but  a 
short  prelude  to  the  ending  of  mortality. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  99 

As  soon  as  he  began  to  feel  himself  somewhat  easier,  his 
spirit  and  good  humour  returned,  and  during  the  night 
he  called  me  to  him,  and  told  me  that  all  would  soon  be 
over. 

"Thou  art  a  good  youth,"  said  he.  "In  my  career  of 
science,  I  have  been  used  to  read  men  rapidly,  and  have 
seldom  been  deceived.  I  will  yield  to  no  man,  not  even  to 
the  great  Gustavus,  the  Lion  of  the  North,  in  penetrating  into 
the  dispositions  of  mankind,  from  a  few  hours'  acquaintance. 
The  hurry  of  the  march, — the  toil  of  the  war, — the  misery  of 
the  hospital, — 'the  imminent  deadly  breach,' — the  sufferance 
under  surgery ; — all  have  taught  me  to  know  man  well.  You 
are  a  good  youth,  I  repeat,  and  of  a  disposition  too  amiable 
to  thrive  in  this  world  of  rascality.  Had  I  time,  I  would 
read  you  a  sermon  of  advice ;  but  I  feel  that  I  have  not,  and 
indeed  it  would  be  useless.  *  O  heaven  !  that  one  might  read 
the  book  of  fate.' 

'  How  chances  mock, 
And  changes  fill  the  cup  of  alteration 
With  divers  liquors !     O,  if  this  were  seen, 
The  happiest  youth — viewing  his  progress  through, 
What  perils  past,  what  crosses  to  ensue — 
Would  shut  the  book,  and  sit  him  down  and  die.' 

"  In  some  sort  I  am  prepared  for  death,  and  I  die  content, 
rny  dear  young  friend,  that  I  have  been  able  to  preserve  your 
life  by  my  interference.  You  have  relieved  me  too  from  a 
great  weight,  by  saying  that  my  antagonist  is  likely  to  recover. 
A  little  suffering  will  do  that  man  good,  and  I  am  not  sorry 
that  I  have  chastised  him  a  trifle,  His  intentions  towards  you, 
I  saw,  were  improper ;  it  was  '  miching  Mallecho,'  as  Hamlet 
says ;  '  it  meant  mischief.' " 

I  remained  with  him  as  long  as  he  breathed;  for  the  last 
few  hours  of  his  life  he  was  motionless,  and  unable  to  speak. 
As  his  eye  grew  dim  and  glassy  with  the  near  approach  of 
death,  I  saw  it  roll  round  the  apartment  and  fix  upon  the 
water  jug,  so  I  arose  and  moistened  his  lips.  He  glanced  at 
me  to  thank  me,  and  then  closing  his  eyes,  soon  afterwards 
ceased,  to  breathe. 

Besides  myself,  there  was  another  individual  who,  half 
broken-hearted,  watched  the  progress  of  the  poor  old  gentle- 
man's decease:  —  and  that  individual  was  his  eccentric  old 
gardener,  Frederick  Elliot.  The  calamity  seemed  to  have 
completely  unsettled  his  wits  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the 
dangerous  state  of  his  master,  to  whom,  notwithstanding  the 
warfare  they  had  so  long  lived  in,  he  bore  the  truest  affection, 
he  strode  over  to  the  farm-house,  and  walking  into  the  kitchen, 
thrust  himself  into  a  chair  between  the  dresser  and  a  table 

H  2 


100  THE   SOLDIEE  OF  FOETTTNE. 

near  the  casement.  Wedged  in  this  place,  he  sat  and  listened 
to  the  agonized  screams  of  his  master,  in  a  state  of  absolute 
torture.  In  fact,  he  suffered  with  him  he  heard  suffer ;  but 
nothing  could  persuade  him  to  go  into  the  room  where  he  was 
dying. 

In  this  frame  of  mind  the  eccentric  serving-man  arrived 
every  morning  at  daybreak  at  the  farm,  and  rushed  home  to 
the  village  late  at  night.  He  spoke  little  to  any  one,  but 
echoed  his  master's  groans,  and  took  scarcely  anything  by  way 
of  food  but  an  occasional  crust  of  bread  washed  down  with 
large  draughts  of  Farmer  Blackthorne's  strong  ale ;  which  the 
old  dame,  his  wife,  constantly  supplied  him  with.  When  he 
ascertained  that  his  master  had  breathed  his  last,  he  rose  from 
his  accustomed  seat,  seized  upon  the  oaken  clump  with  which 
he  always  walked  abroad,  and  without  a  word  to  any  one 
present,  left  the  house  and  returned  to  his  old  employment  of 
digging  in  his  garden. 

Lord  Hardenbrass,  meanwhile,  contrary  to  expectation,  I 
found  was  recovering  from  his  severe  and  dangerous  wound, 
and  (although  the  bullet  had  passed  through  his  body)  was 
pronounced  by  Dr.  Stirret  for  the  present  out  of  clanger.  This 
was  so  far  satisfactory  to  me ;  but  the  death-bed  scene  I  had 
witnessed,  and  my  incessant  attendance  upon  my  poor  friend, 
completely  knocked  me  up,  and  I  suddenly  found  myself 
seriously  unwell.  My  nerves,  indeed,  had  received  a  severe 
shock ;  and  at  the  end  of  a  couple  of  days  I  was  in  the  height 
of  a  violent  fever. 

During  the  violence  of  my  malady  I  was  for  some  time 
delirious,  and  unconscious  of  what  passed ;  but,  with  Dame 
Blackthorne's  care,  and  Dr.  Stirret's  skill,  I  at  length  began  to 
recover. 

Much  had  in  the  meantime  taken  place,  whilst  I  had  been 
thus  an  inmate  of  Nonsuch  farm.  My  delinquency  in  having 
misstated  the  occurrence  of  Sir  Walter  Villeroy's  death,  was 
divulged  by  my  evil  genius  the  scoundrel  poacher,  greatly  to 
the  astonishment  of  Lord  Marston,  the  grief  of  Miss  Villeroy, 
and  the  delight  of  my  opponent  and  rival. 

The  Duchess  of  Hurricane  exulted  in  her  penetration,  as  she 
averred  that  from  the  first  moment  of  looking  upon  my  unhappy 
visage  she  had  set  it  down  in  her  own  mind  that  I  was  good  for 
nothing.  There  was  something  about  me  which,  as  Shallow 
says,  she  could  "never  away  with,"  notwithstanding  all  my 
plausibility,  hauteur,  and  (she  was  pleased  to  add)  distinguished 
appearance. 

The  noble-hearted  Lady  de  Clifford,  however,  as  I  afterwards 
learnt,  remained  fast  my  friend.  She  combated  the  opinions 
of  all  my  enemies,  Mrs.  Allworthy  told  me,  during  a  visit 
which  I  subsequently  paid  that  old  lady.  Nay,  she  had  even 
sent  each  day,  during  my  illness,  to  make  inquiry  after  my 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOBTUNE.  101 

health,  setting  at  nought  the  offended  dignity  of  her  austere 
mamma. 

"  To  me,  madam,"  she  said,  "  he  has  rendered  a  service,  for 
which  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  grateful.  So  much,  indeed, 
do  I  owe  to  his  gallantry  in  defending  me  from  the  most  hor- 
rible of  deaths,  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to  repay  the  obligation. 
Besides,"  she  continued,  "  I  know  you  are  all  quite  wrong  in 
your  feeling  towards  this  young  man.  None  but  the  ill  disposed 
themselves  can  really  be  the  enemies  of  Mr.  Blount  when  they 
know  him.  In  my  opinion,  his  generosity  and  fine  feeling,  his 
honour  and  chivalrous  disposition,  quite  counterbalance  the 
violence  of  his  temper,  and  his  other  faults." 

The  duchess  was  highly  indignant  at  these  sallies  of  her 
daughter,  who  she  immediately  began  to  suspect  entertained 
feelings  of  partiality  for  one  whom  she  defended  so  obstinately. 

"  Mrs.  Allworthy  must  have  been  mad,"  she  muttered,  as 
she  left  the  room  in  search  of  that  lady,  "  to  have  permitted 
this  intimacy  to  grow,  and  through  which  all  these  disasters 
nave  happened." 

The  duke,  also,  who  was  present  at  Marston  during  the 
illness  of  Lord  Hardenbrass,  decided,  from  all  that  had  tran- 
spired, that  I  had  neither  truth  nor  honour ;  and  the  circumstance 
of  my  being,  as  he  heard,  disinherited,  and  expelled  my  father's 
roof,  was  quite  enough  for  him.  He  desired  his  high-spirited 
daughter  never  .again  to  mention  my  name  in  his  presence. 

Miss  Villeroy,  meanwhile,  who  had  kept  her  chamber  since 
this  unlucky  duel,  and  who  had  been  persuaded  by  the  duchess 
and  her  two  guardians  to  look  upon  me  with  abhorrence  and 
dislike,  as  the  virtual  murderer  of  her  beloved  father,  now 
signified  her  desire  to  leave  the  neighbourhood  immediately, 
and  travel  abroad.  Amidst  the  classic  remains,  and  under  the 
bright  and  sunny  skies  of  Italy,  therefore,  she  was  persuaded 
to  forget  the  mishaps  and  misfortunes  of  Rateliffe  Blount. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

" As  in  the  sweetest  bad 

The  eating  canker  dwells,  so  eating  love 
Inhabits  in  the  finest  wits  of  all." 

SHAKSPERE. 

Miss  ALLWORTHY  I  have  not  made  much  mention  of  since 
the  unlucky  serenade.  From  the  circumstances  attending  that 
affair,  the  good  old  lady  might  with  reason  have  entertained 
feelings  of  hostility  towards  me.  The  duchess,  indeed,  had 
expressed  her  displeasure  to  her  in  no  measured  terms  for 


102  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTJNE. 

haying  permitted  the  Lady  de  Clifford  her  daughter,  and  the 
heiress  of  Marston,  to  ride  about  the  country  in  her  absence, 
as  she  affirmed,  more  like  the  daughters  of  some  homespun 
farmer  than  people  of  condition. 

The  poor  old  lady,  who  bore  in  her  countenance  the  conse- 
quences of  her  error,  if  so  it  was,  could  ill  brook  the  rebuke  of 
her  haughty  relative ;  and  telling  the  duchess  that  her  ideas 
were  unbecoming  one  of  her  high  rank,  took  leave  of  the  party: 
and,  bidding  Miss  Villeroy  beware  how  she  broke  the  heart  of 
a  worthy  man,  for  the  sake  or  at  the  bidding  of  a  hot-headed 
colonel  of  dragoons,  ordered  her  carriage,  and  returned  home. 

Whilst  I  remained  at  Nonsuch  farm,  I  received  a  letter  from. 
her,  desiring  to  see  me  as  soon  as  I  found  myself  in  traveDing 
condition ;  and  from  her  I  learnt  the  matter  I  have  just  related. 
Dr.  Stirret  had  also  informed  me,  now  that  I  was  able  to  talk 
on  matters  of  business,  that  my  father  and  his  party  had  set 
off  for  the  continent  about  a  fortnight  after  our  disastrous  field 
day,  "  To-morrow  morning,"  said  he,  "  I  will  talk  further 
with,  and  give  you  some  letters  I  have  received  here  for  you. 
This  evening  we  have  done  as  much  as  the  state  of  your  health 
will  bear;  meanwhile,  I  shall  commend  you  to  your  repose." 

Accordingly  the  next  morning  she  delivered  me  a  packet  of 
letters,  two  of  which  had  been  brought  for  me  from  the  Grange, 
two  had  come  from  Marston  Hall,  and  one  was  an  anonymous 
production.  The  two  from  the  Grange  were  important.  One 
bore  upon  its  envelope  those  (to  a  beginner)  formidable-looking 
printed  characters,  '  On  Sis  Majesty's  Service.'  The  other 
was  from  my  father.  The  Horse  Guard  epistle  named  me  as 
recommended  to  his  Majesty  for  a  cornetcy  in  the  —  Hussars : 
and  the  one  from  my  father  was  an  accompaniment  thereto, 
ordering  me  to  make  my  way  up  to  London,  to  the  house  of  a 
relative  I  had  never  seen,  giving  me  likewise  directions  about 
my  fit  out,  and  orders  to  join  at  the  expiration  of  the  two 
months  granted  for  preparation,  without  soliciting  any  more 
leave.  The  letter  contained  also  a  cheque  for  two  hundred 
pounds,  and  signified  his  intention  of  being  shortly  in  London. 
The  letters  from  the  Hall  were,  however,  the  first  opened,  as  I 
Jmew  the  handwriting  of  both.  The  first  was  from  Miss 
Villeroy,  and  contained  this  passage : 

"  Indeed,  after  all  that  has  transpired,  I  could  not  leave 
England  without  either  seeing  or  writing  to  you.  Heaven 
knows  that  before  I  discovered  the  dreadful  truth  regarding 
my  poor  father's  death  I  could  have  suffered  all  the  odium  and 
displeasure  of  my  relatives,  rather  than  have  caused  you  the 
slightest  unhappiness ;  but  when  to  that  discovery  is  added 
also  the  knowledge  of  your  having  professed  to  feel  for  my 
cousin  the  same  sentiments  of  regard  you  so  oft  have  sworn 
you  felt  towards  me  and  me  alone,  how  can  I  feel  anything  but 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOSTTJNE.  103 

sorrow  for  your  treachery,  and  contempt  for  all  mankind? 
Believe  me,  I  grieve  for  your  situation,  and  know  that  this 
last  unhappy  business  was  not  of  your  seeking.  It  was,  how- 
ever, the  most  unfortunate  thing  that  could  have  happened. 
Much  as  I  now  feel  dependent  upon  the  advice  and  support  of 
my  relatives  and  guardian,  I  should  have  held  fast  to  my  pro- 
mise to  you ;  but  as  the  case  now  stands,  I  feel  myself  absolved 
from  all,  and  have  never  dared  to  acquaint  them  that  there  has 
been  more  than  friendship  between  us. 

"  For  ever,  then,  farewell ;  and  may  you  be  blessed  in  life, 
and  far  happier  than  I  can  ever  hope  to  be !" 

The  one  from  Lady  Constance  ran  something  thus : — 

"I  do  not  suppose  that  under  any  circumstances  I  could  be 
justified  in  thus  writing.  But  the  feeling  I  shall  bear  with  me 
to  other  lands,  from  having  done  so,  will  be  that  of  satisfac- 
tion. I  go  shortly  with  Miss  Villeroy  to  Rome,  at  her  request ; 
though,  she  well  knows,  I  have  no  great  will  to  thejourney. 
We  may,  perhaps,  never  meet  again;  but,  think  not  1  can  for- 
get how  deeply  I  am  indebted  to  you.  The  knowledge,  too, 
that  you  have  borne  more  than  your  proud  spirit  could  brook 
for  mine  and  Isabella's  sake,  merits  both  our  thanks. 

"  Isabella  has  ever  forborne  to  speak  her  sentiments,  but  I 
have  discovered  there  has  been  more  between  you  than  I 
knew  of,  ere  I  went  to  Scotland,  which  I  would  you  had  not 
thus  concealed.  But  I  will  not  here  further  touch  upon  the 
subject.  I  shall  now,  I  fear,  never  hear  of  you,  as  I  used  to 
do  when  you  visited  at  the  Hall  during  my  absence;  and  now 
these  unhappy  events  have  happened,  and  we  are  to  be  so  far 
away,  I  doubt  not  but  that  you  will  soon  forget  your  sometime 
friends  here.  "Twill  be  best  so ;  and  in  the  stirring  events  of 
man's  career,  it  is,  I  hope,  easy  to  do  so.  JSTot  so  with  woman. 
— Farewell!" 

It  was  evident  to  me,  from  these  epistles,  that  the  ladies  had 
compared  notes ;  and  that  the  smart  things  I  had  felt  it  my 
duty  to  give  utterance  to  whilst  the  companion  of  Constance, 
had  been  misconstrued  by  Miss  Villeroy;  which,  together  with 
my  delinquency  in  regard  to  her  father's  death,  my  unhappy 
serenade,  and  disastrous  duel,  had  made  shipwreck  of  all  my 
present  hopes.  I  had  set  a  barrier  between  her  and  myself, 
over  which,  at  present,  there  was  no  approach. 

The  anonymous  production,  however,  was  the  one  which 
most  puzzled  me.  It  was  in  a  female  hand,  and  as  it  alluded 
to  passages  which  had  lately  passed  at  my  own  home,  and 
blamed  my  new  relations  for  driving  me  from  my  father's  roof, 
it  must  have  been  written  by  some  person  well  acquainted  with 
our  family  affairs ;  but  as  I  knew  no  one  who  could  possibly  be 
much  interested  about  my  welfare,  I  ceased  to  trouble  myself 
with  conjectures,  and  gave  it  to  the  names. 


104  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTTNB. 


CHAPTEE  XYII1. 

«' He  fishes,  drinks,  and  wastes 

The  lamps  of  night  in  revel." 

SHAKSPERE. 

A  FEW  days  from  the  receipt  of  these  letters  I  had  bidden 
farewell  to  the  few  friends  with  whom  I  was  on  terms  of  in/ v 
macy,  and  was  on  my  road  by  the  York  mail,  towards  the 
great  metropolis.  I  felt  an  eager  desire  to  be  there ;  for  a 
something  whispered  me,  (one  of  those  inexplicable  feelings 
which  sometimes  visit  us,  as  though  with  a  certainty  of  cor- 
rectness in  the  supposition,)  that  Miss  Villeroy  and  her  party 
were  at  that  moment  sojourning  there.  It  was,  indeed,  not  at 
all  unlikely  that  London  would  be  the  first  place  at  which  they 
would  make  a  halt  before  they  set  forth  on  their  tour. 

To  me,  London,  with  all  its  amusements,  its  vices,  follies,  and 
even  its  excellences,  was  quite  an  unknown  world,  With  my 
usual  self-sufficiency,  I  chose  to  disobey  my  sire's  instructions, 
and,  instead  of  proceeding  to  the  mansion  of  my  relative  in 
Portman  Square,  located  myself  at  the  first  house  of  enter- 
tainment I  arrived  at,  which  was  in  Holborn,  at  the  inn  where 
the  mail  stopped. 

To  those  who  have  never  seen  this  wonderful  place,  all  is 
indeed  full  of  interest,  and  I  chose  to  take  my  own  impression 
and  view  it  by  myself;  trusting  to  chance  in  the  direction  I 
took,  and  the  adventures  I  might  meet  with.  It  was  pleasant, 
I  thought,  to  a  man  in  my  circumstances  to  be  totally  unknown 
and  unobserved  in  his  peregrinations.  Accordingly,  after  my 
rambles,  it  was  my  wont  to  thrust  my  feet  into  slippers,  and 
seated  in  the  little  private  room  of  this  hostel,  my  window 
looking  out  upon  the  turmoil  and  bustle  of  the  yard  below, 
take  my  chop  in  as  much  contentment  as  the  melancholy  which 
at  present  pervaded  my  spirits,  would  allow  of. 

I  allowed  myself  a  week  of  this  sort  of  quietude:  and  during 
that  time  saw  all  that  a  country  cousin  is  usually  shown  of 
the  sights  of  London.  But  it  was  especially  my  delight  to 
search  out  and  explore  those  parts  of  the  town  not  so  often 
cared  for  by  strangers ;  and  although  there  is  now  but  little  to 
remind  us  of  the  doings  of  the  fierce  Norman  nobles,  and  the 
warlike  kings  of  the  immortal  bard,  yet  still,  it  is  something  to 
haunt  even  the  locality  where  Shakspere's  scenes  are  laid.  Ac- 
cordingly I  made  a  journey  to  Eastcheap,  in  the  expectation  of 
draining  a  cup  at  the  Boar's  Head,  with  as  much  devotion  as 
if  it  was  to  have  been  actually  tended  me  by  the  inimitable 
Francis  himself.  The  Temple  gardens,  too,  were  full  of  interest, 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  105 

and  I  chose  to  regard  them  as  when  that  brawl  commenced, 
"  twixt  wrangling  Somerset  and  fierce  Plantagenet." 

The  inns  of  court,  too,  where  little  John  Doit  of  Stafford- 
shire, black  George  Bare,  Francis  Pickbone,  Will  Squele,  and 
other  "  swinge-bucklers"  used  to  daff  the  world  aside,  not  for- 
getting Grays  Inn,  where  Master  Robert  Shallow  fought  with 
one  Sampson  Stockfish  the  fruiterer;  and  where,  as  he  prophe- 
sied, "  they  talk  of  Mad  Shallow  yet."  All  these  spots  were 
hunted  out,  and  viewed  with  peculiar  delight. 

It  was  after  a  day  passed  in  thus  wandering  about  the  town, 
that  on  returning  nome  to  my  inn  somewhat  late,  I  was  ac- 
costed by  a  stranger,  who,  standing  beside  the  entrance  of  the 
yard,  was  apparently  enjoying  the  fresh  air,  and  watching  the 
arrival  of  the  coaches,  as  he  smoked  his  cigar. 

I  had  observed  this  person  once  or  twice  before  in  my  pere- 
grinations ;  and  it  appeared  to  me  that,  like  myself,  he  was  a 
stranger  in  town,  and  occupied  pretty  much  in  the  same 
pursuits.  I  had  seen  him  looking  with  great  interest,  appa- 
rently, about  the  old  buildings  of  the  Temple ;  had  crossed  his 
path  in  several  other  parts  of  the  town ;  and,  by  a  singular 
chance,  had  met  him  in  the  cloisters  of  Westminster  Abbey, 
dogged  his  footsteps  in  Whitefriars,  and  nearly  run  against 
him  once  or  twice  in  Hyde  Park  and  St.  James's  Street,  He 
was  a  genteel-looking  man,  apparently  of  the  military  profes- 
sion. To  his  passing  remark,  as  I  entered  the  inn-yard,  I  felt 
myself  obliged  to  make  a  civil  reply,  and  we  were  soon  engaged 
together  in  conversation.  It  was,  I  found,  just  as  I  had  sur- 
mised. Although  not  entirely  a  stranger  in  London,  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  was  taking  the  advantage  of  a  short  leave 
of  absence  from  his  regiment,  to  view  those  places  of  interest, 
which,  on  former  visits  to  the  metropolis,  he  had  not  seen.  As 
we  were  thus  engaged  in  similar  pursuits,  and  lodgers  at  the 
same  inn,  he  proposed,  after  a  short  conversation,  that  we 
should  take  our  chop  together.  I  would  willingly  have  been 
left  to  the  indulgence  of  my  own  thoughts,  but  as  he  seemed  a 
person  of  gentlemanly  manners,  I  consented  to  his  proposal, 
and  we  dined  in  my  sitting  room  very  cosily  together. 

He  informed  me  during  our  meal  that  he  was  a  captain  in 
the  Dragoon  Guards;  mentioned  his  name  and  regiment;  that 
he  had  just  come  over  from  Ireland,  where  he  had  been  lately 
stationed;  and  having  visited  his  friends  residing  in  York- 
shire, had  run  up  to  town  on  some  urgent  business,  and  in- 
tended to  amuse  himself  for  the  remaining  few  days  of  his 
leave,  by  perusing  the  curiosities  of  London's  famed  city. 

Of  course  I  felt  bound  to  throw  off  reserve  in  the  company 
of  one  so  candid;  and,  in  return,  let  him  know  so  much  of  my 
affairs,  as  that  I  was  myself  a  candidate  for  military  honours ; 
had  arrived  in  town  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  and  intended 


106  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTTNE. 

to  wait  upon  the  Commander-in-chief,  get  myself  fully  ac- 
coutred, and  then  join  my  regiment.  That  I  was  named  after 
my  ancestors,  and  had  resided  hitherto  in  Yorkshire;  adding 
thereto,  that  after  I  had  rallied  my  spirits,  and  refreshed  my- 
self for  a  few  days,  I  was  due  to  some  relations  who  resided  in 
Portman  Square. 

The  captain  was  extremely  delighted  when  he  heard  my 
name  and  residence  in  Yorkshire. 

"This  is,  indeed,  fortunate!"  he  exclaimed,  (starting  up  and 
seizing  hold  of  my  hand)—"  my  dear  sir,  you  and  I  ought  to  be 
well  acquainted,  for  our  fathers  were  old  friends  before  us  ;  and 
my  relations  live  only  two  miles  from  the  village  of  Foxholes  - 
upon-the-Wold.  You  surely  must  have  heard  your  father  speak 
of  Colonel  Catchflat  of  G-anton  Dale." 

I  could  not  at -the  moment  tax  my  memory  with  either  the 
name  or  the  residence  my  new  friend  mentioned :  but  as  I 
knew  that  my  sire  had  dropped  most  of  his  early  acquaintance, 
I  entertained  no  sort  of  doubt  but  that  the  son  of  one  of  his 
brother  officers,  when  in  the  dragoons,  was  now  before  me.  I 
felt,  therefore,  that  I  ought  to  be  pleased  with  the  circum- 
stances which  had  thrown  this  polite  gentleman  in  my  way, 
and  that  every  attention  was  due  to  him. 

It  is  true  that  his  manners  appeared  to  me  to  be  rather  free 
and  easy;  but  then,  I  considered,  they  became  one  of  his  pro- 
fession ;  and  being  glad  to  meet  a  youth  about  to  enter  the 
army,  he  felt  himself  quite  at  home  in  his  society.  In  short,  I 
resolved  to  be  delighted  with  everything  about  the  Dragoon 
Guardsman,  except  his  way  of  addressing  his  inferiors,  and  that 
I  thought  rather  aggravated  and  unbecoming. 

"  HOAV  now,  scoundrel!"  said  he,  addressing  the  waiter,  dur- 
ing our  meal,  "how  dare  you  offer  this  gentleman,  my  friend 
here,  Captain  Blount,  of  Wharncliffe  Grange  in  Yorkshire, 

such  d d  stuff  as  this  Madeira?  Pardon  me,  Captain 

Blount,"  he  continued,  addressing  me,  "for  the  liberty  I  am 
taking;  but  it  makes  me  angry  when  ^ I  see  these  rascals  try- 
ing to  impose  upon  a  gentleman  on  his  first  coming  to  town. 
Begone,  sir,"  said  he  to  the  waiter,  "  and  send  your  master 
here  instantly  with  a  bottle  out  of  bin  No.  4;  and,  d'ye  hear? 
let  us  also  have  a  couple  of  bottles  of  your  very  best  cham- 
pagne. D ,  sir,  if  I  catch  you  playing  any  of  your  London 

tricks  upon  this  gentleman,  I  will  cane  you  as  long  as  I  can 
wield  my  weapon.  Again  I  beg  ten  thousand  pardons,  Cap- 
tain Blount;  but  it  makes  me  quite  ill  when  I  observe  such 
attempts  at  imposition.  You  will  allow  me  my  way  in  man- 
aging these  fellows  whilst  you  stay  here;  will  you  not?" 

"  Oh,  dear  sir!"  I  exclaimed,  "be  under  no  sort  of  restraint 
on  my  account ;  cane  the  fellow  to  your  heart's  content,  if  you 
find  the  wine  not  to  your  liking,  and  we  will  have  a  sample 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FOETUIfE.  107 

from  every  bin  in  the  cellar,  till  we  get  at  the  knave  landlord's 
oldest  vintage." 

"  Ha!  ha!"  said  the  captain,  "bravo,  Captain  Blount.  Gome, 
I  love  a  lad  of  spirit.  'Fore  Heaven,  we'll  have  a  rouse  on't 
to-night." 

I  was  indeed  becoming  not  a  little  elated  with  the  champagne, 
and  the  pleasure  of  finding  a  new  friend  of  so  agreeable  a  dis- 
position ;  and  after  the  melancholy  which  had  lately  pervaded 
me,  the  re -action  was  proportionably  great.  In  short,  I  was 
soon  whistled  drunk,  as  the  saying  is,  and  proposed  turning 
out  about  eleven  o'clock  for  a  regular  spree  in  the  streets  of 
London. 

The  captain  hailed  the  idea  with  delight,  and  sallying  forth 
from  our  hotel,  we  held  a  consolation  as  to  the  direction  we 
were  to  proceed  in.  I  was  for  exploring  the  back  slums  in  the 
east,  but  my  companion  preferring  to  visit  the  more  fashion- 
able end  of  the  town;  "westward,  ho!"  was  the  word,  and  we 
began  our  career. 

The  first  move  of  my  new  friend,  soon  after  starting,  was  to 
utter  a  continuation  of  the  most  horrible  and  terrific  shrieks  as 
we  proceeded,  which  he  informed  me  (on  my  supposing  he  was 
seized  with  a  fit  of  epilepsy,  and  asking  him  in  the  name  of 
Heaven  what  was  the  matter)  was  for  the  purpose  of  assem- 
bling the  Charlies,  and  letting  them  know  that  he  was  out  for 
the  night. 

This  was  rather  a  new  idea,  I  considered:  but  supposing  it  cus- 
tomary, I  forthwith  joined  in  the  cry,  and  gave  the  view  halloo 
till  the  streets  rang  again.  Accordingly,  upon  reaching  that 
part  of  Holborn  near  Chancery  Lane,  we  were  regularly  sur- 
rounded by  gentlemen  in  woollen  night-caps,  and  dreadnought 
coats,  and  ordered,  in  peremptory  language,  either  to  proceed 
with  less  uproar,  or  they  should  be  compelled  to  take  us  under 
their  own  particular  guidance. 

"Ha!  by  St.  George!  by  St.  Anthony!"  cried  my  com- 
panion, and  striking  down  a  watchman  at  each  invocation,  he 
fled  like  lightning  down  the  street. 

Kb  sooner  was  this  done,  than  a  shower  of  blows  fell  upon 
me  from  the  quarter  staves  of  those  around;  and  I  found  my- 
self so  cruelly  mauled,  that  striking  out  right  and  left,  I  fol- 
lowed his  example,  and  fled  at  my  utmost  speed. 

Rattles  now  were  sprung  in  all  directions  as  I  ran,  and  the 
hunt  was  fairly  up.  The  whole  town  was  the  same  to  me.  I 
knew  no  more  about  its  localities  than  if  I  had  been  flying 
through  the  streets  of  Constantinople.  I  therefore  held  man- 
fully on  straightforward,  overturning  everything  that  came  in 
my  way.  At  first  I  thought  it  rather  a  diverting  sort  of  pas- 
time, and  concluded  that  I  should  soon  outstrip  my  pursuers. 
But  to  my  astonishment,  I  found  that  the  agreeable  sound  of 


108  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

the  instruments  they  carried  in  their  fists  ran  rattling  along 
the  street  before  me,  taken  up  by  the  watch,  as  each  man 
heard  the  whirl  of  his  neighbouring  guard.  Accordingly  I  was 
assailed  and  followed  by  an  increasing  posse,  the  faster  I  sped. 
One  fellow,  drawing  himself  beside  the  houses,  dealt  a  furious 
blow  at  me  with  his  bludgeon  as  I  passed,  another  hurled  his 
weapon  at  my  shins,  whilst  a  third  dashed  his  fists  and  lanthorn 
in  my  jaws  and  face. 

"  On  right,  on  left,  above,  below, 
Sprung  up  at  once  the  lurking  foe.* 

At  length,  in  Cranbourne  Alley  (for  that  I  have  since  dis- 
covered to  be  the  name  of  such  a  thoroughfare)  I  was  fairly 
hemmed  in  and  surrounded.  Determined  not  to  be  taken 
alive,  I  wrested  the  staff  from  the  man  nearest,  and  dealt  my 
blows  so  successfully  that  I  floored  several  of  my  opponents. 
Eventually,  however,  I  must  have  been  overcome,  but  for  the 
approach  of  a  party  of  gentlemen,  headed  by  a  young  nobleman, 
and  who  hearing  the  sound  of  the  encounter,  thrust  headlong 
into  the  fray,  and  opposing  their  naked  fists  against  the  oaken 
cudgels  of  the  watchmen,  beat  them  about  their  ears,  and  in  a 
twinkling,  disposed  of  a  round  dozen  by  laying  them  senseless 
on  the  pavement. 

The  throng,  however,  now  swarmed  so  thickly  upon  us,  that 
tre  fought  like  one  of  those  regiments  thrown  into  square  at 
Waterloo,  overwhelmed  and  almost  hidden  by  the  surrounding 
mass  of  assailants.  "Hurrah  for  Ulster!  and  hurrah  for  Mun- 
ster!"  cried  a  great  burly  fellow,  whirling  his  slielaleh  round 
his  head,  and  opposing  himself  to  the  leader  of  the  gentlemen, 
who  had  rushed  to  my  assistance.  "  Blood  and  ounds,  but  it's 
the  noble  lord  himself !  by  the  powers,  we've  got  him  now!" 
The  noble,  or  whatever  else  he  might  have  been,  and  myself 
were  indeed  evidently  the  two  persons  they  seemed  most  de- 
sirous of  capturing,  and  he  saw  it.  He  had  been  several  times 
struck  by  the  bludgeons  of  the  watchmen,  with  blows  one 
might  have  thought  would  have  been  sufficient  to  fell  an  ox, 
but  of  which  he  seemed  to  heed  no  more  than  if  they  had  been 
so  much  thistle-down. 

Wherever  he  dealt  his  own  straight-handed  hits,  over  went 
a  sapient-looking  Dogberry,  with  either  disfurnished  jaws,  or 
'broken  collar-bone.  He  absolutely  chuckled  with  glee  as  he 
fought,  and  face  and  hands  were  covered  with  gore. 

The  continued  spring  of  the  rattles  without,  the  melee,  how- 
ever, bringing  more  and  more,  even  my  ally  saw  that  his  eiforts 
would  soon  be  overpowered.  Accordingly  giving  the  signal  to 
his  followers  for  one  bold  charge,  and  cutting  their  way 
through  the  press,  they  dispersed  in  various  directions,  east, 
west,  north,  and  south. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  109 

"Follow!"  he  said  to  me,  as  he  darted  straightforwards  into 
the  open  square  before  us.  Being  closely  pursued,  we  turned 
into  a  door,  which  stood  most  invitingly  open,  and  overturn- 
ing an  immense  fat  old  woman  in  the  passage,  we  traversed 
over  her  body,  and  rushed  most  unceremoniously  into  the  par- 
lour. It  was  filled  with  blooming  young  Hebes,  who,  seated 
around  the  festive  board,  with  brimming  goblets  before  them, 
were  apparently  passing  away  the  watches  of  the  night  with, 
mirth  and  jollity. 

They  all  appeared  as  much  delighted  with  our  appearance  as 
we  were  to  obtain  a  refuge  amongst  them,  and  raised  a  shriek 
of  joy  that  would  have  awakened  the  seven  sleepers.  Throw- 
ing his  purse  upon  the  table,  the  young  noble  desired  the  old 
lady  whom  he  had  capsized,  to  fetch  plenty  of  champagne,  and 
order  supper  for  the  party  immediately.  Before,  however,  the 
old  woman  had  time  to  leave  the  apartment,  a  hubbub  at  the 
door  announced  that  the  guardians  of  the  night  had  tracked, 
were  at  our  heels,  and  forcing  an  entrance.  We  were  quickly  in 
the  passage  to  oppose  them,  and  once  more  the  row  began.  For 
some  time,  in  the  narrow  entrance,  we  maintained  an  unequal 
fight,  the  young  ladies  before-mentioned  escaping  in  rear  of  the 
premises.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  my  gallant  leader  consented 
once  more  to  make  use  of  his  discretion,  and  retire  for  advantage. 

Again  bidding  me  follow,  he  dashed  up  the  staircase,  four 
stairs  at  a  bound,  and  rushing  into  one  of  the  attics,  threw  up 
the  window,  and,  agile  as  a  cat,  sprang  upon  the  tiles.  I  felt 
the  grasp  of  one  of  our  pursuers  as  I  darted  after  him ;  but 
succeeded  in  clambering  over  the  parapet,  and  gaining  the 
roof.  We  traversed  the  tops  of  several  houses,  till  we  came  to 
a  dark  and  dismal-looking  row.  My  conductor,  feeling  his 
way  as  he  proceeded,  at  length  stopped,  and  grasped  hold  of  a 
leaden  water-spout,  which  he  judged  went  down  to  the  pave- 
ment beneath,  and  throwing  his  legs  over  the  parapet,  began 
to  descend. 

"  Does  that  gutter  reach  lo  the  bottom  ?"  I  said,  looking 
over. 

"  I  wish  you  could  tell  me  that,"  he  answered;  "but,  as  I 
don't  intend  to  remain  upon  the  tiles  all  night,  I  mean  to  ascer< 
tain  the  fact." 

If  I  had  drunk  less  wine,  and  had  a  trifle  more  discretion,  I 
should  have  hesitated  to  follow  ;  but  as  it  was,  I  thought  my« 
self  bound  in  honour  to  accompany  one  who  had  so  gallantly 
aided  me. 

Grasping,  therefore,  the  square  orifice  of  the  pipe,  I  threw 
myself  over  the  side  of  the  parapet,  and  began  to  descend. 

It  was  a  painful  and  difficult  task:  and  when  about  a  quarter 
of  the  way  down,  I  found  my  fellow-passenger  had  met  with 
some  obstruction,  as  my  feet  touched  his  hat. 


110  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"Hallo!  there,"  said  he,  "what  are  you  at?  I  can't  get 
lower.  This  pipe  runs  in  a  slanting  direction  here ;  and  though 
we  can  get  down  it  well  enough,  we  can't  so  easily  get  along  it." 

I  looked  down,  and  the  sight  made  me  sick. 

"  I  shall  fall,"  said  I,  "  if  you  cling  there  much  longer." 

"Pall,  be  d d!"  answered  the  young  noble;  "scramble 

Tip  again.  We  must  get  to  the  top  of  the  house." 

"What  is  that,"  said  I,  "  between  us  and  the  area,  which  I 
can  just  distinguish  below  P" 

"Why,  I  suppose  it's  a  balcony,"  he  answered:  "but  it's 
too  far  to  drop." 

Unfortunately,  there  was  a  watch-box  in  the  street  just 
below ;  and  the  watchman,  who  had  been  nodding  very  cozily 
there,  was  awakened  by  our  dialogue.  Holding  up  his  lantern, 
he  espied  two  black-looking  objects,  clinging  like  bottled 
spiders  to  the  side  of  the  house,  the  lowermost  one  kicking  his 
legs  and  stretching  them  downwards  in  the  vain  hope  of  finding 
some  buttress  or  coigne  of  vantage  for  ^  his  toes  to  rest  upon. 
Without  the  smallest  pity  for  our  situation,  he  began  to  spring 
his  odious  rattle,  and  cry  "thieves"  as  loud  as  he  could  bawl, 
running  up  and  down  the  street  like  a  bedlamite. 

"  Get  up,  get  up,"  said  my  companion  in  misfortune:  "we'll 
give  that-fellow  the  slip  yet." 

In  vain  I  tried  to  scramble  up  the  pipe.  Not  being  able  to 
get  my  arms  round  it,  it  was  impossible  to  go  on  an  inch.  The 
young  lord  was  enraged  at  the  delay. 

"Why  don't  you  get  up?"  said  he.  "If  I  was  there,  I'd 
punch  your  stupid  head  for  you.  Get  up,  I  say." 

He  tried  to"  get  up  himself  by  clambering  over  me,  and  I 
found  it  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  hold  on  with  his  additional 
weight. 

Luckily  I  had  obtained  a  footing  upon  a  large  staple,  or  we 
must  both  have  fallen.  Our  situation  was  one  of  great  peril. 
I  felt  the  pipe  beginning  to  loosen  from  its  fastenings.  It  got 
worse  and  worse. 

"  We  had  better  take  our  chance,  and  drop,"  said  I,  "  for,  if 
the  pipe  gives  way,  we  shall  be  flung  headlong  upon  the  spikes 
below." 

The  watchmen  had  by  this  time  collected  two  or  three  more 
of  the  fraternity,  and  seeing  the  peril  of  our  situation,  dis- 
patched a  man  in  search  of  a  ladder. 

"Ah!  ah!  you're  nicely  trapped  now,  my  coveys,"  cried  one 
of  the  party,  "hold  on,  if  you  can,  till  the  ladder  comes." 

"  You  and  your  ladder  be  d d,"  said  the  young  lord ; 

"  here  goes  for  the  balcony ;"  and  down  he  dropped. 


THE   BOEDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  Ill 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  My  mind  misgives, 

Some  consequence,  yet  hanging  in  the  stars, 
Shall  bitterly  begin  his  fearful  date 
With  this  night's  revels." 

SHAKSPERE. 

No  sooner  was  the  lively  nobleman  on  his  legs,  than  he  called 
out  to  me  that  all  was  right  as  a  trivet,  and  desired  me  to 
follow  his  example.  As  I  could  hold  on  no  longer,  I  slid  a 
few  feet  further  clown,  and  letting  go  my  grasp,  should  most 
likely  have  been  killed  upon  the  spot,  but  that  luckily  I  alighted 
upon  his  lordship's  shoulders,  and  broke  my  fall  by  nearly 
breaking  his  back.  He  was,  however,  quickly  on  his  legs 
again,  and,  dashing  in  the  window-shutters,  was  soon  within 
the  house. 

Making  his  way  out  at  the  door  of  the  apartment,  he  rushed 
down  the  stairs,  felt  his  way  to  the  street-door,  and  unfastening 
a  ponderous  chain,  unlocked  it,  and  bolted  out. 

Keeping  close  behind  him,  I  was  in  the  street  almost  as 
quickly  as  himself.  Once  more  we  dashed  amongst  the  cud- 
gels of  the  awaiting  watchmen,  and  took  to  our  heels. 

A  solitary  coach  was  upon  the  stand  at  one  end  of  the  street, 
and  my  companion  making  a  spring  upon  the  box,  I  at  the 
same  moment  pulled  open  the  door,  and  leaped  inside.  The 
horses  had  been  disfurnished  of  their  headstalls,  and  were 
quietly  ruminating  probably  upon  then*  last  flagellation,  with 
their  unhappy  muzzles  deep  buried  in  their  nose-bags.  It  was 
all  the  same  to  their  present  driver,  however,  who  seizing  the 
reins  and  whip  from  the  footboard,  amazed  their  hides  with 
the  bastinado  he  bestowed  upon  them. 

"  They  can  go  if  they  like,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and  may  I  be 
d d  if  they  sha'n't  go  now !" 

The  skeleton  steeds  seemed  fully  impressed  with  the  urgency 
of  the  occasion,  and  the  old  rumbling  vehicle  never,  perhaps, 
in  its  best  days,  rattled  along  in  faster  style.  The  present 
waggoner,  quite  as  headlong  and  wild  as  !Phaeton,  although 
without  the  aid  of  the  ribbons,  whipped  them  to  the  west. 

It  was  lucky  that  at  this  time  of  night,  or  rather  morning, 
there  was  not  a  vehicle  in  our  way ;  consequently  the  principal 
danger  arose  from  the  perilous  style  in  which  we  avoided  the 
corners,  and  all  but  touched  the  various  posts. 

The  bawling  jarvey,  who  had  popped  out  of  the  public- 
house  near  his  stand,  to  behold  the  unwonted  action  of  his 
pair  of  bloods,  as  they  galloped  past,  was  soon  distanced. 

Away  we  sped,  swift  as  the  pinions  of  the  wind.    The  steeda 


112  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJNE. 

were  not  quite  so  despicable  as  are  sometimes  to  be  found 
chained  to  the  splinter-bar  of  a  hackney  coach,  there  to  be 
lashed  whilst  strength  holds  them  up  upon  four  battered  and 
failing  legs,  and  consequently  they  made  a  very  respectable 
effort. 

Dr.  Johnson  affirms  there  can  be  but  few  things  in  this 
world  more  exquisite  than  the  delight  of  being  whirled  along 
in  a  post-chaise.  He  may  possibly  be  right  in  his  fancy,  but  I 
certainly  began  to  dislike  being  whirled  along  at  the  pace  we 
were  going,  in  a  hackney  jarvey.  Enough,  I  considered,  had 
been  done  for  the  purpose  of  getting  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
Charlies,  as  they  were  termed,  and  I  began  to  meditate 
upon  the  propriety  of  making  a  flying  leap  from  the  door  of 
the  vehicle ;  and  thrusting  my  head  from  the  window,  adver- 
tized Phaeton  of  my  intent,  unless  he  drew  up. 

Our  career  was,  however,  as  suddenly  terminated  as  it  had 
commenced.  The  steeds,  although  from  long  use,  they  had  aa 
yet  galloped  up  one  street  and  down  another,  without  compro- 
mising themselves,  or  dashing  the  coach  either  against  the 
corner  of  a  house  or  edge  of  a  post,  now  from  some  miscalcu- 
lation ran  full  upon  one,  and  the  pole  of  the  carriage  hitting 
the  post  as  fairly  as  the  well-directed  lance  of  a  knight  in  the 
lists,  was  shivered  into  a  dozen  fragments ;  both  horses  were 
thrown  to  the  earth,  and  the  coach  itself  was  cooped  head  over 
heels.  The  driver,  who  had  seen  plainly  the  fate  of  his 
triumphant  car,  and  had  no  means  of  guiding  the  maddened 
steeds  from  the  destructive  obstacle,  giving  them  one  more  lash 
by  way  of  a  parting  favour,  leaped  to  the  ground  as  the  smash 
took  place.  Disregarding  the  kicking  steeds,  encumbered  in 
their  harness,  pulled  open  the  door,  and  helped  to  extricate  me 
from  my  situation,  half-stunned  by  the  shock,  and  altogether 
in  no  pleasant  plight. 

The  spot  where  this  catastrophe  took  place  was  the  corner  of 
Charles-street,  Grosvenor-square ;  and  it  so  happened  that 
there  was  a  rout  at  one  of  those  splendid  mansions  in  the 
neighbourhood.  When,  therefore,  his  lordship,  calling  to  me 
to  bear  a  hand,  had  thrown  himself  upon  the  encumbered 
horses,  and  commenced  unharnessing  and  assisting  them  up, 
as  though  he  had  not  the  slightest  hand  in  their  fall ;  half  a 
dozen  footmen,  attendant  upon  some  of  the  carriages  in  wait- 
ing, ran  up  and  lent  their  assistance. 

Whilst  we  thus  worked  at  the  fallen  steeds,  and  eventually 
got  them  upon  their  legs  again,  the  clattering  steps  of  the 
discomfited  coachman,  together  with  the  rushing  sound  of  a 
posse  attendant,  proclaimed  that  our  old  enemies,  the  watch, 
were  again  at  hand. 

"  Whose  party  is  this?"  inquired  the  young  lord  of  one  of 
the  footmen. 


THE  SOLDIER   OP  FORTUNE.  113 

Although  I  heard  the  question,  I  failed  in  catching  the 
man's  answer. 

"  Good,"  said  the  noble;  "we'll  go  to  it.  Give  coachee  a 
guinea  for  his  fare,  and  don't  say  which  way  we  have  mizzled." 
So  saying,  and  throwing  a  handful  of  gold  amongst  the  foot- 


Being  quite  in  cue  for  a  continuation  of  the  spree,  I  did  not 
refuse  so  agreeable  a  refuge  from  the  watch-house ;  only  in  my 
own  mind  I  doubted  the  possibility  of  our  appearing  in  our 
present  somewhat  disfigured  state.  My  companion,  however, 
soon  put  all  to  rights.  He  was  apparently  well  known  to  the 
servants  of  the  house. 

"  We've  had  an  upset,"  said  he,  when  he  entered  the  hall. 
"  Show  us  a  room  where  we  can  adjust  our  dress." 

Two  or  three  liveried  attendants  immediately  ran  before  us, 
showed  us  into  a  dressing-room,  and  brought  us  all  the  ap- 
pliances to  remove  from  our  outward  habiliments  the  signs  of 
the  fray.  Our  coats  were  taken  off  and  brushed,  hands  and 
faces  washed,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  we.  were  presentable 
amongst  the  splendid  assemblage  above  stairs.  It  was  one  of 
those  brilliant  parties  given  at  the  close  of  the  season,  amongst 
the  cream  of  the  aristocracy,  and  was  rather  a  cram.  All 
the  remaining  rank  and  fashion  in  town  seemed  present 
together. 

The  marquis  and  nr^self,  therefore,  walked  in  quite  unheeded. 
As  for  myself,  I  was  lost  in  admiration  at  the  quantity  of 
lovely  women  I  saw  around  me ;  creatures  so  beautiful  as  to 
realize  the  Mussulman's  ideas  of  the  heaven  he  hoped  to  attain 
to.  It  was,  indeed,  to  me  a  sort  of  paradise ;  and  I  gazed  from 
one  to  the  other  with  the  greatest  delight.  There  seemed  so 
much  ease  in  this  society,  that  you  might  have  thought,  from 
the  absence  of  restraint,  and  the  delightful  intimacy  which 
appeared  to  reign  throughout  the  assemblage,  that  the  whole 
party  must  have  been  composed  of  one  family.  I  felt  that  as 
my  companion  had  thus  brought  me  amongst  his  friends,  he 
ought  to  introduce  me  to  the  lady  of  the  house  without  delay. 
He  however  said  there  was  time  enough ;  and  threading  his 
way  through  the  various  rooms,  nodding  to  one  acquaintance, 
and  stopping  for  a  moment  to  speak  to  another,  we  made  the 
tour  of  the  suite  of  apartments  which  had  been  thrown  open 
to  the  company. 

"  Ha!  Cceur  de  Lion,  it's  a  treat  to  see  you,"  said  a  young 
titled  guardsman.  ' '  Why,  half-a-dozen  of  us  have  been  making 
the  tour  of  London  for  the  last  week  to  find  your  hiding-place." 

"  It's  just  as  well  for  you,  then,"  returned  the  other,  "  that 
you  failed  in  the  search,  Georgie ;  for  it's  my  pleasure  to  be 

I 


114  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

quit  of  you  all.  I'm  sick  of  your  idleness,  and  choose  to  be 
naught  awhile." 

"  VTe  heard  you  were  in  town,"  said  the  guardsman ;  "  but 
none  of  us  knew  where  you  were  to  be  found ;  no  one  had  seen 
you ;  and  you  were,  in  short,  incomprehensible,  invisible,  and 
inexplicable." 

"  I'll  teU  you  what,  Glansdale,"  said  Coeur  de  Lion,  "  I'll 
be  no  longer  guilty  of  this  sin.  I'm  sick  of  fathering  all  your 
stale  tricks,  and  begin  to  tire  of  my  own.  Dirty  deeds  are  done 
by  half  the  snobs  about  town,  and  my  name  is  the  stalking- 
horse.  I  shall  cut  the  concern,  altogether.  But  I'm  surprised 
to  see  you  here ;  I  thought  you  were  at  Brussels.  You  were 
hit  hard,  I  heard,  on  the  Derby  day." 

"  Egad,  that's  fact ;  I  was  rather  hardly  hit.  Indeed,  I  may 
say,  I  am  altogether  floored.  The  governor's  in  an  awful  state. 
Three  times  he  has  come  down,  as  you  know,  to  pay  off  my 
debts.  Now  he^  has  completely  turned  his  back  upon  me. 
However,  it  can't  be  helped ;  I  must  take  the  consequence,  I 
suppose.  To-morrow  I  must  send  in  my  papers  to  the  Horse 
Guards,  and  sell  my  commission ;  that  will  stop  the  gap  for  a 
while." 

"  Nonsense,  man,"  said  Coeur  de  Lion,  "  how  much  are  you 
in  for,  altogether?" 

Here  the  noble  took  the  guardsman  apart,  and  they  con- 
ferred for  a  few  minutes. 

"  Call  on  me  to-morrow,  at  eleven,"  said  he,  "  where  I  have 
told  you.  If  you  get  there  at  that  hour,  you  shall  have  it ; 

d n  the  commission,  it's  not  worth  selling.  Keep  it,  I  tell 

you." 

Lord  Coeur  de  Lion  passed  on,  and  I  followed.  Wherever 
he  went,  he  was  regarded  with  curiosity ;  and  his  name  whis- 
pered from  mouth  to  mouth.  Every  one  bowed  to  him  with 
respect :  for  although  the  town  rang  with  his  wild  and  daring 
pranks,  few  noblemen  in  Great  Britain  possessed  a  nobler  and 
kinder  heart.  He  was  a  young  man  of  very  superior  talents, 
too ;  and  as  much  above  the  set  he  headed,  as  greatest  is  from 
least.  Whatever  he  undertook,  he  effected  in  gallant  style; 
whenever  he  was  imitated,  the  perpetrators  were  sure  to  make 
a  mull  of  it. 

Whilst  Coeur  de  Lion  was  being  recognised  and  accosted,  I, 
being  his  companion,  also  came  in  for  a  share  of  notice  occa- 
sionally. "  Who's  that  tall,  dark  young  man,  with  Coeur  de 
Lion  ?"  I  heard  once  or  twice  asked,  in  a  half  whisper.  One 
surmised  that  I  was  young  Monteith,  who  had  just  been 
gazetted  to  the  Life  Guards.  Another  said,  "  It  must  be  the 
JDuke  Gonzalo,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Naples ;"  whilst  a 
young,  coxcombical,  and  dandified  beau  ventured  to  suggest, 
that  I  looked  more  like  a  bonnet  to  a  hell,  whom  Coeur  de  Lion 
Jiad  introduced  by  way  of  spree,  tk*»  *i&y  tteng  else. 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  115 

u  How  did  the  filly  behave,  Cceur  de  Lion ;  I  understand 
you  won  that  steeple-chase  by  a  neck,"  said  the  young  Earl  of 
Cravecceur. 

"  Yes,  and  I  should  have  won  it  by  a  score  of  yards,  besides  ; 
only,  that  she  broke  her  back  in  the  last  leap,"  said  his  lord- 
ship. "  She  ran  fifteen  yards  after  she  was  done  for :  and 
pitched  headforemost  the  remainder  of  the  distance.  That  last 
wall  was  a  puzzler ;  six  feet  and  a  wide  ditch  on  the  other 
side.  She  went  at  it  like  a  thunderbolt,  capsizing  Harkaway 
Snob,  who  was  riding  Thornton's  Mammoth,  and  going  clean 
over  them  both  in  the  jump." 

"  Who's  that  with  you,  Cceur  de  Lion  ?  The  ladies  with  me 
are  most  anxious  to  know,"  inquired  an  officer  of  the  Life 
Guards  :  "  they  say  he's  either  the  Chevalier  Bayard  or  Lord 
Herbert  of  Cherbury,  stepped  from  the  frame.  We  all  thought 
Mac  Jupiter  of  ours  was  the  most  splendid  representation 
of  the  visage  of  one  of  the  old  Norman  knights ;  but  your 
friend  beats  him  hollow.  What  a  countenance !" 

"  It  has  been  well  punched,  at  all  events,  to-night,"  returned 
Cceur  de  Lion.  "You'd  better  ask  him  who  he  is  ;  for,  hang 
me,  if  I  can  tell,"  he  continued,  turning  back  to  look  at  me,  for 
the  first  time. 

Whilst  this  sort  of  desultory  chat  was  taking  place,  I  had 
come  to  a  stand  to  observe  an  elderly  gentleman,  who,  apart 
from  the  crowd,  was  listening  to  the  lively  prattle  of  a 
blooming  Hebe  of  about  seventeen ;  and  apparent^  quite  as 
much  interested  and  careful  in  giving  his  answers  to  the  trilling 
questions  she  asked,  as  if  they  had  been  put  by  the  prime  mi- 
nister himself. 

The  tenour  of  the  conversation  arrested  my  steps,  and  I 
paused  to  contemplate  the  speakers.  The  iron-grey  face  of 
the  cavalier  was  turned  to  the  smiling  eyes  of  the  girl,  as  she 
played  innocently  with  his  eye-glass,  and  put  her  questions 
with  as  much  naivete  as  though  she  had  been  speaking  to  her 
own  papa. 

"Now,  do  tell  me,  dear  Duke,"  said  the  lively  girl,  "how 
came  you  all  to  allow  yourselves  to  be  surprised  in  Brussels  at 
that  ball  ?" 

"  We  were  not  surprised,"  answered  the  warrior, 

"Not  surprised?"  she  returned,  "but  I  am;  for  we  are  led  to 
believe,  you  all  turned  out  to  fight  in  your  dancing-pumps. 
And  now  tell  me  another  thing  I  wish  to  know:  if  you 
had  been  beaten  at  Waterloo,  what  would  have  become  of 
you  all?" 

"We  should  have  retreated  to  Brussels,"  returned  the 
Duke. 

"Ah!  but  could  you  have  retreated  to  Brussels?"  said  the 
Hebe,  archly.  "  I  think  you  could  not." 

i  2 


116  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTTNE. 

"  I  think  we  could,"  said  the  warrior,  smiling. 

"Well,  you  know  best,  certainly :  but  I  doubt,  you  are  mis- 
taken. My  papa  and  Lord  Gustavus  went  over  the  field  last 
summer ;  and  they  said  you  could  not  have  retreated  upon 
Brussels.  And  now  tell  me,  since  that  point's  settled,  which 
of  your  achievements  do  you  consider  the  most  of,  and  like  the 
best.  And  before  you  answer  that  question,  tell  me  whether 
you  like  those  new  shells  my  papa  has  invented,  and  sent  to 
Woolwich  for  the  Artillery  ?" 

"Well,  then,  to  answer  your  last  question  first.  I  do 
not  like  those  new-fashioned  shells,  as  you  call  them,  of  your 
father's,"  said  the  warrior. 

"  And  why  not?" 

"  Because  they  would  be  of  little  use,"  he  answered, — 
"  in  service :  you  might  as  well  throw  plum-puddings  amongst 
the  men." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  what  a  wonderful  man  you  are,"  said  the  Hebe. 

"  With  regard  to  the  second  question.  I  like  the  passage  of 
the  Douro  better  than  anything  we  did  in  Spain." 

"Why  so?"  said  Hebe,  getting  more  animated.  "I  do 
so  like  you,  because  you  listen  to  my  questions,  and  answer 
them  so  carefully.  I  love  fighting  ;  and  I  adore  you,  as  every 
woman  in  England  ought  to  do."  (Here  Hebe  kissed  the 
duke's  hand.)  "  And  now  tell  me,  why  you  like  the  passage  of 
the  Douro  better  than  all  the  rest." 

The  Hebe  and  the  warrior  passed  on,  and  were  soon  hidden 
from  me  in  the  crowd ;  whilst  I,  admiring  the  goodness  of  dis- 
position exhibited  in  the  illustrious  soldier  (for  such  he  ap- 
peared to  be)  which  could  patiently  listen  to,  and  kindly  answer 
the  prattle  of  the  beautiful  little  romp  who  had  fastened  herself 
upon  his  arm,  when  noblemen  and  statesmen  were  seeking  to 
catch  his  slightest  nod,  lost  my  introducer,  and  became  also 
lost  in  the  throng. 

The  wine  I  had  drunk,  and  the  whirl  I  had  gone  through, 
since  I  and  the  captain  had  left  our  flagons  and  our  inn,  had 
completely  overcome  my  discretion,  though  the  last  action  of 
the  upset  had  considerably  quieted  me  down.  I  was  accord- 
ingly in  an  observing  and  monstrous  sapient  mood  and  very 
much  inclined  to  take  ever3rthing  as  a  good  joke,  and  be  argu- 
mentative, provided  I  could  have  found  a  listener.  However, 
with  all  my  drunken  wisdom,  I  could  not  quite  reconcile  my- 
self to  my  present  position.  It  was  not  to  be  approved  of,  I 
thought,  and  I  resolved  to  seek  my  introducer;  and  after 
thanking  him  for  his  services  rendered,  to  withdraw  and  find 
my  way  homewards. 

Elbowing,  therefore,  a  passage  through  the  rooms,  which 
**  blazed  with  light,"  and  brayed  with  minstrelsy,  I  came  to  a 
small  boudoir,  fitted  up  in  the  Eastern  style ;  and  hearing 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FORTUNE.  117 

voices  within,  I  pushed  aside  the  hangings,  and  entering  found 
myself  the  next  moment  in  the  presence  of  and  not  a  yard  dis- 
tant from,  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane.  To  paint  the  surprise, 
and  describe  the  look  of  the  awful  duchess,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  call  to  the  reader's  remembrance  the  occasional 
expression  of  the  countenance  of  the  immortal  Siddons,  when 
she  chose  to  be  Lady  Macbeth. 

My  drunken  wisdom  immediately  informed  me  that  I  had 
committed  a  breach  of  decorum  ;  and  the  truth  flashed  across 
my  brain  that  I  had  unknowingly  intruded  into  the  mansion, 
and  thrust  my  disagreeable  presence  into  the  select  party  of 
her  Grace  of  Hurricane. 

The  duchess  stared  upon  me  for  some  time,  apparently 
as  if  awaiting  the  explanation  or  apology  I  was  bound  to  make  ; 
and  I,  as  if  fascinated  by  her  gaze,  returned  her  look  in  solemn 
silence. 

In  the  elegant  boudoir  where  the  lady  of  the  mansion  had 
thus  retired  from  the  heat  and  fatigue  of  her  crowded  rooms, 
were  congregated  a  select  few  of  her  intimates,  and  the  conver- 
sation before  animated  sank  at  once  on  my  intrusion. 

The  duchess,  either  finding  that  I  offered  no  word  of  apo- 
logy or  explanation,  or  perhaps  seeing  that  I  was  a  little  flus- 
tered by  flowing  cups,  with  a  haughty  bow  finished  the  scene 
by  leaving  the  boudoir,  followed  by  her  party,  who  filed  off 
with  immense  dignity  of  deportment,  eyeing  me  as  they  left,  as 
if  I  had  been  that  strange  animal  described  by  Trinculo,  half 
monster,  half  fish. 

Had  I  not  been  "  in  case  to  jostle  a  constable,"  this  meeting 
would  have  disconcerted  me.  As  it  was,  I  felt  rather  dashed,  and 
resolved  to  leave  the  house  immediately.  One  lady  remained, 
and  she  was  apparently  so  much  surprised  that  she  was  unable 
to  follow  the  duchess  and  her  party.  Before  I  left  the  boudoir 
I  turned  to  look  at  her — it  was  Miss  Villeroy. 

Acting  with  my  accustomed  impetuosity,  I  forgot  all  but  the 
delight  of  being  thus  once  more  thrown  into  her  presence. 
The  beautiful  Miss  Villeroy  was  before  me,  and  alone :  it  was 
like  offered  mercy,  and  I  threw  myself  at  her  feet.  She 
attempted  to  rise,  but  I  seized  her  hand  and  detained  her. 

"  In  the  name  of  Heaven,  Mr.  Blount,"  she  exclaimed,  "  whst 
can  have  brought  you  to  this  house,  after  what  has  so  recently 
happened?" 

"  Ask  me  not,  dear  Miss  Villeroy,"  I  exclaimed,  "  but  since 
the  gods  have  favoured  me  by  thus  inexplicably  guiding  me 
once  more  into  your  presence,  hear  me  plead  for  a  pardon  for 
all  those  unhappy  transactions  that  have  driven  me  from  your 
good  thoughts, — deeds  which  have  been  thrust  upon  me  by 
others,  and  by  which  I,  the  victim  of  circumstances,  am  ren- 
dered especially  wretched,  since  they  have  procured  me  your 


118  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTTNE. 

displeasure.  As  for  those  silk-coated  slaves,  I  pass  them ;— of 
you,  and  you  alone,  I  ask  pardon  for  all  that  has  happened. 
Say  but  that  you  forgive  me  for  what  is  passed,  and  I  will  leave 
you,  if  you  wish  it,  for  evermore." 

Miss  Yilleroy  saw  that  I  was  at  least  as  much  excited  by 
champagne  as  love  on  this  occasion.  She  looked  absolutely 
frightened. 

"  I  do  forgive  you,"  said  she,  resigning  the  hand  I  had  seized 
which  I  covered  with  kisses :  "  but  oh !  for  the  love  of  Heaven 
stay  not  here.  God  only  knows  what  further  mischief  may 
arise  from  this  unlucky  intrusion  of  yours." 

Miss  Yilleroy  rose  from  her  seat,  and  withdrew  her  hand  in 
some  displeasure.  "  I  must  not  remain  here,  Mr.  Blount," 
said  she ;  "permit  me  to  join  the  duchess." 

I  arose  from  my  knee,  though  not  without  an  effort :  my 

Eride  came  to  my  aid.    I  felt  I  was  hardly  used  by  the  young 
idy,  and  drew  aside  that  she  might  quit  the  apartment.     The 
entrance  of  the  master  of  the  house  in  some  little  haste,  hin- 
dered her  from  leaving  the  boudoir. 

"The  duke,  after  glancing  rapidly  at  me,  addressed  himself 
to  his  niece. 

"  Miss  Yilleroy,"  said  he,  "as  I  presume  this  gentleman  is 
here  to-night  by  your  invitation,  I  request  the  favour  of  your 
introducing  me  to  him." 

"  You  will  grant  me  your  pardon,  my  lord,"  said  I,  "  since 
I  conclude  I  am  addressing  the  Duke  of  Hurricane,  and  allow 
me  to  set  you  right  in  this  matter.  However  much  I  may  have 
wished  for  the  honour  of  an  interview  with  Miss  Yilleroy, 
our  meeting  here  is  perfectly  accidental,  nor  did  your 
niece  know,  till  a  few  minutes  ago,  that  I  was  in  the  me- 
tropolis. 

The  duke  was  a  descendant  of  the  Plantagenets,  and  had 
all  the  dignity,  chivalrous  bearing,  and  noble  look  of  one  of 
that  great  line.  He  was  a  little  fussy  at  times,  but  altogether 
he  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  his  order.  He  was  apparently 
a  trifle  out  of  sorts  on  this  occasion,  and  his  distended  nostril 
and  eye  of  fire  gave  him  something  the  look  of  Charles  Kemble 
when  Falconbriclge  grows  irritable  at  the  presence  of  Austria 
before  the  gates  of  Angiers. 

"  I  thought  I  understood  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane  that  I 
should  find  Mr.  Blount,  of  Wharncliffe  Grange,  in  this  apart- 
ment," said  he,  turning  to  me,  doubtfully. 

"I  am  that  unfortunate  man,"  I  answered. 

"  Miss  Yilleroy,"  said  the  duke  (stepping  aside  to  let  her 
pass)  "  you  will  find  your  aunt  waiting  for  you  in  the  next 
room.  Mr.  Blount,  perhaps  you  will  favour  me  with  a  few 
minutes'  conversation  in  my  study." 

"  Farewell,  Miss  Yilleroy,"  I  exclaimed,  in  some  little  pique 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  119 

ut  her  evident  desire  at  an  escape.  "  Whatever  shall  become 
of  Michael  Cassio,  he's  never  anything  but  your  poor  servant. 
My  lord,  I  am  yours  to  the  Antipodes." 

The  duke  gave  me  a  searching  glance,  and  taking  my  arm, 
walked  me  off  to  his  study. 

"  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  he  had  closed  the  door, 
"your  presence  here  somewhat  surprises  me.  The  Duchess  of 
Hurricane  supposes  your  appearance  to-night  is  in  consequence 
of  Miss  Villeroy's  invitation.  You  tell  me  it  is  not  so.  Tc» 
what  circumstance,  then,  am  I  to  understand  we  have  tht, 
honour  of  your  visit?" 

"  The  circumstance,  my  Lord  Duke,  which  has  introduced 
me  to  you  to-night,  (for  1  conceive  I  am  addressing  the  Duke 
of  Hurricane,)  is  sufficiently  droll.  In  fact,  everything  in  this 
world  seems  droll,  and  very  amusing.  You  will,  I  dare  say, 
excuse  my  relating  the  circumstance  that  has  procured  me 
tiie  honour  of  being  introduced  to  your  grace,  if  I  split  the  dif- 
ference, and  tell  you  the  person.  The  Lord  Coeur  de  Lion  was 
the  person  who  brought  me  with  him  to  your  grace's  party." 

The  duke  saw  immediately  what  was  the  matter.  He  rang 
the  bell. 

"  Although,"  said  he,  "I  should,  in  any  other  circumstances, 
have  felt  honoured  by  the  introduction  of  a  friend  of  Lord 
Co3iir  de  Lion;  yet,  after  what  has  so  recently  happened,  I 
should  have  thought  you  would  have  hesitated  to  accept  the 
offer  of  being  introduced,  when  you  found  to  whose  party 
Coeur  de  Lion  was  invited.  Seek  for  Lord  Coeur  de  Lion,"  said 
he  to  the  servant  who  entered.  "  His  lordship  and  yourself 
dined  together,  perhaps." 

"I  never  dined,"  I  replied,  "with  Lord  Coeur  de  Lion  in  my 
life,  nor  ever  saw  him  till  about  an  hour  and  a  half  ago.  All  I 
can  say  is,  that  I  knew  no  more  than  the  man  in  the  moon 
where  I  was  coming,  nor  can  I  tell  you  how  I  got  here.  That's 
all  the  explanation  I  can  give.  The  cross  examination  begins 
to  grow  tedious,  my  lord;  let  us  finish  it.  I  feel  sorry  for  the 
intrusion,  and  shall  take  my  leave." 

"Perhaps  you  will  favour  me  by  waiting  till  his  lordship 
comes  down,"  returned  his  grace.  "  I  must  know  why  he  has 
placed  us  both  in  this  somewhat  disagreeable  situation,"  saying 
this,  he  motioned  me  to  take  a  cljair.  "  I  have  heard  much  of 
you,  Mr.  Blount,"  he  continued.  "Though  we  have  never 
met  before,  I  regret  it  has  been  so,  for  I  think  much  that  has 
happened  might  have  been  avoided,  had  I  seen  you  in  time  to 
have  prevented  the  intimacy  between  my  niece  and  yourself." 

"  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  your  grace  for  your  candour,  at 
any  rate,"  I  said. 

"Or,  indeed,  known,"  continued  the  duke,  without  noticing 
the  interruption,  "that  you  were  so  constantly  a  visitor  at 


120  THE   SOLDIER  OP   FORTUNE. 

Marston  Hall.  I  speak  plainly,  Mr.  Blount,  because  I  con- 
ceive  it  my  duty  so  to  do,  and  I  must  further  tell  you,  since 
we  have  thus  become  acquainted,  that  as  a  guardian  and  rela- 
tive of  Miss  Villeroy,  I  could  never  permit  that  young  lady 
with  my  sanction  to  receive  the  attentions  of  one  who  bears  a 
reputation  for  so  much  wildness  and  unsteadiness  of  conduct, 
and  who,  from  his  untractable  disposition,  is,  I  have  been 
told,  an  exile  from  his  father's  roof,  and  alien  from  his  affec- 
tions." 

"  Good,"  said  I,  "have  you  any  further  trade  with  us?  I 
begin  to  think  this  is  vastly  amusing.'5 

"My  Lord  Cceur  de  Lion,"  continued  the  duke,  as  that 
nobleman  entered  the  room,  "I  feel  rather  surprised  that  you 
did  not  consider  at  the  time  you  invited  Mr.  Blount  to  accom- 
pany you  to  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane's  party  to-night,  that 
recent  circumstances  had  occurred,  which  would  render  it 
anything  but  agreeable  to  that  gentleman  to  be  presented 
here.  Mr.  Blount  knew  not  to  whose  house  he  was  coming, 
he  tells  me;  but  as  you  are  related  to  Lord  Hardenbrass,  nov 
lying  seriously  ill  at  Marston  Hall,  you  of  course  must  hav? 
been  aware  of  the  unpleasantness  of  such  meeting." 

"  You  have  already  told  me,  Hurricane,  more  than  I  knew 
before,  in  telling  me  your  friend's  name,"  said  Cceur  de  Lion, 
laughing.  "  There  seems  little  introduction  necessary  on  my 
part,  but  truth  is,  we  were  not  so  much  to  blame,  for  my  intro- 
ducing him  was  the  thought  of  the  moment.  I  do  not  think 
he  knew  to  whose  house  he  was  coming.  If  there  be  offence 
in  the  matter,  you  must  visit  it  upon  me,  Lord  Hurricane ;  for 
I  am  alone  in  fault.  Since  we  came  together,  we'll  even  de- 
part together." 

"You  seem  well  met,"  said  the  duke,  "at  all  events.  May 
I  beg  the  favour  of  knowing  when  and  where  you  became  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Blount,  my  lord?" 

"  Certainly,"  returned  his  lordship,  "  I  can  explain  to  your 
satisfaction  in  a  few  words  the  length  and  breadth  of  our  inti- 
Taa.cy.  The  first  sight  I  ever  had  of  our  friend  here,  who 
seems  mightily  inclined  to  drop  off  to  sleep  in  that  easy  chair 
of  yours — " 

"Enough  said,  gentlemen,"  said  I,  interrupting  him,  and 
half  asleep,  "  unconsciously  to  have — " 

"  The  first  sight  I  ever  hadof  our  friend  was  in  Cranbourne- 
alley,  fighting  with  at  least  a  dozen  watchmen.  His  prowess 
interested  me,  and  I  rescued  and  brought  him  off." 

"Unconsciously,"  I  continued,  endeavouring  to  argue  the 
point. 

"  The  first  time  I  ever  spoke  to  Mr.  Blount,"  interrupted 
Cceur  de  Lion,  "  was  on  the  gutter  of  Mother  Midnight's 
establishment  behind  Leicester-square.  That  he  was  a  gentle* 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTTNE.  121 

man,  I  felt  convinced  from  his  conduct;  and  being  upset  here 
at  your  door,  I  brought  him  to  your  grace's  party." 

"  Unconsciously,"  said  I,  now  half  asleep,  "  to  have  offended." 

"So,"  said  the  duke,  "  you  took  the  liberty,  then,  of  bring- 
ing a  person  seen  and  known  for  the  first  time?" 

"  Unconscious,"  said  I,  again  endeavouring  to  have  out  my 
say,  in  spite  of  the  drowsiness  which  had  seized  me. 

"In  the  situation,"  continued  the  duke,  "you  have  men- 
tioned, and  introduce  him  in  the  state  you  see  he  is  in,  at  the 
duchess's  party.  Enough,  sir,  you  shall  hear  further  from  me 
on  this  matter." 

"  Unconsciously  (I  at  last  managed  to  utter)  to  have  offended 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Hurricane,  gives  me  the  greatest 
pain.  But  I  beg  to  say,  it  has  been  quite  unconsciously  on 
mine  and  this  gentleman's  part.  Nevertheless,  if  offence  is 
taken,  it  can't  be  avoided,  and  the  affair  must  proceed.  My 
Lord  Duke,  I  have  the  honour  of  wishing  you  good  night,  this 
is  my  address,"  so  saying,  and  laying  on  the  table  Captain 
Catchflat's  card  in  place  of  my  own,  I  managed  to  rise,  and 
Lord  Cceur  de  Lion,  making  a  haughty  bow  to  the  duke,  we 
walked  out  together. 


CHAPTEE  XX. 

"  He  a  captain !  Hang  him,  rogue !  He  lives  upon  mouldy  stew'd 
prunes  and  dried  cakes." 

SHAKSPEHE. 

TOTALLY  unused  to  wine,  I  had,  like  Cassio,  but  poor  and 
unhappy  brains  for  drinking,  and  already  experienced  the  dif- 
ferent stages  of  drunkenness  described  by  Olivia's  ck>wn.  first 
fool,  then  madman,  and  was  now  about  nearing  the  third  stage, 
my  wits  being  nearly  drowned,  or  at  least  becoming  stupified; 
all  which  stages  had  supervened  from  the  first  dose  or  boat. 
However,  being  strong  in  constitution,  I  wrestled  with  the 
inordinate  fiend,  and  followed  my  companion  resolutely. 

"  That  Hurricane  is  an  ass,"  said  Cceur  de  Lion,  when  we 
reached  the  street:  "he's  always  fancying  that  his  dignity  is 
in  danger.  It's  just  as  well  that  he  is  to  call  me  out  for  this 
night's  fun,  for  I  had  always  rather  be  called  than  call." 

"If  anybody's  dignity  has  been  hurt,  I  think  mine's  the 
most  damaged,"  said  I,  "  and  if  anybody's  to  be  called  out,  it 
strikes  me  I  ought  to  be  the  appellant." 

"  "We'll  think  about  that  hereafter,"  he  returned. 


"  May  I  beg  the  favour  of  knowing  where  we  are  progress- 
ing towards,"  I  asked,  "  for  the  long  and  interminable  row  of 


122  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTJNE. 

lamps  before  us  seems  to  lead  in  an  avenue  of  dancing  stars, 
to  the  extreme  end  of  the  world.  I  protest  I  see  no  termina- 
tion to  them." 

"This,"  said  Cceur  de  Lion,  " is  Brook-street,  and  my  desti- 
nation is  nearly  as  far  as  the  last  lamp  you  can  spy.  I  recom- 
mend you  to  get  a  bed  at  the  same  hotel,  unless  you  have  made 
up  your  mind  to  sleep  in  the  streets." 

"  I  do,  indeed,  feel  rather  uncomfortable  and  extremely  sick, 
Lord  Coeur  de  Lion,"  said  I,  "  and  the  very  stones  in  this 
lonely  street,  (as  Rob  Boy  says,)  seem  to  rise  up  to  apprehend 
me ;  they  appear  to  have  a  strange  inclination  to  hit  me  upon 
the  nose  every  step  I  take." 

"Ah!  ah!"  said  Cceur  de  Lion,  "that's  because  you  can  no 
more  smoke,  than  you  can  drink.  It's  the  cigar,  man,  which  I 
gave  you  just  now,  that  makes  you  so  giddy.  You  must  learn 
to  smoke  in  order  to  meet  the  tastes  of  the  hussars;  a  dragoon 
without  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  is  as  incomplete  as  without  his 
spurs.  JSTow  I  think  on't,  we'll  turn  in  at  Madame  de  Galloni's 
in  Regent-street,  and  see  what's  going  on  there.  I'll  introduce 
you  to  Madame  de  Galloni,  the  finest  woman  in  town." 

"Another  introduction,  and  more  fine  women,  eh?"  I  said. 
"  Well  I'm  on  the  wide  world  now,  that's  a  fact.  May  I  beg 
the  favour  of  knowing  who  your  friend  Madame  de  Galloni  is, 
for  I  had  rather  not  experience  a  second  edition  of  her  Grace 
of  Hurricane." 

"Madame  de  Galloni  is  a  French  lady,  not  long  arrived 
from  Paris,"  answered  his  lordship:  "  she  is  always  glad  to  see 
her  friends  at  her  little  soirees,  and  she  will  be  only  too  happy 
to  welcome  us  to-night.  But  mind  one  thing,  you  are  not  to 
play  there ;  I  wont  introduce  you  unless  you  promise  me  not 
to  play.  It's  a  clear  case,  you're  exceedingly  green,  and  ought 
to  have  brought  your  grandmother  up  to  town  to  take  care  of 
you." 

"  Vous  avcz  raison"  said  I,  "it's  a  lamentable  truth.  I'm 
extremely  obliged  to  your  lordship  for  supplying  the  old  lady's 
place.  I  do,  indeed,  feel  extremely  helpless  just  now;  that 
cigar  hath  proved  mine  enemy,  indeed." 

"  Here  we  are  at  Madame's,"  said  Cceur  de  Lion,  stopping 
and  knocking  at  a  door  in  Regent-street,  which  after  some 
little  delay,  and  more  than  one  person  peeping  at  us  with  the 
chain  up,  was  at  length  opened,  and  we  entered  and  walked 
up  stairs.. 

Madame  de  Galloni's  apartments  were  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated, and  filled  with  company.  Several  very  handsome 
[French  women  were  present,  and  a  decent  accompaniment  of 
heroes  from  the  grand  nation,  cavaliers  whose  visages  _  were 
garnished  with  hair  enough  to  stuff  all  the  chair  cushions  in  the 
apartments,  and  whose  diamond  studs  and  breast  pins,  gleamed 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTTNE.  123 

and  glittered  upon  the  sombre  ground  of  the  dirty  shirts  in 
which  they  were  stuck.  The  remainder  of  the  company  was 
made  up  of  London  roues  and  metropolitan  flats. 

Several  tables  were  occupied  by  players,  at  several  sorts  of 
games,  and  one  large  table,  at  which  the  less  determined  gam- 
olers  were  congregated  more  for  the  purpose  of  flirting  with 
the  handsome  French  women  than  for  the  sake  of  the  game, 
was  presided  over  by  the  lady  of  the  house.  She  clutched 
avariciously  in  one  hand  a  large-sized  money  box,  with  a  small 
opening  at  the  top,  into  which  she  received  a  stipulated  dou- 
ceur from  whoever  won  the  pool  at  the  round  game  at  which 
they  were  engaged. 

She  arose  the  moment  she  saw  us  enter  the  room,  and  rushed 
up  to  us  with  great  affectation  of  delight:  "Ah,"  said  she, 
'' mon  brave!  I  am  so  glad  you  come  again.  You  was  so  droll 
last  time  you  come,  dat  we  have  been  quite  miserable  ever 
since;  dis  is  de  first  soiree  I  have  been  able  for.  You  was  so 
funny,  dat  we  all  get  into  watch-box,  and  taken  before  de 
police  in  de  morning." 

Cceur  de  Lion  had  been  bullied,  I  afterwards  found,  by  the 
Frenchmen,  and  some  of  his  friends  cheated,  upon  which  he 
had  soundly  thrashed  some  half-a-dozen,  and  kicked  the  rest 
into  the  street,  the  hubbub  attending  which  had  caused  the 
whole  party  to  be  carried  off  to  the  watch-house;  himself  alone 
escaping,  by  upsetting  every  one  who  came  in  his  way. 

"You  play,  mon  cher?"  continued  Madame,  bending  her 
head  capriciously  on  one  side.  "Ah  no,  you  nevere  play. 
Your  handsome  friend  play,  I  dare  say.  Come,  sare,  an  join. 
— My  lord— you  not  to  forget  de  box,  de  box  keep  de  house, 
and  I  keep  de  box." 

My  companion  thus  solicited,  dropped  his  gold  into  the  box, 
and  I  followed  his  example,  to  the  no  small  delight  of  the 
hostess;  and  we  sat  down  to  observe  the  progress  of  the  game. 

Madame  de  Galloni  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  French 
beauty ;  she  was  tall,  and  rather  of  the  stoutest,  but  her  form 
was  magnificent,  her  complexion  was  dark,  and  her  hair  like 
the  raven's  wing.  Her  eye  was  as  brilliant  as  the  diamond, 
and  her  features  beautifully  formed;  but  when  you  looked 
upon  her,  you  could  see  she  would  as  easily  murder  with  a 
stiletto  while  she  smiled,  as  with  her  beautiful  eyes.  One 
minute  she  looked  like  an  angel,  (that  was  when  the  winner 
deposited  his  coin  in  her  tin  box,)  the  next  she  scowled  like  a 
fiend,  that  was  when  any  one  forgot,  or  endeavoured  to  shun 
the  offering. 

-  "Ah,  captain  !"  shrieked  the  handsome  Gralloni;  "  why^you 
not  put  in  my  box  dat  time.  Shame,  sare,  to  deceive  me." 

"  Voila,"  said  the  captain,  dropping  in  the  coin. 

"Yes,  voila,  it  is,"  returned  the   Frenchwoman.      "You 


124  THE   SOLDIER   OF   FORTUNE. 

please  to  say  voila  every  time  you  win,  sare,  aloud,  mind,  or  you 
shall  not  play  more.  You  cheat  me  once,  twice,  three  times, 
if  I  had  not  look  sharp  after  you." 

"Madame,"  said  the  captain,  "have  a  care;  I  don't  like 
those  observations." 

"No,"  returned  the  Galloni ;  " you  like  not  observation  too 
much  ven  you  vin,  as  you  alwaise  do,  and  cheat  my  box,  a? 
you  alwaise  try." 

"I'll  play  no  more  at  your  table,"  said  the  offended  mili- 
taire,  rising.  "  Voila,  here's  for  your  d— d  charity  box." 

"You  must  speak  by  the  card,  captain:  equivocation  will 
undo  you  here,"  ?aid  Cceur  de  Lion. 

"Who  made  that  observation?"  said  the  captain,  turning 
fiercely  round,  and  rushing  up  to  him. 

The  captain  was  extremely  short-sighted,  and  he  rammed 
his  face  close  into  that  of  the  noble,  who  sat  with  the  utmost 
coolness,  and  smiled  upon  his  fiery  visage. 

No  sooner  did  he  catch  a  fair  glimpse  of  the  countenance  of 
Cceur  cle  Lion,  than  his  ferocious  look  changed  into  something 
like  consternation  and  dismay,  and  he  drew  back,  as  though 
he  had  seen  a  basilisk. 

"  Oh,  my  lord,"  said  he,  "  I  beg  ten  thousand  pardons.  I 
did  not  know  it  was  you  who  spoke.  I  trust  I  see  you  well;" 
and  he  drew  off. 

In  progressing  to  one  of  the  other  tables,  he  passed  and  re- 
cognised me. 

"Ah!  Mr.  Blount,"  he  exclaimed,  seizing  my  hand,  "I  am 
delighted  to  see  you  again." 

It  was  my  friend,  Captain  Catchflat,  from  the  Wolds. 

"  Do  you  know  that  fellow  ?"  said  Cceur  de  Lion,  carelessly. 
"  Is  he  a  friend  of  yours  ?" 

"  Yes,"  I  said  ;  "  we  are  staying  in  the  same  hotel  together. 
He  comes  from  near  the  same  part  of  the  world  I  myself  come 
from." 

"Oh,"  he  returned,  significantly,  "does  he?"  and  he 
walked  away  to  another  part  of  the  room. 

The  captain,  meanwhile,  had  a  thousand  apologies  to  make 
for  having  outrun  me  in  the  beginning  of  the  evening's  amuse- 
ments. He  proposed  teaching  me  how  to  play  at  rouge  et 
noir ;  and  forgetting  the  injunctions  of  the  generous  Cceur  de 
Lion,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  I  was  a  considerable  gainer,  and 
quite  in  love  with  the  game. 

My  introducer  fought  rather  shy  of  me,  after  he  discovered 
my  acquaintanceship  with  the  captain.  Once  during  the  night 
he  addressed  me,  advising  me  to  cut  the  concern,  and  sheer  off 
to  bed ;  after  which  1  saw  him  no  more. 

Meanwhile,  the  captain  kindly  taught  me  several  other 
games  of  chance ;  and  at  daybreak  we  took  leave  of  the  radiant 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  125 

Frenchwoman  and  nymphs,  and  made  our  way  towards  our 
hotel,  I  having  lost  every  coin  I  had  in  my  purse,  over  and 
above  what  I  had  won,  and  standing  indebted  to  Catchflat  a 
trifling  sixty  pounds. 

The  captain  was  now  in  higher  glee  than  ever,  and  vowed  he 
would  look  in  at  the  Finish,  and  get  a  cup  of  coffee  before  we 
returned  to  our  inn.  We  accordingly  made  our  way  to  a  place 
situated  somewhere  near  Covent  Garden,  where,  seated  upon 
benches  in  a  filthy  room,  amongst  some  scores  of  paviours, 
Irish  bricklayers,  and  carters,  we  refreshed  ourselves  with 
coffee  and  roasted  potatoes.  Here  the  captain,  who  seemed 
always  anxious  for  the  beginning  of  a  fray,  managed  to  offend 
an  Irish  hod-bearer;  and,  after  haying  volunteered  not  only 
to  fight  him  with  one  hand  tied  behind  him,  but  to  thrash  him 
within  an  inch  of  his  life  in  ten  minutes,  received,  with  the 
greatest  humility  and  meekness  of  disposition,  sundry  cuffs 
from  his  opponent  in  the  face,  and  more  than  one  kick  behind,- 
whilst  I  myself  managed  to  come  in  for  several  ugly  blows,  in 
the  endeavour  at  restraining  Pat's  ire ;  so  that,  at  last,  I  became 
the  principal  in  the  fight,  and  was  obliged  to  take  the  captain's 
challenge  upon  myself,  and  engage  with  a  hod-man  in  a  stand- 
up  fight.  A  shindy  amongst  a  posse  of  Emerald  Islanders  is 
a  mighty  catching  affair,  and  I  had  quickly  half-a-dozen  ham- 
mering at  me  at  once.  The  row  spread  like  wildfire,  and  the 
Finish  was  in  a  state  of  disorganization.  The  market-men 
who  were  English  fought  on  my  side,  and  the  Paddies  whacked 
away  for  the  hod-man.  The  room  became  too  small  for  the 
conflict,  and  the  riot  extended  into  the  street.  Hattles  were 
sprung  by  dozens,  and  no  man  regarded  them,  till  at  last  the 
captain,  myself,  and  some  half-a-dozen  of  the  lowest  ruffians 
from  Calmel-buildings,  and  St.  Giles's,  were  captured,  and 
conveyed  to  the  watch-house.  Here  we  were  quoited  down, 
and  thrust  in  a  sort  of  cellar,  amongst  other  worthies  who  had 
disturbed  the  peace  of  the  metropolis. 

The  place  was  filthy  and  wet,  and  at  first  so  dark,  that,  as 
Falstaff  says,  you  could  not  see  your  hand.  However,  those 
who  had  been  in  durance  before  us  had  become  more  accus- 
tomed to  the  gloom,  and  seeing  the  captain  and  myself  in  the 
#arb  of  gentlemen,  they  amused  themselves  by  throwing  all 
the  filth  they  could  find  over  to  our  end  of  the  prison. 

The  gallant  Captain  Catchflat  seemed  as  though  he  had 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  this  sort  of  treatment.  He 
gathered  himself  together  in  one  corner  of  the  dungeon,  like 
JDalgetty  in  the  cell  of  the  Duke  of  Argyle  at  Inverary ;  and 
to  my  indignant  complaint  of  such  an  outrage  upon  the  sacred 
persons  of  gentlemen  of  his  and  my  own  dignity,  he  replied 
in  the  words  of  the  vision  in  the  cave  of  Montesinos, "  Patience, 
and  shuffle  the  cards." 


126  *HE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTUNE. 

"  Patience,  my  dear  sir,  and  a  trifle  of  endurance,  you  will 
find  the  best  recipe  here.  Gentlemen,"  said  lie  to  the  crew  of 
pickpockets  and  ruffians,  who  were  amusing  themselves  at  our 
discomfort,  and  giving  us  a  foretaste  of  the  pillory,  "  gentle- 
men, if  you  are  gentlemen,  behave  yourselves  like  gentlemen, 
and  give  us  as  little  of  this  ungenteel  usage  as  you  like. 
We've  no  objection  to  stand  tip  if  you'll  allow  us  to  sleep 
comfortably  till  we're  had  up." 

I  have  passed  many  a  night  since  that  day  in  the  open  worl'i, 
and  exposed  to  the  elements;  but  I  never  felt  so  chilled  and 
uncomfortable  as  I  did  in  this  London  watch-house.  Ere 
long,  however,  we  were  had  up,  fined  and  reprimanded  for 
our  behaviour,  and  reached  our  inn,  dirty,  draggled,,  uncom?- 
fortable,  and  ill,  as  if  we  had  been  ducked  in  half-a-dozen 
horse-ponds.  The  captain  recommended  a  hot  bath,  and 
retired  to  bed,  to  try  and  sleep  off  the  fatigue  of  the  night's 
amusement. 

To  sleep,  however,  I  found  impossible ;  and  I  lay  and  pon- 
dered over  the  ill-luck  that  had  dogged  my  footsteps,  and  led 
me  to  expose  myself,  in  such  a  situation,  before  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Hurricane  and  Miss  Villeroy.  I  saw  that  all  was 
now  over  in  that  quarter.  I  had  disgusted  Miss  Villeroy,  and 
confirmed  the  ill  opinion  which  both  the  duke  and  duchess  had 
entertained  of  me ;  and  all  without  the  least  fault  that  I  could 
perceive  on  my  own  part. 

Now  that  I  had  become  sobered,  I  recollected  everything 
which  had  happened.  I  had  degraded  myself  in  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  room;  and  there  ^appeared  no  explanation  or  excuse 
that  I  could  offer.  "  Alas !"  I  said, 

"  It  will  help  me  nothing, 

To  plead  mine  innocence ;  for  that  die  is  on  me, 
Which  makes  my  whitest  part  black." 

I  had,  however,  one  consolation.  The  Lady  Constance  de 
Clifford  had  not  seen  me.  Apparently,  she  was  absent  from, 
home,  and  had  been  spared  the  shock  of  witnessing  the  en- 
trance, as  an  intruder  in  her  mother's  party,  of  one  whom  she 
had  honoured  with  her  friendship,  but  who  was  regarded  by 
them  as  a  half-drunken  blackguard,  whom  it  was  great  for- 
bearance not  to  kick  into  the  street. 

The  noble,  generous,  and  true-hearted  Constance,  I  felt  con- 
vinced, would  never  believe  ill  of  me.  I  called  to  mind  every 
look  and  expression  of  her  beautiful  countenance;  all  the 
hours  we  had  spent  since  we  had  first  become  acquainted ;  the 
delightful  scenes  in  which  we  had  lingered,  and  walked,  and 
ridden  amongst,  returned  to  my  remembrance ;  and  suddenly 
I  found  myself  more  in  love  with  Lady  Constance  de  Clifford 
than  ever  I  had  been  with  her  beautiful  cousin.  Nay,  I  had 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  127 

wondered  where  my  eyes,  ears  and  senses  could  have  been, 
ever  to  have  so  preferred  the  one  to  the  other : 

"  Not  Hermia,  I  said,  but  Helena  I  love : 
Who  would  not  change  a  raven  for  a  dove  ?" 

Now  would  I  have  given  a  thousand  ducats  for  but  half  an 
hour  of  one  of  those  opportunities  I  had  so  often  neglected. 
With  my  accustomed  impetuosity,  I  resolved  to  begin  by 
times ;  and  jumping  out  of  bed,  and  seeking  my  writing 
materials,  seated  myself  at  the  little  dressing-table,  and. 
addressed  her  in  the  following  stanzas : — 

"  The  lonely  heart  divided  far, 

From  all  it  lived  but  to  adore, 
Is  dark  as  night,  whose  brightest  star 
Is  seen  no  more. 

••  Alas  !  that  hopes  should  only  spring 
AVithin  my  soul,  to  be  o'erthrown  ; 
Like  budding  flowers,  ere  blossoming, 
All  withered,  strewn. 

*  Thy  perfect  form,  within  my  breast, 
Have  I  long  hoarded  up  in  vain, 
And  never  can  my  heart  be  blest 
By  tliee  again. 

"  Not  so,  not  so ;  the  hour  of  need 

Thy  noble  heart  will  not  forsake  ; 
Thy  own -sweet  breast  the  bruised  reed 
Will  never  break ! 

"  Then  come  !     But  yet  I  fear  to  see 

My  fancied  joys  all  melt  away, 
And  faded,  as  I  gaze  on  thee, 
Hope's  dying  ray. 

••  To  gather  from  thy  glance  the  woe, 
I  should  expect — but  yet  will  not, 
To  see  thy  smile  of  scorn,  and  know 
I  am  forgot ! 

M  And  wilt  thou  dash  the  hopes  away, 
That  to  thy  love  still  eager  cling, 
As  birds  that  watch  the  earliest  ray 
Of  sunny  spring  ? 

44  And  will  thy  heart,  so  truly  loved, 

The  dearest  prayers  of  mine  repel 
To  gentle  pity  steeled — unmoved — 
Love's  yearnings  quell  ? 

*  When  all  around  with  gladness  own, 

The  rapture  of  thy  loveliness, 
My  heart  will  still — its  hopes  o'erthrown—^ 
Thy  form  caress. 


128  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

"  Were  endless  night  my  future  lot, 

Should  morn  but  wake  to  misery, 
Till  mind  was  gone — or  life  was  noi— 
I'd  think  on  thee ! 

"  Again,  then,  let  me  see  thy  face, 

Thy  lip,  where  smiles  should  ever  play, 
If  there  no  thought  of  me  I  trace, 
I'd  turn  away. 

"  The  brightest  dream  that  cheered  my  rest, 
The  sweetest  voice  that  whispered  peace, 
The  loveliest  form  that  filled  my  breast, 
Will  ever  cease. 

Having  finished  the  above  effusion,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  in 
some  sort  made  reparation  for  my  former  blindness:  and 
paved  the  way  also,  perhaps,  to  reparation  of  the  ills  of  the 
last  few  hours.  Could  I  but  see  Constance,  I  imagined  it 
would  not  be  hard  to  restore  myself  to  her  good  graces.  The 
clock  of  one  of  the  neighbouring  churches  was  striking  six,  as 
I  folded  up  and  directed  my  verse.  It  was  too  early  to  send 
them ;  so  tumbling  into  bed,  I  soon  fell  asleep. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  ere  I  was  awoke  by  my  excellent 
friend,  Catchflat,  who,  knocking  at  my  door,  announced  that 
he  had  ordered  our  dinner  at  home,  as  he  conceived  1  should 
not  feel  much  inclined  to  turn  out  early. 

"  But,  my  dear  fellow !"  he  exclaimed,  drawing  up  the  blinds 
of  the  window,  which  admitted  but  a  dubious  sort  of  light  into 
the  room,  from  the  Chaucer-like  balcony  which  hung  over  the 
inn-yard  ;  "  why,  I  had  no  idea  that  you  had  been  so  punished 
about  the  nob  in  last  night's  spree.  Your  peepers  are  in 
mourning;  have  you  looked  at  yourself  in  the  glass  this 
morning?" 

"  The  devil !"  I  said ;  "  you  don't  mean  to  say  my  eyes  are 
blackened.  I  do,  in  truth,  feel  rather  sore  about  the  face  and 
head,  and  my  nose  hath  a  sensation  as  though  a  hot  iron  had 
been  thrust  up  it,  and  each  nostril  stuffed  with  cayenne  pepper. 
Pray  ring  the  bell,  my  good  sir,  and  order  me  hot  water.  I 
•will  inspect  the  state  of  my  countenance  forthwith,  and  join 
you  below  as  soon  as  I  am  dressed." 

When  the  captain  left  the  room,  I  jumped  out  of  bed,  and 
seizing  the  looking-glass,  beheld  my  visage  nearly  as  mucli 
dilapidated  and  in  as  rueful  a  state  as  the  knight  of  La  Man- 
cha's  must  have  appeared  after  his  carcase  had  been  travelled 
over  and  his  jaws  demolished  by  the  drubbing  of  the  lover  of 
the  gentle  Maritornes.  There  was  a  black  circle  entirely 
round  each  eye,  my  nose  was  swollen  into  a  perfect  proboscis, 
and  portions  of  the  skin  struck  off  my  cheeks. 

The  boots  of  the  inn,  a  little  quiver  fellow,  with  an  infantine 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  129 

voice,  and  a  figure  like  what  one  might  have  imagined  was 
the  identical  form  of  the  inimitable  Francis  of  Eastcheap, 
grinned  like  a  little  ogre  when  he  entered  and  beheld  me. 

"  Oh,  my  eyes !  what  a  guy,"  said  he.  "  You'll  excuse 
me,  sir,  but  you  do  look  sich  a  rum  un.  My  vigs !  ar'n't  'em 
been  a  pitching  into  you,  neither.  You'll  excuse  me,  sir ;  but 
there's  a  been  a  more  than  one  a  hitting  at  you  when  you 
patched  that^  hiding.  I  wish  I'd  a  been  somewhere  near  when 
it  happened." 

"  I  wish  you  had,  my  little  man,"  said  I,  dolefully ;  "  or  any 
one  else  with  spirit  enough  to  have  helped  me  out  of  that  affair. 
I  shall  not  be  fit  to  be  seen  for  a  month." 

"  You've  give  'em  as  good  as  they  brought,  however,"  said 
he ;  "  look  at  your  poor  fists  else,  all  knock'd  to  bits." 

Here  the  little  boots  put  himself  into  scientific  attitude,  and 
began  to  dodge  about  the  room,  like  a  sprite,  now  parrying 
one  blow,  and  anon  beating  off  another,  springing  back  and 
darting  forwards,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an 
advantageous  plant  in  his  imaginary  adversary's  knowledge- 
box,  with  so  much  alacrity,  that  I  began  to  have  a  very  elevated 
opinion  of  his  prowess.  But  when  at  last  he  delivered  his 
straight-handed  blows,  he  became  so  totally  infuriated,  that 
he  darted  all  over  the  room,  like  a  perfect  bedlamite. 

"  Ah,  I  wish  I  had  been  beside  you,  sir,"  he  said,  stopping 
to  take  breath ;  "  I'd  have  smash'd''em  up.  I  consider  myself 
one  of  the  fancy,  sir ;  and  if  I'd  a  been  in  the  way  when  you 
came  home  last  night,  I'd  a  clapped  a  raw  beef-steak  upon 
your  precious  face.  Now,  it's  too  late.  You  can't  wash  a 
blackamore  white,  arter  he's  once  been  properly  walloped,  and 
slept  upon  it.  The  only  thing  you  can  do  now,  is  to  send  for 
the  'poticary,  and  clap  half  a  dozen  leeches  on  each  eye,  and 
as  many  more  upon  your  nose.  I  lived  with  Tom  Crib  once, 
sir,  and  many  a  time  I've  doctored  his  nob  for  him.  I'd  have 
pitch'd  into  'em." 

During  this  display  of  the  little  fellow's  prowess,  and  whilst 
I  forgot  my  own  rueful  plight  in  laughter  and  admiration  at 
his  eccentricity,  a  shrill  voice  called  to  him  from  the  balcony, 
which  seemed  to  strike  him  all  of  a  heap,  and  he  sneaked  out  of 
the  room,  more  like  a  dog  with  a  bottle  at  his  tail,  than  the 
hero  I  had  began  to  consider  him. 

t  The  voice  which  so  paralysed  his  gallant  bearing  was  that  of 
nis  wife,  the  athletic  chambermaid  of  the  hotel,  and  the  thun- 
dering bastinado  she  bestowed  upon  his  carcase,  gave  me  an 
opportunity  of  judging  in  how  far  his  scientific  and  curious 
parries,  learned  whilst  with  the  champion,  had  been  of  service. 
It  seemed,  however,  that  the  advice  regarding  the  application 
of  beef-steaks  applied  in  time,  were  as  necessary  for  him  as  my- 
self, for  £  much  feared,  from  what  I  witnessed  in  the  balcony 
before  my  window,  that  the  poor  little  man  would  be  likely  to 
exhibit  as  disgraceful  an  appearance  as  I  myself  did.  After 


.130  THE  SOLDIER  OF 

pommeling  him  till  she  was  out  of  breatli,  the  Amazon  con- 
sented to  tell  him  what  the  infliction  was  for. 

"You  little  rascal!"  said  she;  "you  poor,  beggarly  follow! 
how  dare  you  stay  out  all  night,  and  leave  me  to  do  your  dirty 
work.  Go,"  she  continued,  "  you  apology  for  a  boots,  and  do 
your  work!  you  miserable  specimen  of  a  porter,  or  I'll  break 
every  bone  in  your  diminutive  body,  I  will! " 

In  short,  I  was  obliged  to  interfere,  and  procure  him  a  par- 
don; and  in  return,  he  promised  to  deliver  the  enclosure,  con- 
taining my  verses,  some  time  that  evening  with  his  own  hand. 

It  was  not  a  little  annoying  to  me  to  be  rendered  thus  unfit 
for  decent  society,  by  my  adventures  at  the  Einish;  for  during 
the  time  I  had  lain  tossing  on  my  pillow,  I  had  revolved  things 
over  in  my  mind,  and  determined  forthwith  to  shift  my  quarters 
from  this  part  of  the  town.  My  father  might  soon  now  arrive, 
and  I  thought  I  had  better,  therefore,  call  and  introduce  my- 
self to  my  relatives  in  Pprtman-square.  My  new  friend,  too, 
I  had  reason  to  hold  in  slight  regard,  as  to  his  personal 
courage,  for  had  he  behaved  with  proper  spirit  in  the  society  to 
which  he  had  introduced  me,  I  should  not  have  been  obliged 
to  take  up  the  cudgels  in  his  defence. 

The  captain,  I  saw,  was  a  coward  and  a  bully.  To  me  he 
had  behaved  most  unhandsomely ;  and  yet,  so  meekly  did  he 
beg  iay  pardon,  that,  for  the  life  of  me,  I  couldn't  find  it  in  my 
heart  to  kick  him.  He  offered  me  many  little  civilities  too 
whilst  confined  to  the  house,  volunteered  to  call  upon  several 
tradesmen  at  the  west  end  of  the  town,  and  giving  orders  for 
my  outfit,  took  upon  himself  the  task  of  arranging  what  articles 
were  necessary  for  a  cavalry  officer  on  first  joining  his  regi- 
ment. He  also  purchased  me  a  pair  of  green  goggles  to  hide 
the  unsightly  circles  which  adorned  rny  eyes,  and,  by  way  of 
amusing  the  dull  age  of  a  whole  week,  during  which  I  remained 
unfit  to  be  se^n,  he  once  more  undertook  to  give  me  a  lesson 
with  the  dice-box,  in  the  joyous  hope  I  might  revenge  myself 
for  what  he  had  won  from  me  at  Madame  de  Galloni's  rooms. 
In  faet5. 1  felt  rsyself  under  considerable  obligations  to  the  gal- 
lant captain  for  his  many  civilities,  and  his  great  attention 
during  this  time;  and,  as  we  frequently  strolled  out  after  dark, 
te  introduced  me  into  several  small  gambling  houses,  where 
we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  other 
gentlemen,  his  friends,  of  disposition  similar  to  his  own. 

In  short,  before  many  days  were  passed  in  this  worshipful 
society,  I  acquired  such  a  fondness  for  hazard,  blind-hooky  and 
billiards,  that  I  was  never  happy  but  when  either  dice,  cards, 
or  cue  was  in  my  grasp.  We  began  with  the  pasteboard  after 
breakfast,  knocked  the  balls  about  till  nightfall,  and  rattled 
the  bones  till  dawn;  till,  in  short,  I  lost  every  sixpence  I 
brought  with  me  to  town.  After  that,  I  staked  every  article 
of  baggage  I  possessed;  and  at  last,  stood  deeply  indebted  to 
Catchflat  besides. 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FORTUNE.  131 

It  was  on  the  morning  after  I  had  been  thus  cleaned  out, 
that,  on  coming  down  to  breakfast,  I  found  my  friend  had  left 
town  for  a  day  or  two.  He  was  gone,  the  little  waiter  told  me, 
to  pay  a  visit  to  a  nobleman  residing  about  ten  miles  out  of 
town.  Finding,  therefore,  my  face  pretty  well  restored  to  its 
wonted  comeliness,  I  hid  the  still  remaining  dark  circles,  which 
had  now  taken  the  various  hues  of  the  rainbow,  under  cover 
of  the  capacious  green  goggles  the  captain  had  provided  me 
with,  and  sallied  out  to  take  a  walk  in  the  west  end  of  the 
town. 

Just  at  this  time,  it  was  a  great  treat  to  me  to  wander  about, 
and  observe  the  various  places  of  amusement  offered  by  merely 
passing  through  its  streets.  Qn  this  day,  I  amused  myself  by 
sauntering  about  the  west  end;  and  towards  evening,  finding 
a  few  stray  coins  in  my  pocket,  turned  into  Joy's  Coffee  House 
in  Covent  Garden,  and  ordered  dinner.  Tired  with  my  walk, 
I  threw  myself  into  a  chair  in  the  coffee-room.  Two  youths 
were  sitting  over  their  wine,  discussing  the  police  reports  in 
an  old  newspaper,  at  the  table  next  me. 

"How  often  that  fellow  lias  been  had  up,"  said  one;  "I 
wonder  this  last  affair  didn't  get  him  a  turn  at  the  tread-mill." 
"Who  is  the  fellow,  his  companion?"  inquired  the  other. 
"  I've  seen  him  a  good  deal  about  lately,  and  have  observed 
Catchnat  pigeon  him  nicely  once  or  twice  in  the  h — 11  in  Jer- 
myn-street.  I  thought  he  was  a  leg  at  first ;  but  I  suspect 
now  that  he's  a  green-horn,  Catchnat  has  got  hold  of  some- 
where in  one  of  his  country  trips."  Just  at  this  moment  the 
speaker  caught  sight  of  me  at  the  table  near  him;  and  turning 
his  back  in  some  little  confusion,  signed  to  his  companion,  and 
the  conversation  dropped. 

I  instantly  rose  from  my  seat,  and  begged  the  loan  of  the 
paper.  In  the  police  report  I  found  the  following: — 

"  Marlborough-street.  On  Saturday,  two  persons,  calling 
themselves  gentlemen,  were  charged  with  creating  a  most  dis- 
graceful riot  in  Covent  Garden,  early  in  the  morning.  It  ap- 
peared they  had  been  drinking  with  the  low  ruffians  who  are 
just  now  employed  in  paving  New-street,  close  at  hand;  and 
having  reduced  themselves  to  a  state  of  madness,  they  became 
so  outrageous,  that  even  the  blackguards  assembled  thrust 
them  out  of  their  society.  Upon  which,  they  rushed  into 
Covent  Garden,  knocking  down  every  person  who  came  in 
their  way,  till  they  were  ultimately  secured,  and  lodged  in 
Mary-le-bone  watch-house.  One  of  these  worthies  has  been 
frequently  before  at  the  police-office,  and  is  well  known.  His 
name  is  Catchnat.  He  once,  we  believe,  held  a  commission  in 
the  army,  but  was  turned  out  of  the  service  for  mal-practices  ; 
since  which  he  has  narrowly  escaped  hanging  for  forgery — a 
regular  chevalier  d'industrie.  The  other  gentleman  gave 
the  name  of  JBlount;  and  is,  we  dare  say,  a  horse  of  the 
same  colour — arcades  amho.  id  est.  blackmmnis  both.  Thev 


132  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

were  fined  and  discharged,  after  being  properly  repri- 
manded." 

This  paragraph  completely  spoiled  my  appetite.  I  saw  that 
I  had  been  gulled  by  this  "  common  robber,"  who  had,  as 
Falstaffhas  it,  "made  a  younker  of  me."  I  had  taken  mine 
ease  in  mine  inn  to  some  purpose ;  and  whilst  I  was  so  absorbed 
in  the  new  accomplishment  this  Catchflat  was  teaching  me,  I 
had  not  even  found  time  to  look  into  the  daily  papers.  Swal- 
lowing my  meal  as  fast  as  I  could  gulp  it  down,  I  determined 
to  go  home,  and  cane  the  captain  within  an  inch  of  his  life. 
Before  I  had  finished  it,  however,  another  paragraph,  in  the 
Morning  Post  of  that  day,  and  which  the  waiter  handed  to 
me,  completely  drove  the  former  one,  and  the  miserable 
scoundrel,  Catchflat,  for  the  moment  from  my  remembrance. 
It  was  headed,  "  The  Recent  Duel,"  and  ran  thus: — 

"  We  are  grieved  to  hear,  that  the  Duke  of  Hurricane  still 
continues  in  the  most  precarious  state;  and  his  medical  at- 
tendants fear  there  is  not  the  slightest  chance  of  recovery. 
A  second  attempt  was  made  yesterday  by  Mr.  Guthrie,  to  ex- 
tract the  ball  (which  has  lodged  somewhere  near  the  heart) 
without  success.  The  duke  has  borne  both  operations  with  the 
most  heroic  fortitude;  and  it  is  believed  a  third  attempt  will 
be  made  by  Mr.  Guthrie  next  week.  The  quarrel  between  his 
grace  and  Lord  Cpeur  de  Lion,  we  are  informed,  was  in  conse- 

Bience  of  some  difference,  which  is  said  to  have  arisen  at  the 
uchess's  rout  on  the  16th  instant;  and  in  which  it  is  also  said 
a  third  person,  whose  name  we  have  not  been  able  to  learn, 
was  the  offending  party,  Lord  Cceur  de  Lion  taking  the  quarrel 
•upon  himself,  and  refusing  any  explanation  till  after  the  meet- 
ing had  taken  place." 

So  then  a  duel  had  been  fought,  and  the  life  of  a  great  and 
good  man — a  man  of  high  rank,  and  an  ornament  to  his  order 
— was  likely  to  be  sacrificed,  owing  to  my  having  unfortunately 
made  my  appearance  at  his  house  with  my  Lord  Coeur  de 
jLion.  It  really  appeared  to  me  that  I  was  not  only  unlucky 
myself,  but  the  cause  of  ill  luck  in  others.  I  was  like  the  sea- 
fowl,  whose  coming  is  the  forerunner  of  danger  and  tempest. 
My  infernal  verses,  too,  had  perhaps  arrived  pretty  much 
about  the  time  Lady  Constance  de  Clifford  most  probably  be- 
fceld  the  bleeding  body  of  her  beloved  father  brought  into  the 
house — murdered,  she  might  well  think,  by  my  means. 

At  the  moment  I  lost  all  spirit,  and  began  to  despair.  Ral- 
lying, however,  after  some  time,  I  determined  to  sally  forth, 
and  soundly  thrash  my  new  friend,  Captain  Catchflat. 

"There  will,  at  least,  be  some  sort  of  satisfaction  in  that," 
said  I.  "How  dare  the  dastardly  swindler  introduce  himself 
to  a  gentleman,  and  after  getting  him  into  all  sorts  of 
scrapes,  cheat  him  out  of  his  money  and  his  respectability?" 

Most  youngsters  are  incensed  at  finding  themselves  the  dupes 
of  a  designing  knave ;  and  after  the  dejection  consequent  upon 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  .  133 

reading  the  last  paragraph,  my  choler  arose  when  I  reflected 
on  the  first.  Like  Paul  Pry,  I  vowed  never  to  be  good- 
natured  again.  "  D — n  the  fellow,"  I  said,  "  I  would  not  have 
suffered  his  vulgarity  for  another  week,  for  the  sea's  worth." 
To  be  mixed  up  with  such  a  scoundrel  in  the  public  papers, 
was  a  scrape  indeed.  "  Captain,  thou  abominable  cheater!" 
I  exclaimed,  rising,  and  seizing  my  hat;  "  art  thou  not  ashamed 
to  be  called  captain ?  If  captains  were  of  my  mind,  they  would 
truncheon  you  out,  for  taking  their  names  upon  you,  before  you 
have  earned  them." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  waiter,  presenting  his  bill, 
"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  it's  customary  to  pay  for  what 
you  call  for  in  this  hotel,  especially  as  we  have  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  except  on 'the  night  you  supped  here 
with  Captain  Catchnat ;  you  will  find  both  the  accounts  there, 
sir." 

Let  it  suffice,  then,  to  mention  that,  on  reaching  my  inn,  I 
found  to  my  dismay  that  this  worthy  officer  had  absented  him- 
self without  leave  or  beat  of  drum,  carrying  with  him  not  only 
all  those  sums  he  had  so  frequently  won  of  me,  but  actually 
every  article  of  any  value  I  had  in  my  portmanteaus,  and 
whatever  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  of  the  various  articles 
which  had  been  completed  and  sent  home,  leaving  me  more- 
over to  pay  for  all  the  breakfasts,  dinners,  and  suppers  he  had 
partaken  of,  and  so  generously  treated  me  to,  whilst  we  had 
been  Ions  camarades.  But  worse  than  this,  than  these,  than, 
all,  was  the  discovery  which  I  soon  afterwards  made,  that  from 
his  having  so  frequently  attended  me  to  the  shops  of  the 
tradesmen  I  was  having  my  different  articles  of  clothing  from, 
he  had  made  use  of  my  recommendation,  and  procured  large 
quantities  of  goods  for  himself.  In  fact,  he  had  done  the 
thing  well,  and  I  looked  the  idiot  I  felt  myself. 

A  ponderous  portmanteau,  which  he  had  brought  with  him 
to  the  hotel,  was  all  that  remained  for  me  to  take  possession 
of  in  return :  and  as  he  had  taken  out  the  pickings  of  the  kit,  I 
declined  having  anything  to  do  with  that. 

The  Bardolph- faced  landlord  of  the  hotel  naturally  held  me 
in  some  sort  of  suspicion  ;  and  I  found  myself  compelled  imme- 
diately to  despatch  a  letter  by  little  friend,  boots,  to  my  rela- 
tion in  Portman-square,  in  order  to  be  extricated  from  the 
difficulties  by  which  I  was  now  surrounded. 

Nothing,  indeed,  would  satisfy  mine  host,  till  his  bill  was 
paid.  He  said,  "  he  was  one  of  those  obdurate  citizens,  whose 
hearts  are  hardened  to  any  sound  but  the  chink  of  sovereigns," 
possessing  no  more  mercy  or  consideration  than  an  unbribed 
sheriffs-officer.  "  He  doubted,"  he  said,  "  nothing  of  my  res 
pectability,  but  that  wouldn't  serve  his  turn.  He  must  havt 
his  bill,  the  whole  bill,  and  nothing  but  the  bill.  The  Cap- 
tain," he  hinted,  "  could  never  hare  managed  matters  as  he 
had  done,  without  my  assistance."  At  length,  growing  irate 


134  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

at  his  impertinence,  I  turned  him  out  of  the  room,  and  threat- 
ened to  kick  him  down  stairs. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"Had  I  but  died  an  hour  before  this  chance, 
I  had  liv'd  a  blessed  time  ;  for  from  this  instant 
There's  nothing  serious  in  mortality; 

Renown  and  grace  is  dead." 

"  Most  sacrilegious  murder." 

SHAKSPEKE. 

FROM  the  unpleasant  dilemma  -which  I  have  recorded 
in  the  foregoing  chapter,  I  was,  however,  after  a  few  hours, 
relieved.  A  carriage  drove  into  the  yard,  and  General  d'Acre 
was  announced. 

Sir  Augustus  d'Acre  had  served  much,  both  in  America  and 
"on  other  grounds,  Christian  and  heathen."  He  was  a  tho- 
rough specimen  of  the  old  school — pipeclay  from  heel  to  pig- 
tail. He  wore  his  frock-coat  buttoned  to  the  chin,  white 
gaiters  underneath  his  trousers,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of 
one  of  those  officers  of  a  former  system,  who  would  be  like 
enough  after  wheeling  into  line,  to  take  off  his  cocked  hat,  and 
say  to  the  enemy  with  a  polite  bow,  "  Gentlemen  of  the  French 
guard,  give  us  your  fire."  I  do  not  think  he  could  have 
changed  his  pace  from  ordinary  time  had  his  house  been 
about  to  be  blown  about  his  ears,  and  the  train  actually 
lighted. 

The  little  boots  darting  into  the  room  before  him,  with  great 
glee,  mispronounced  his  name  in  announcing  him. 

"  General  Cake,  sir,"  said  he,  "  to  see  you." 

The  general  gave  him  a  look  as  he  passed,  that  seemed  to 
shrivel  the  poor  little  fellow  like  parchment  in  a  white  heat. 
If  there  was  one  thing  he  prided  himself  upon  more  than  an- 
other, it  was  his  name.  There  were  three  hundred  lashes  con- 
veyed in  that  one  glance  of  his  eye.  The  next  moment  it  fell 
upon  me,  as  I  rose  to  receive  him,  and  I  felt  at  once  like  one  of 
his  own  soldiers  upon  parade.  Some  men  are  born  command- 
ers, "some  achieve  command,  and  some  have  command  thrust 
upon  them  ;"  but  I  am  convinced  that  he  who  is  not  a  soldier 
born,  will  never  become  one  by  education.  As  Kent  said  of 
King  Lear,  "  this  man  had  that  in  his  countenance  which  he 
would  fain  call  master — authority." 

Before  such  a  man  it  was  not  agreeable  to  appear  on  parade 
with  a  pair  of  black  eyes.  He  heard  the  difficulties  into  which 
I  had  got  without  comment,  and  mine  host  was  summoned 
with  his  bill,  and  cross-examined.  The  old  gentleman  perused 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJlfBv  135 

and  dwelt  upon  it,  item  by  item.  Some  things  he  taxed. 
Not  even  a  bottle  of  soda  water  escaped  his  eye  or  was  allowed 
to  be  overcharged.  He  then  settled  it,  and  rising,;  demandec 
if  I  was  ready  to  depart. 

"You  have  been  expected  at  Portraan-square  for  the  last 
fortnight,"  said  he.  "  We  could  not  conceive  where  you 
had  got  to.  I  thought  of  putting  you  into  the  Hue-and- 
cry/' 

He  listened  to  my  account  of  my  sojourn  in  London*  aad-ilo 
consequences. 

"  The  usual  effects  of  youthful  self-sufficiency,"  he  remarked; 
"  for  the  future,  always  follow  your  instructions.  Had  you; 
come  to  my  house,  as  your  father  directed*  all  this  would  h'ave 
been  avoided." 

"  But  I  thought,  sir, "  I  said. 

"You  thought!"  he  interrupted,  sharply ;  "who  gave  you 
leave  to  think?  You  have  chosen  a  profession,  young  man,  in, 
which  the  trouble  of  thinking  will  be  spared  you.  Your  lather 
wrote  to  me  that  you  meant  to  make  the  army  yom?  profession. 
If  so,  you  must  eat,  drink,  and  sleep,  sir,  to  the  sound  of  th# 
drum.  What  say  you,"  he  continued,  opening  the  door, ' '  shall 
we  move  off?" 

"  Am  I  to  return,  then,  sir,  with  you  to-night?"  I  inquired ; 
"  had  I  not  better  remain  at  this  hotel  till  to-morrow  morning  ? 
I  fear  I  shall  put  you  to  inconvenience,  by  coming  thus 
suddenly." 

"As  you  please,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he,  drily  ;  "  but  I  think 
you  have  had  enough  of  hotels  for  some  time.  My  carriage  is 
here,  sir,  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  you  to  my  house,  where- 
you  have  been  expected  for  the  last  fortnight.  I  advise  you 
to  take  advantage  of  it,  unless  you  prefer  this  dirty  public- 
house." 

Behold  me,  then,  located  in  Portman-square  ;  a  member,  for 
the  present,  of  Sir  Augustus  d' Acre's  iamily.  The  old  gentle- 
man was  something  of  a  philosopher,  and  his  style  of  life  was 
different  from  that  of  persons  in  his  own  sphere.  His  ideas 
were  totally  at  variance  with  the  times  he  lived  in,  and  having 
in  early  days  been  much  in  the  wilds  of  America,  the  sort  of 
life  incident  to  campaigning  in  that  country  had  made  him, 
despise  the  luxuries  of  modern  times, .  and  the  state  of  high 
civilization  at  which  we  have  arrived.  As  soon  as  he  became 
accustomed  to  the  doleful  appearance  I  cut,  and  he  discovered 
my  disposition  was  not  so  wild  and  reckless  as  he  had  been  led 
to  expect,  he  condescended  to  unbend  from  his  usual  stiffness 
of  manner,  and  we  became  good  friends. 

My  father's  marriage  had  highly  disgusted  him,  and  at  first 
he  rather  visited  the  sin  of  it  upon  me,  his  son.  He  had  him- 
self been  married  whilst  in  the  army,  and  had  several  daugh- 
ters, pure  in  heart  and  beautiful  in  person.  They  were  all 
married,  and  his  wife  long  dead,  so  that  he  lived  almost  alone 


136  THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

in  the  great  metropolis.  He  had  once  been  in  Parliament,  but 
gave  up  politics  with  disgust ;  and  being  as  punctilious  on  points 
of  honour  as  a  Spanish  grandee,  he  professed  he  could  not  un- 
derstand the  nice  distinctions  of  Members  of  Parliament  and 
when  honourable  members,  on  the  inquiry  whether  imputed 
rascality  is  personal  to  themselves,  and  their  adversary  assures 
them  that  he  never  intended  to  be  personal,  and  the  honour  of  the 
man  is  unimpeached;  such  explanation,  he  allowed,  was  highly 
civilized,  but  somewhat  unintelligible.  Equally  extraordinary 
did  it  appear  to  him,  on  entering  into  fashionable  society,  to 
observe  the  state  of  high  civilization,  and  the  various  distinc- 
tions there. 

"  They  do  these  things  quite  different  amongst  the  Sioux 
and  the  Pawnees,"  said  he :  "  but  then  they  want  civili- 
zation." 

"  The  clubs  in  London,"  said  he  to  me  one  day,  as  we  were 
sitting  over  our  coffee  after  dinner— for  he  never,  even  when  he 
had  company,  sat  and  fuddled  himself  with  wine :  "the  clubs 
are  a  nuisance  and  a  bane,  where  men  learn  every  sort  of  sel- 
fish enjoyment.  Society,  such  as  I  can  just  remember  it  in 
my  early  youth,  in  England  is  completely  disorganized.  ]STo 
man  is  now  happy  at  home,  but  all  rush  to  the  discomforts  of  a 
palace,  in  the  shape  of  a  club-house.  Times  are  very  much 
changed  for  the  worse,  or  I  perhaps  fancy  so.  This  seems  to 
me  to  be  the  age  of  mediocrity :  a  most  unamusing  period. 
Whether  it  is  that  a  life  in  the  woods  ha,s  spoilt  me  for  enjoy- 
ment, or  whether  my  occupation  being  gone,  even  in  my  old 
age  I  still  sigh  for  the  march,  the  parade,  the  volley  irg  dis- 
charge from  wing  to  wing  along  the  blazing  line,  the  embarka- 
tion and  wafting  of  armed  thousands  upon  the  swelling  tide, 
and  all  the  circumstance  of  war, — I  know  not.  But  it  seems 
to  me  that  we  have  become  exceedingly  common-place.  This 
generation  seems  rushing  through  life  like  a  torrent ;  and  even 
in  fashionable  life  methitks  we  go  too  fast. 

"  Look  at  the  eagle  velocity  with  which  we  travel,  too.  Are 
we  the  more  inclined  for  the  road  now  than  before  ?  Are  our 
enjoyments  the  greater?  I,  myself,  can  leave  my  residence  in 
the  country  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrive  in  Lon- 
don at  ten.  The  railway,  indeed,  runs  through  my  very  park; 
but  I  do  not  consider  myself  a  bit  happier  for  that.  On  the 
•Contrary,  I  am  about  to  sell  the  estate  of  my  forefathers.  I 
shall  never  go  there  again.  Talking  of  the  country,  where  are 
now  the  sports  of  the  field,  or  what  are  they  when  you  enter 
into  them? 

"  I  invited  a  neighbour  of  mine,  the  son  of  an  early  friend,  to 
Btay  with  me,  and  go  over  my  preserves.  We  had  a  battue,  as 
it  is  called,  and  my  poor  pheasants  and  hares  were  slaughtered 
in  three  or  four  days'  amusement.  _  What  would  our  ancestors, 
who  followed  the  chace  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  say  now  to  a 
hundred  and  thirty  brace  in  one  day  to  one  gun  on  the  high- 


THE  SOLDIEE   OF  FOETITNE.  137 

lands,  the  sportsman  merely  levelling  and  firing,  with  a  troop 
of  retainers  in  rear  to  load  as  fast  as  he  discharged,  and  pick 
up  the  dead  and  wounded?" 

The  army  in  wliich  he  had  served  so  long  he  was  entirely  de- 
voted to,  and  often  held  forth  on  that  subject :  but  he  seemed 
to  sorrow  over  it,  and  the  idea  of  interference  with  its  disci- 
pline since  the  glorious  campaigns  of  the  Peninsula,  and  other 
grounds,  drove  him  to  a  pitch  of  madness  when  he  spoke  of  it. 

The  British  infantry,  he  calculated,  was  short  by  more  than 
twenty  thousand  men,  if  it  were  to  discharge  me  duties  as- 
signed to  it,  even  in  peace,  with  any  consideration  for  the 
soldier.  The  military  authorities,  he  thought,  deeply  sympa- 
thised and  lamented  over  their  fellow-soldiers,  "  the  unwearied 
and  indefatigable  infantry  of  the  line,"  and  would  be  willing  to 
alleviate  the  unceasing  pressure  on  them,  occasioned  by  the  in- 
adequacy of  their  numbers,  for  the  purposes  of  colonial  service 
and  home  duty. 

Thus,  then,  the  old  general  and  myself  became  exceeding 
friendly,  and  before  I  had  been  a  week  under  his  roof,  he  had 
grown  quite  attached  to  my  society.  Our  tastes  seemed  to 
suit  exactly.  He  had  never  had  a  son,  and  I  became  one  to 
him.  I  told  him  all  my  mishaps  and  misadventures  in  regard 
to  my  home,  and  its  disagreeables,  and  he  vowed  he  would  set 
all  to  rights  when  my  father  came  to  London,  before  I  joined. 
He  accompanied  me  to  the  Horse-Guards,  when  I  attended 
the  levee  of  the  Commander-in-chief  and  the  military  secretary. 
It  was  gratifying  to  me  to  look  upon  men  so  renowned,  whose 
"high  deeds  achieved  of  knightly  fame"  had  extended  from 
pole  to  pole ;  men  of  honour,  bright  as  their  own  swords,  the 
true  metal  to  stamp  chivalry's  imprint  upon. 

At  his  own  request,  I  had  taken  into  my  service  the  little 
boots  of  the  hotel.  I  found  him  the  perfection  of  a  valet ;  and 
managing  to  get  acquainted  with  the  domestics  of  Lord  Hurri- 
cane, he  frequently  informed  me  how  matters  were  progress- 
ing in  Grosvenor-square  ;  where,  indeed,  much  had  taken  place 
to  cause  me  uneasiness.  The  Duke  of  Hurricane,  in  a  dreadful 
state  of  health,  had  been  removed  to  his  seat  in  Warwickshire, 
after  the  ball  had  at  last  been  extracted ;  Miss  Vilieroy  was 
with  the  Earl  of  Marston.  Town  had  now  become  nearly 
empty,  and  the  general  and  I  had  it  all  to  ourselves.  My 
father  having  returned  from  the  continent,  wrote  me  a  severe 
letter  upon  my  conduct  whilst  in  town,  refusing  to  advance  me 
any  further  supply  till  after  I  had  joined. 

The  old  general  bade  me  be  of  good  cheer  under  these  cir- 
cumstances. 

"Here  is  a  cheque,"  said  he,  "for  five  hundred  pounds  to 
begin  with.  Meanwhile,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  telling 
you,  that  I  have  seen  enough  of  your  disposition  and  conduct 
to  understand  you  perfectly,  and  like  you  extremely.  I  have 
fiye  times  as  much  as  I  can  spend,  and  you  may  draw  upon  me 


138  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

•whenever  you  wish  for  a  supply.  My  three  children,  as  you 
know,  are  all  well  married.  The  smallest  income  of  the  hus- 
band of  the  youngest,  who  married  a  commoner,  is  ten  thou- 
sand a-year.  They  want  nothing  of  me,  and  <I  shall  leave  to 
you  the  bulk  of  my  property.  To-morrow  I  shall  alter  my  will 
in  your  favour,  we  will  then  settle  what  you  want  for  the 
present  emergency ;  and  oa  Saturday,  you  know,  you  are  to 
set  off  for  Ireland." 

The  goodness  of  the  general  was  as  unexpected  as  it  WSB 
gratifying,  and  I  returned  my  acknowledgments  with  tears  in 
my  eyes  ;  not  that  I  cared  for  the  accession  of  fortune  promised, 
but  because  I  had  found  a  friend  who  loved  me,  and  seemed 
to  understand  my  disposition. 

It  was  on  a  lovely  summer's  evening,  when  the  foregoing 
conversation  took  place.  A  few  fashionables  who  had  not  left 
town,  were  snatching  a  breath  of  air  within  the  enclosure  of 
Portman-square,  and  the  general  proposed  that  I  should  take 
a  turn  and  smoke  my  cigar  there  with  him.  We  sauntered  up 
and  down  upon  the  grass  for  some  time,  discussing  matters  of 
business  connected  with  our  family  concerns.  At  length,  he 
expressed  himself  tired,  and  proposed  returning  within  doors. 

"You  need  not  come  home  so  early,"  he  said,  looking  at  his 
watch ;  "  as  it  is  now  only  ten  o'clock.  Take  this  key,  and  let 
yourself  in.  I  have  given  Goodwin,  my  man,  leave  to  be 
absent  for  a  couple  of  days.  To-morrow,  my  dear  young 
friend,"  he  added,  "  I  shall  put  you  in  a  position  to  defy  the 
machinations  of  the  enemies  you  have  told  me  of.  Your 
father,  too,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  come  to  his  senses.  I  have 
always  had  some  influence  with  him  since  he  served  under  my 
command  in  Spain.  To-morrow,  we  will  have  a  morning  de- 
voted to  business.  I  expect  my  solicitor  to  breakfast,  and  we 
will  afterwards  vary  the  scene,  by  driving  out,  and  dining  at 
[Richmond.  Good  night,  my  boy.  We'll  rise  betimes,  and 
breakfast  at  eight  to-morrow." 

"  Oh  never 
Shall  sun  that  morrow  see !" 

A  presentiment  of  evil  haunted  me  as  the  old  general  left, 
the  enclosure ;  and  I  stood  and  watched  till  the  strcet-ck  or 
closed  upon  him,  and  shut  him  from  my  sight.  I  never  saw 
him  again  in  life.  In  his  secure  hour,  "  in  the  dead  waste  and 
middle  of  the  night,"  my  new  valet,  the  little  wretch  I  had 
hired  from  the  Chaucer-like  hotel,  in  Holborn,  arose  and  cut 
the  old  soldier's  throat  from  ear  to  ear,  making  off  with  all 
the  plate  in  the  house,  and  snatching  up  all  the  ready  money 
he  could  lay  his  hands  on.  The  immortal  Shakspere  shows 
us  murderers  of  various  dispositions ;  some  possessing  the 
organ  of  destructiveness  "  fully  developed,"  and  others  who  are 
but  the  instruments  of  more  bloody-minded  rascals.  From  the 
crowned  king,  the  crook-backed  tyrant,  who  can  coolly  mo- 


THE  SOLDIEE:  OF  TOBTTJNE.  139 

ralize  upon  the  aspiring  blood  of  Lancaster  as  it  sinks  in  the 
ground,  and  who  confesses  to  the  accomplishment  of  being  able1 
to  smile,  even  as  he  deals  with  his  victim,  to  the  common  cut- 
throats, such  as  Dighton,  Forrest,  and  Tyrell ;— from  the  noble 
Thane  (for  he  is  a  noble  gentleman,  even  in  his  worst  of  moods, 
and  the  beautiful  things  he  gives  utterance  to  in  his  sorrow 
and  in  his  anger,  almost  persuade  us  to  forgive  him  his  mis- 
deeds, sorely  tempted  and  paltered  with  as  he  is,  by  fiends 
both  fair  and  foul),  from  the  noble  Thane,  then,  to  the  shag- 
eared  villain,  "weary  with  disasters,"  and  ready  to  set  his  life 
on  any  chance,  "to  mend  it,  or  be  rid  on't:"  Shakspere,  I 
say,  shows  us  murderers,  and  brings  them  before  us  with  a 
reality  and  fidelity  of  description,  as  Shakspere  alone  can 
picture.  We  see  them  "  in  habit  as  they  lived ;"  fellows  by  the 
hand  of  nature  marked,  quoted,  and  signed,  to  do  "a  deed  of 
shame." 

But  that  this  miserable  specimen,  the  little  boots  of  the1 
hotel,  whom  I  had  adopted  for  a  valet,  and  whose  dimensions, 
in  any  thick  sight,  were  almost  invisible ;  that  this  "  thin- faced 
gull,"  this  "  forcible  feeble,"  should  have  done  so  horrible  a 
deed,  was  to  me  so  extraordinary,  that  I  refused  at  first  to 
credit  the  suspicion. 


CHAPTEE   XXIL 

"  Oh,  bo7S,  this  story 

The  world  may  read  in  me.  My  body's  mark'd 
"With  Roman  swords :  and  my  report  was  once 
First  with  the  best  of  note." 

THIS  fresh  calamity  did,  indeed,  completely  unnerve  me,  and 
I  felt  myself  a  regular  Boabdil  el  Chico.  Such  was  the  state 
of  depression  and  discomfort  into  which  this  event  threw  me, 
that  death  itself  would  have  been  hailed  by  me  as  a  welcome 
messenger. 

"Fresh  hopes,"  however,  says  the  poet  Thomson,  "are 
hourly  sown  in  furrow'd  brows ;"  and  youth  is  the  season  in 
which,  however  we  may  be  cast  down,  we  most  quickly  rally. 
My  London  season  was  over ;  the  difficulties  into  which  I  had 
so  unwarily  got,  General  d'Acre  had  luckily  emancipated  me 
from;  I  obtained  a  few  days'  more  leave  from  the  Horse- 
guards,  and  my  father  having  arrived  in  town  the  night  before 
I  was  to  start,  we  once  more  met. 

I  waited  on  him  at  Mivart'a  Hotel,  in  Lower  Brook-street. 
He  saw  me  alone,  although  the  whole  Levison  party  was  there 
with  him.  The  late  events  of  my  own  career  had  not  rendered 
me  a  bit  more  amiable  in  his  eyes  ;  added  to  which,  his  young 
wife  was  now  in  that  promising  way  which  gave  hirn  hopes  of 
an  increase  to  his  family. 


140  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FOKTUNE. 

"You  are  much  altered,  sir,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  I  entered 
the  room;  "I  scarcely  should  know  you.  What  a  life  is  this 
you  have  been  leading  here!  When  do^you  join  your  regi- 
ment ?  or  do  you  now  mean  to  do  so  at  all  ?" 

"It  is  my  intention,  sir,"  said  I,  "  to  set  off  for  Ireland,  to- 
morrow." 

"  Have  you  followed  my  instructions,  and  asked  for  an 
exchange  into  the  infantry?" 

"  I  have  not,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"Why?" 

"I  do  not  like  the  infantry,  and  have  never  contemplated 
ihe  necessity  of  exchanging  into  it.  I  would  rather  try " 

"  So  had  not  I,"  said  he,  interrupting  me.  "  To  be  brief,  sir, 
I  cannot  make  you  an  allowance  sufficient  for  that  service,  and 
shall,  therefore,  myself  apply  for  an  exchange.  As  you  have 

got  everything  requisite,  you  must,  however,  now  join  the 

Hussars.  But,  at  the  same  time,  India  must  be  the  future 
field  in  which  you  must  hope  for  renown." 

Our  interview  soon  ended,  and  with  a  somewhat  heavy  heart, 
I  set  off  for  the  Emerald  Isle,  in  the  Bristol  mail.  Arrived  at 
Bristol  the  next  morning,  I  embarked  on  board  a  steamer,  for 
Cork.  It  was  rather  a  raw  and  gusty  morning,  I  recollect, 
when  we  put  forth ;  and  before  we  were  a  couple  of  hours  old 
at  sea,  it  blew  a  perfect  hurricane.  It  was  my  first  impression 
of  the  mighty  deep,  and  a  tolerably  deep  one  it  made  upon  me. 
There  were  several  youths  who,  like  myself,  were  about  to  join 
their  different  regiments,  on  board.  One  of  these  who  was  due 
to  an  infantry  regiment,  then  stationed  at  Cork,  I  may  as  well 
mention,  as  I  subsequently  grew  better  acquainted  with  him, 
and  the  companionship  led  to  no  beneficial  result ;  on  the  con^ 
trary,  I  became  involved  in  a  considerable  share  of  difficulty  in 
his  cause.  There  was  also  among  us  youth,  an  old  and  weather- 
beaten  veteran,  a  man  who  had  seen  so  much  service  in  the 
East  and  West  Indies,  and  who  bad  followed  the  trade  of  arms 
so  long,  that  his  care-worn  body's  dissolution  seemed  but  to 
await  his  rejoining  the  corps  to  which  he  belonged,  in  order 
that  the  volleying  musketry  might  sound  a  requiem  for  him. 
Most  of  the  passengers  were  so  unwell,  with  the  roughness  of 
the  weather,  that  they  were  fain  to  seek  the  cabin.  The  old 
veteran,  myself,  and  three  others,  sheltering  ourselves  beneath 
our  military  cloaks,  held  converse  upon  deck.  A  sudden  pitch 
of  the  vessel  threw  the  old  veteran  from  his  seat,  and  sent  him 
sprawling  to  the  side.  He  was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  arise, 
and  I  staggered  across  and  lifted  him  up. 

"  Thanks,  sir,  thanks,"  said  he.  "  My  usual  luck — it  has 
happened  to  the  weakest  man  in  the  ship.  Ah !  gentlemen,  in 
me  you  see  a  miserable  remnant  of  humanity;  one  whose 
career  has  almost  run.  Hardship  hath  done  its  work  upon 
my  poor  body— dissipation  hath  done  thrice  the  work  of  hard- 
ship, Rich  sauces,  generous  wines,  and  the  spicy  viands  of 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  141 

the  east  and  west  have  ta'en  their  turn  upon  me;  climate, 
toil,  disease,  and  villanous  drugs  have  helped  the  completion ; 
and  more  than  one  of  the  bullets  of  the  Peninsula  have  found 
their  billets  amongst  my  muscles,  veins,  and  arteries.  I  have 
been  upon  sick  leave,  sir,  now  a  whole  year :  and  finding  the 
enemy  ip.  force  upon  my  constitution,  I  resolved  to  cut  the 
medical  board  and  their  infernal  examinations,  and  rejoining 
my  old  corps,  die  as  I  have  lived,  '  with  harness  on  my  back.' 

"  I'm  going  to  the  old  fiftieth,  sir,  to  give  up  the  ghost,  and 
only  hope  I  shall  be  permitted  to  reach  Fermoy,  that  I  may 
again  see  mine  old  comrades,  and  the  regiment  once  more  on 
parade ;  and  then  the  sooner  this  carcase  returns  to  its  mother 
earth  the  better." 

"  You  despond,  sir,"  said  I,  "  you'll  recover  if  you  keep  up 
your  spirits.  The  sight  of  your  old  companions  in  arms  will 
cheer  you." 

"  Thank  ye,"  he  said,  languidly,  "  thank  ye ;  so  the  Great 
Medicine  in  London  told  me. — *  Keep  your  mouth  closed, 
said  he,  '  and  avoid  the  bottle,  and  you'll  recover.'  ^  But, 
Lord!  sir,  I  never  could  withstand  temptation.  I'm  the 
martyr  of  indigestion  ;  and  the  moment  I  touch  food,  I'm  in 
the  torments  of  the  damned.  Brandy  and  water  is  all  I  live 
upon;  my  medical  man  allowed  me  but  three  slices  of  dry 
toast  daily,  and  a  glass  of  Madeira ;  but  I  know  I  shall  com- 
mit an  indiscretion  when  the  nausea  of  this  voyage  is  over. 
I'm  as  sure  to  eat  as  to  land — if  we  ever  do  land— for  the 
weather  does  not  seem  inclined  to  mend.  The  captain  looks 
anxious,  and  the  sailors  are  silent  and  solemn — a  sure  sign 
we  shall  have  a  bad  night  on't,  gentlemen.  If  I  could  find 
one  or  two  of  the  men  to  help  me  down  below,  I  should  be 
thankful.  Curse  the  sea,  say  I,  for  I  never  see  a  ship  now  but 
it  reminds  me  of  the  weary  months  I  have  spent  on  board  the 
tubs  of  transports  in  which  we  used  to  be  sent  out,  and 
wrecked,  in  former  days.  Well,  gentlemen,  since  you  say 
you  are  just  joining  your  different  regiments,  I  wish  you 
joy ;  it's  a  glorious  profession ;  I've  lived  in  it  many  years, 
and  passed  my  time  not  so  unpleasantly." 

"  I've  heard,"  said  the  youngster  before  mentioned,  that 
it's  necessary  to  fight  a  duel  on  first  joining,  sir.  How  is  that 
to  be  managed  genteelly,  and  without  giving  offence  in  the 
corps  ?  I  should  wish  to  do  like  others.  Must  I  tread  upon 
some  officer's  favourite  corn,  or  had  I  better  wait  for  a  gentle- 
man to  tweak  me  by  the  nose  ?  It  is  all  one  to  me ;—  equal  to 
either  fortune." 

The  veteran  looked  at  the  youth  askance,—"  JN  ecessary  t« 
do  what,  sir?"  said  he ;  "  fight  a  duel !  Young  man,  you  had 
better  not  join  with  that  idea  impressed  upon  your  mind,  or 
you  will  find  yourself  in  a  scrape,  perhaps,  before  you  are 
very  old  in  your  regiment." 
"  How  soP"  said  the  youth,  who  was  something  of  a  boaster 


142  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

in  liis  style  and  manner.  "  I  suppose,  I  can  fight  my  way- 
out  of  it,  if  I  do  get  into  a  scrape  F  I'm  not  altogether  un- 
practised, and  can  touch  off  .a  blue-bottle  fly  on  a  man's  proboscis 
at  twelve  paces,  with  ease." 

"  You  will  find  it  difficult  to  get  an  opportunity  of  doing 
80,"  returned  the  veteran,  "  if  you  are  known  to  join  with 
such  sentiments  and  intentions.  You  will  be  voted  a  nuisance 
in  the  corps,  and  cut  accordingly.  Take  my  advice,  young 
man,  look  upon  your  brother  officers  as  friends,  not  targets  for 
your  pistol  practice.  You  will  find  before  you  have  been 
•many  years  in  the  army,  plenty  of  opportunities  of  displaying 
your  valour,  without  seeking  it  in  the  mess-room.  That  man's 
an  arrant  coward,"  added  the  veteran  aside  to  me ;  "  I'd  stake 
my  life  upon  it." 

The  youth  laughed :  he  wished  to  be  thought  a  cavalier  of 
the  first  water,  and  to  make  an  impression  upon  his  auditors. 
I  soon  afterwards  helped  our  veteran  friend  to  his  cot,  where, 
after  administering  a  glass  of  his  favourite  beverage,  I  left  him 
to  his  repose. 

The  night  was,  as  he  had  prognosticated,  a  rough  one.  So 
much  so,  that  the  fires  were  put  out  by  the  seas  which  washed 
into  the  vessel,  half  the  passengers  went  to  prayers,  and  all 
next  day  we  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  like  a 
helpless  log  upon  the  waters.  At  last  we  made  the  Cove,  and 
landing,  hired  some  jaunting  cars,  and  arrived  safely  at  Cork 
on  the  morning  after. 

In  the  coffee-room  of  one  of  the  hotels,  our  veteran  friend, 
myself,  and  military  fellow  passengers,  sat  down  to  enjoy  the 
first  comfortable  meal  we  had  taken  since  we  left  Bristol.  Tea, 
coffee,  and  new  laid  eggs,  are  a  most  delightful  treat  after  the 
discomfort  of  a  storm  at  sea.  Cork  is,  moreover,  famous  for 
salmon,  deliciously  dressed,  and  served  up  in  sheets  of  clean 
writing-paper. 

Our  veteran  friend  had  distrusted  his  powers  of  forbearance, 
and  albeit  he  particularly  ordered  the  gossoon  to  bring  him 
nothing  but  a  small  slice  of  dry  toast,  no  sooner  did  the  tea 
and  coffee,  with  the  other  creature  comforts,  appear,  than, 
after  eyeing  them  for  a  few  minutes,  he  drew  himself  to  our 
table,  and  commenced  eating  like  a  famished  wolf,  or  'a  half- 
starved  tiger. 

"  This  salmon  will  be  my  bane,"  said  he,  as  he  stopped  to 
take  breath.  "  The  first  time  I  ever  landed  at  Cork,  thirty 
years  ago,  I  remember  breakfasting  on  it,  in  this  very  room. 
Twelve  times  I  have  been  across  the  Atlantic  since  that,  and 
yet  I  remember  it  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday.  Delicious 
treat !  Waiter,  more  salmon  here,  more  muffins  here,  another 
devil,  and  more  brandy ;  my  stomach  is  like  a  ready  braced 
brass  drum,  sir,  but  I  cannot  halt  now.  Fermoy,"  he  con- 
tinued, dolefully,  "  I  shall  never  see  thee,  after  all ;  farewell 
50th,  I  shall  die  of  salmon !  Help  me  to  another  slice,  gentle- 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  143 

men.    Thank  ye !  that  will  do ;  yes,  I  shall  die  of  salmon,  and 
George  Chacot  will  get  the  step." 

"  There's  many  a  true  word  spoken  in  jest,"  says  the  vulgar 
proverb.  Captain  Wornout  positively  died  from  eating  that 
salmon.  He  was  seriously  ill  before  he  left  the  table,  and  in 
two  days  he  died  of  inflammation  of  the  intestines.  By  that 
time,  however,  I  had  reached  Limerick,  and  become  acquainted 
with  my  brother  officers  of  the  — th  Hussars. 

First  joining  a  regiment  is  an  event  of  no  slight  importance 
in  a  man  s  life.  The  — th  was  a  crack  corps,  as  it  is  termed, 
and  consequently  was  officered  by  men  of  rank  and  fortune, 
gentlemen  in  every  sense  of  the  term ;  and  by  them  I  was 
received  with  marks  of  kindness  and  good  feeling.  At  least 
half  of  them  were  connected  with  the  nobles  of  the  land,  and 
the  remainder  were  the  sons  of  your  fine  old  English  esquires; 
— men,  whose  princely  allowances  would  necessarily  make 
them  unwilling  to  follow  any  other  but  the  profession  of 
arms.  Amongst  gentlemen  of  this  rank,  then,  I  commenced 
my  military  career ;  and  being  commanded  by  an  officer  who 
was  like  a  father  to  the  whole  regiment,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  strict  disciplinarian,  and,  moreover,  who  had  seen  much 
service  in  the  last  war,  I  soon  began  to  forget  my  late  mishaps 
and  misfortunes,  in  the  excitement  and  splendour  of  the 
soldier's  life. 

Our  duties  in  Ireland  were  not  much  relished  by  my  com- 
panions ;  to  me,  however,  all  was  delightful,  because  all  was 
new.  Whether,  therefore,  in  the  pursuit  of  duty,  I  was 
engaged  with  the  troop  in  the  capture  of  a  still  among  the 
bogs,  or  driving  pigs,  cows,  and  sheep,  upon  a  tithing  expedi- 
tion, or  keeping  the  streets  of  some  town  during  an  election 
riot,  or  even  escorting  some  wretched  prisoner  to  the  gallows' 
foot,  and  mounting  guard  whilst  the  finisher  of  the  law  per- 
formed his  office  upon  him  amidst  the  infuriated  pisantry,  I 
was  equally  content  to  find  myself  obeying  my  orders,  and 
playing  the  part  assigned  to  me  with  all  true  duty. 

$ix  months  after  I  joined,  we  were  ordered  to  England,  to 
the  great  delight  of  the  whole  regiment,  and  shortly  after  our 
kettledrums  and  trumpets  were  sounding  through  the  streets< 
of  Manchester.  At  Manchester  we  found  our  presence  of 
some  slight  use  in  keeping  the  turbulent  artificers  occasionally 
from  half  demolishing  the  town,  for  which  service  we  had  the 
favour  of  meeting  with  the  dowered  daughters  of  some  of  the 
millocrats,  and  dancing  with  them  at  their  soulless  and  dull 
balls. 

It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  a  soldier's  life,  that  he  can 
look  back  upon  more  homes  than  the  man  of  any  other  pro- 
fession. The  service  necessarily  makes  him  a  welcome  so- 
journer  in  so  many  delightful  places,  in  which  he  becomes 
attached,  not  only  to  the  inhabitants,  but  to  the  localities 
around,  that  each  quarter  appears  the  spot  most  favoured  by 


144  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

nature,  and  containing  the  most  amiable  of  residents.  The 
intimate  of  most  families  of  condition  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  admitted  more  into  the  bosom  of  such  family  than  any 
other  chance  visitor,  he  is  generally  the  favourite  of  the 
household;  welcomed  by  the  elders,  because  assuredly  a 
person  of  gentility  and  education,  and  taking  precedence 
amongst  the  younger,  the  more  thoughtless,  the  lovely,  and 
the  gay,  from  the  chivalry  of  his  appearance,  (with  horse  to 
ride,  and  weapon  to  wear,)  and  the  devil-may-care  easy  and 
careless  life  he  professes.  Such  being  the  case,  he  becomes,  if 
not  professedly  the  lover,  at  least  the  friend  and  confidant  of 
every  bevy  of  pretty  lasses  in  every  town  or  village  he  stays 
six  months  at,  and  remembers  in  after-life  a  little  romance 
connected  with  every  such  quarter.  Then  comes  the  route, 
the  march,  and  the  new  scene,  just  as  he  had  begun  to  feel 
himself  the  intimate  friend  of  the  good  folks  he  must  ^so 
abruptly  bid  farewell  to,  and  by  whom  he  is  regarded  with 
the  same  kindly  feelings.  Then,  as  I  said,  comes  the  fresh 
quarter,  the  new  acquaintance,  and  the  like  endeavour  at 
making  himself  an  agreeable  guest,  with  generally  the  same 
success. 

The  cavalry  have  more  of  this  than  the  infantry ;  as,  during 
twenty  years  of  a  man's  life  in  the  dragoons,  he  stands  a 
chance,  what  with  outbreaks  and  disturbances  of  one  kind  or 
other,  to  visit  in  turn,  almost  all  the  towns  and  villages  in 
England  with  his  troop  of  free  lances. 

And  who  can  wonder  at  this  feeling  of  good-will  towards 
liim  of  the  chivalrous  post  and  laced  jacket?  who  can  be 
surprised  if  the  eye  of  the  loveliest  of  the  sex  should  glance 
a  far-off  look,  when  some  lord  of  sash  and  epaulette  is  found 
amidst  the  gay  and  festive  scene,  since  the  hand  which  has 
sought  the  honour  of  a  set,  and  so  gently  leads  the  dance,  can 
also  wield  the  broadsword  for  protection  of  those  halls  of 
dazzling  light,  and  rein  the  fiery  steed  in  full  career,  like  a 
Mameluke  ? 

The  amusing  life  of  this  sort,  which  for  the  last  six  or  seven 
months  I  had  been  leading,  had  in  a  great  measure  obliterated 
many  of  the  disagreeables  I  had  before  been  mixed  up  in,  and 
I  began  to  feel  myself  altogether  a  different  person.  The 
last  place  I  had  been  resident  with  my  detachment  was  Ripon 
in  Yorkshire,  and  the  morning's  march  lay  through  the  cele- 
brated watering-place,  Harrowgate. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE,  145 


CHAPTER  xxm. 

"Away,  you  cut-purse  rascal !  you  filthy  bung,  away  !  By  this  wine,  I'll 
thrust  my  knife  in  your  mouldy  chaps,  an  you  play  the  saucy  cuttle  with 
me.  Away,  you  bottle- ale  rascal! — since  when  I  pray  you,  sir? — What, 
with  two  points  on  your  shoulder  ?  Much." 

"  You  are  a  gentleman,  and  a  gamester,  sir — 
I  confess  both  ;  they  are  both  the  varnish  of  a  complete  man." 

SHAKSPERE. 

HARROWGATE  was  in  its  palmy  days  when  I  visited  it.  At 
that  period,  half  the  rank  and  fashion  of  England  were  to  be 
found  at  the  various  hotels,  situate  upon  that  Seotchified  and 
barren-looking  common,  _and  a  more  delightful  and  altogether 
amusing  watering-place  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine.  Most 
of  the  great  sporting  men  of  the  day  were  also  to  be  found  at 
Harrowgate  during  the  season,  and  consequently  amongst  the 
other  diversions  and  modes  of  passing  away  the  time,  high  play 
was  constantly  resorted  to  by  many  of  the  visitors.  Indeed,  it  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  the  servants  of  the  hotels  to  find  the 
tables  still  filled  with  players,  when  at  early  dawn,  they  came 
to  set  the  house  in  order. 

As  I  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  village  of  High  Harrow- 
gate  from  Hipon,  I  was  met  by  an  orderly  dragoon,  who  had 
been  despatched  with  an  official  letter  from  the  commanding 
officer,  desiring  me  to  halt  with  my  detachment  until  further 
orders  at  this  watering-place,  and  I  found  myself  billeted  at 
the  house  I  had  in  my  boyish  days  so  frequently  heard  of,— the 
"  Dragon  at  Harrowgate." 

It  was  about  the  hour  of  noon  when  I  halted  my  power 
before  the  little  terrace  upon  which  some  of  the  company  were 
assembled. 

The  arrival  of  a  party  of  dragoons  upon  the  march,  who 
were  to  be  billeted  in  the  village,  the  officer  quartering  himself 
at  their  home,  was  an  event  which  of  course  produced  quite  a 
sensation  amongst  the  idlers  of  a  fashionable  resort ;  and  all 
the  circumstance  and  appearance  of  my  "  plump  of  spears" 
lent  me  so  much  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  assemblage,  that  I 
found  myself  quite  the  lion  of  the  hotel. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  my  first  day  at  Harrowgate,  that 
the  tables  being  drawn,  it  was  "idlesse  all."  The  gentlemen 
were  gradually  leaving  their  wine-flagons  in  the  dining-room, 
and  joining  the  ladies,  who,  seated  at  a  long  table,  were  pre- 
paring to  make  tea.  At  the  Green  Dragon  at  Harrowgate 
there  was  generally  a  sort  of  prima  donna,  who  led  the  ton, 
without  whose  approval  a  new-comer  would  be  likely  to  find 
his  stay  rendered  not  only  unpleasant,  but  even  (if  an  upstart 
parvenu)  impossible.  Many  an  unfortunate  wight  was  fain  to 

L 


146  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE. 

retire  from  the  aristocratic  Dragon  in  these  days,  and  betake 
himself  to  the  Manchester  Warehouse,  as  the  Crown  Inn  was 
caUed. 

After  going  through  my  stable  duties,  I  lounged  into  the 
tea-room,  and  made  my  way  to  the  upper  end.  About  a  dozen 
ladies  were  generally  employed  in  the  business  of  tea-making, 
each  having  her  little  tray  before  her,  furnished  with  appliances 
and  means  to  furnish  forth  to  some  twenty  applicants  for  the 
beverage :  and,  thus  managed,  it  was  an  introduction  to  the 
company,  and  made  the  whole  party  intimate  as  one  family. 

The  Marchioness  of  Richborpugh  was  seated  at  the  end  of 
the  room  as  I  approached.  Beside  her  was  another  lady,  who 
officiated  in  pouring  out  tea  and  coffee  to  the  various  ap- 
plicants who  bowed  at  her  shrine.  The  marchioness  was  a 
beautiful  woman,  of  some  six  or  seven-and-twenty  years  of  age, 
with  the  form  of  a  goddess,  and  the  brow  of  a  queen. 

The  clatter  of  my  approach,  being  in  uniform,  drew  the  eye 
of  the  marchioness  upon  me,  and  with  the  eye  of  her  ladyship, 
necessarily  I  was  honoured  by  the  observance  of  that  portion 
of  the  company  immediately  around  her. 

It  was  a  critical  moment  for  the  new  arrival,  if  he  cared  for 
being  in  good  odour  amongst  the  assemblage,  for  the  Marchio- 
ness of  Eichborough  was  the  leader  of  the  ton.  Had  her 
ladyship  bent  but  a  supercilious  eye-brow  upon  the  cornet, 
after  putting  her  glass  to  her  eye,  he  would  have  been  voted 
not  the  thing  in  her  presence,  and  perhaps  cut  by  the  company. 
As  it  was,  she  desired  her  lovely  friend  to  pour  out  a  cup  of 
coffee  for  the  officer  of  the  — th,  and  desiring  her  husband, 
the  marquis,  who  was  conversing  with  some  ladies  near,  to 
invite  me  to  the  table,  made  room  for  me  beside  herself. 

Although  I  knew  neither  the  name,  nor  the  high  rank  of  the 
beautiful  creature  I  was  sitting  beside,  we  were  as  intimate  in 
five  minutes  as  if  we  had  been  acquainted  for  five  years.  The 
high  bred  and  the  exalted  in  rank  sometimes  dare  to  overstep 
the  triste  manners  of  English  society,  and  permit  those  whom 
they  approve  to  a  close  and  quick  intimacy.  My  hussar  jacket 
was  in  some  sort  my  passport,  and  my  appearance  and  good 
mien  seconded  that ;  so  that  the  marchioness  condescended  to 
be  affable,  and  entertained  me  with  the  history  of  two  or  three 
of  the  assembled  company. 

"  You  shall  know  the  natives-  of  the  strand  you  are  cast 
upon,"  she  said.  "  That  lady,  with  the  five  raw-boned,  tartar- 
faced  daughters  is  the  wife  of  Sir  Mungo  McTurk.  She  has 
visited  this  table  d'hote  six  several  seasons,  and  each  season 
has  got  off  one  of  her  fair  daughters.  There  is  a  determi- 
nation to  succeed  about  Lady  McTurk  that  is  most  praise- 
worthy, and  she  will  succeed  again  accordingly.  That's  her 
victim,  the  heavy-looking  youth  who  is  seated  beside  her 
youngest  unmarried.  That  odd-looking,  farmer-like  man,  who 
is  railing  against  the  old  lady  making  tea  for  him,  calling 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  147 

the  hotel  a  pot-house,  and  all  assembled  rogues  and  vaga- 
bonds, is  the  celebrated  Joe  Armstrong,  a  great  man  en  the 
turf,  and  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  York- 
shire. Beside  him,  silent,  good-tempered-looking,  and  unas- 
suming, is  the  Marquis  of  Queensferry.  He  is  quietly  waiting 
the  St.  Leger,  that  he  may  lose  his  customary  ten  thousand 
before  he  returns  to  town.  The  lady  on  the  other  side,  with 
the  melancholy-looking  brace  of  daughters,  is  the  celebrated 
Lady  Merrimoth,  the  great  whist-player.  She  has  been, 
known  to  sit  up,  with  slight  intermission,  for  a  whole  week 
at  a  time  here.  To-night  you  will  see  her  with  bank-notes 
in  her  lap  piled  nearly  to  her  chin,  and  setting  the  fee-simple 
of  an  estate  upon  the  turn-up  of  a  card.  The  two  young 
ladies,  her  offspring,  she  generally  despatches  to  a  boarding 
school  at  hand,  whilst  the  season  lasts.  To-night  they  have  a 
half-holiday,  in  consequence  of  our  intended  ball  at  the  Dragon. 
Her  career  is  given  in  a  line  of  the  immortal  Pope,  '  a  youth  of 
folly,  an  old  age  of  cards.' 

"  That  old  gentleman,  who  looks  so  nervous  and  diffident, 
with  the  pig-tail,  powdered  hair,  and  old-world  coat,  is  a  retired 
member  of  your  profession,  a  half  pay  dragoon.  He  joined 
the  third  Dragoons  in  the  year  1760,  and,  however  you  may 
smile  and  doubt,  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  his*  mother 
brought  him  to  the  regiment,  and  herself  placed  him  in  charge 
of  the  colonel.  He  was  an  only  son,  and  the  sweet  youth,  being 
heir  to  a  large  patrimony  here  in  Derbyshire,  took  a  fancy  for 
the  profession  of  arms.  Being  a  perfect  cousin  Slender,  he 
was  accompanied  as  I  have  mentioned :  remained  in  the  regi- 
ment some  six  or  seven  years,  and,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  his  mother  '  sold  him  out,'  and  fetched  him  back  to  Mos- 
tyn  Hall.  There  sits  'the  deliberate  simpleton,'  a  perfect 
representative  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Dumbedikes.  I  can  no 
more,"  said  the  marchioness,  preparing  to  rise.  "  The  rest  are 
all  people  of  some  note  in  the  country,  and  doubtless  will  de- 
velop themselves  for  your  especial  amusement  and  edification. 
Flora,  my  love,  come,"  she  said  to  her  companion,  "we  must 
even  prepare  for  the  coming  assemby,  as  I  suppose  it  will  be 
expected  of  us  to  make  our  appearance." 

Saying  this,  my  fair  friend  arose,  and  left  the  tea-table,  fol- 
lowed by  the  nymph,  her  friend. 

"  Pray  who  is  that  lady  ?"  I  inquired  of  a  tall  military-looking 
man  standing  near. 

"Is  it  me  you  are  asking?"  returned  Major  O'Doherty. 
"  Come,  that's  droll  any  how  ;  and  you,  too,  been  as  intimate 
with  her  as  if  you'd  been  her  next  of  kin.  By  the  powers  !  I've 
been  here  at  the  Dragon  three  weeks,  and  sitting  at  table  only 
six  from  her,  and  never  exchanged  so  much  as,  May  I  have  the 
honour  of  taking  wine  with  your  ladyship?  By  the  Lord! 
I've  never  been  able  to  conciliate  an  acquaintance  in  all  that 
,  and  you've  been  learning  the  history  of  all  the  folks  in 

1  2 


148  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

the  house  from  her  own  sweet,  condescending  lips  (lips  that 
I  have  never  kissed,  nor  ever  shall),  and  now  ask  me  her 
name.  Sure  it's  funning  you  are.  Why,  it  is  the  Marchio- 
ness of  Richborough,  and  her  friend,  Lady  Flora  Clinton.  By 
Jasus !  man,  you're  in  luck  :  by  the  same  token,  she's  taken  a 
fancy  to  your  spurs  and  sabretash." 

"  Her  ladyship's  something  caustic  in  her  remarks  upon  us 
to-night,  major,"  said  a  Scotch  baronet,  who  had  been  seated 
near  us,  and  who  now  joined  in  the  conversation  :  "  she  is  o'er 
fond  of  the  tables  hersel,  to  be  so  severe  upon  Lady  Merrimoth. 
Troth,  but  she's  like  eneugh  hersel  to  make  the  marquis's 
broods  feel  the  axe,  an  she  lose  as  mickle  every  season  as  she 
lias  done  this.  Gad !  but  she's  a  right  vent'rous  player.  Heard 
ye,  mon,  o'  the  match  she's  to  play  the  night." 

"  By  the  powers !  you  say  true,"  returned  the  other,  "  it 
is  to-night  she  plays,  and,  by  my  conscience,  it's  near  the 
hour." 

As  these  gentleman  carried  on  their  discourse  now  in  an 
Tinder -tone,  I  left  my  place,  and  the  company  now  also  be- 
ginning to  disperse,  I_  strolled  out  into  the  village.  On  my 
return,  seeing  the  billiard-room  lighted  up,  I  entered  it.  The 
room,  which  those  who  have  ever  frequented  the  Dragon  will 
remember  is  at  one  end  of  the  terrace,  was  on  this  occasion 
filled  with  company,  who  sat  and  stood  almost  two  deep 
around  it.  A  match  of  some  importance  I  therefore  con- 
jectured was  being  played,  and  elbowing  my  way  to  the 
front,  was  sufficiently  astonished  at  seeing  my  beautiful  friend 
the  marchioness  as  one  of  the  players  ;  whilst  the  marquis,  her 
spouse,  standing  beside  the  marker,  officiated  for  him  in  the 
duty  of  scoring  up  the  game. 

The  match  was  for  a  large  sum  I  found  on  inquiry,  and 
the  opponent  of  the  fair  marchioness  was  a  professed  game- 
ster, who  had  somehow,  in  the  liveliness  of  conversation, 
inveigled  her  into  it ;  having  come  from  London  with  his 
associates,  for  the  very  purpose  of  pigeoning  the  lady.  He 
was,  besides,  a  gentleman  who  prided  himself  vastly  upon 
his  reputation  as  a  duellist,  having  shot  several  opponents 
in  the  various  affairs  of  honour  in  which  he  had  been  en- 
gaged. The  indelicacy  of  playing  billiards  with  a  lady  for 
large  stakes,  who  had  evidently  little  more  skill  in  the  mace 
than  the  bagatelle-table  had  given  her,  was  great;  but  it 
was  evident  to  me,  as  well  as  to  the  whole  room,  that  the  leg 
was  taking  advantage  of  her  ignorance  of  the  game  to  win 
to  a  large  amount.  The  marquis  seeming,  however,  amused 
as  he  indulged  his  lively  spouse,  and  the  attendant  company 
appearing  unwilling  to  interfere,  I  remained  quietly  for  a  space 
to  watch  the  game. 

"  A  hundred  pounds  to  five  I  make  this  hazard,"  said  Cap- 
tain Surecard. 

"  I'll  take  it,"  said  the  marchioness. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  149 

"  Not  so,"  said  one  of  the  spectators ;  "  he  can't  miss  it. 
Cry  off,  Lady  Bichborough." 

"  Silence,  sir,"  cried  the  captain,  angrily.  "Her  ladyship 
wants  no  advice  of  yours  ;  she  has  accepted  my  bet.  I'll  not 
allow  any  person  to  interfere  with  my  game." 

The  captain  played,  and  won  the  hazard. 

"  A  foul  stroke,  sir,"  said  I  immediately. 

"  A  what  ?"  cried  the  captain,  turning  fiercely  round.  "  Who 
spoke  when  I  was  playing? — not  you  P" 

"  I  spoke,  sir,"  said  I,  pushing  to  the  front ;  "  I  said  that 
was  a  foul  stroke.  I  repeat  the  observation." 

The  captain  stood  aghast  for  the  moment.  At  length  he 
threw  down  his  cue,  and  strode  towards  me. 

"I'll  bet  you  a  hundred  guineas,  sir,"  said  he,  "you  don't 
utter  another  word  whilst  I  am  playing." 

"  Who  shall  say  me  nay?"  returned  I,  smiling  at  his  face  of 
ire. 

The  marchioness  laughed  outright,  for  the  scene  perfectly 
delighted  her. 

The  captain,  livid  with  rage,  continued  to  gaze  at  me,  as  if 
ruin  leaped  from  his  eyes. 

"  Proceed,  sir,  with  your  game,"  said  I ;  "  the  table  waits. 
I'll  take  your  bet ;  done's  the  word.  A  hundred  guineas  upon 
it." 

The  captain  strode  to  the  table,  took  up  his  cue,  and  was 
about  to  strike  his  ball ;  as  he  did  so,  I  stepped  up  to  the 
table. 

"  Another  foul  stroke,  by  heaven  !"  said  I. 

The  leg  threw  down  his  'cue,  and  turned  like  lightning 
towards  me,  whilst  three  or  four  of  the  company  started  from 
their  seats. 

"  I  believe,  sir,  I  am  winner,"  said  I ;  "  the  bet  was  a  cool 
hundred." 

"  Your  card,  sir !"  roared  the  duellist  j  "  by  heaven,  I'll  teach 
you  a  lesson  for  this !" 

I  handed  him  a  card  immediately. 

"  'Tis  well,"  said  he ;  "  look  to  yourself,  young  man — your 
dfe  is  spanned :  I  am  Captain  Surecard." 

In  saying  this,  he  evidently  thought  that  the  very  sound  of 
his  awfully  celebrated  name  would  strike  me  all  of  a  heap ; 
but,  as  at  that  time  I  had  never  heard  of  him,  it  failed  to  do 
so. 

"Look  you  to  yourself,  Captain  Surecard,"  said  I,  growing 
warm  with  the  debate,  "  and  somewhat  moderate  your  tone,  or 
perchance  I  may  teach  you  a  lesson  here  which  will  cool  your 
vehemence.  Meanwhile,  respect  the  presence  of  the  lady,  sir. 
Continue  your  game,  and  beware  how  you  attempt  foul  play, 
or,  by  heaven,  I'll  unmask  you  the  instant  I  see  you  take  ad- 
vantage." 

The  duellist  was  completely  taken  aback,  his  jaw  dropped 


150  THE  SOLDIEB   OF  FORTUNE. 

as  lie  stared  tlie  astonishment  lie  felt ;  and,  turning  he  re- 
sumed his  cue. 

"  You  shall  hear,  sir,"  said  he,  with  shut  teeth,  "soon  as  I 
have  finished  my  match.  Meanwhile,  do  not  leave  the  room." 

The  game  proceeded,  and,  to  the  delight  of  the  lively  mar- 
chioness,  such  was  the  nervous  agitation  consequent  upon  the 
rage  and  discomfort  of  her  opponent,  that  (as  he  gave  large 
odds),  owing  to  his  missing  almost  every  hazard,  the  tables 
were  completely  turned,  and  she  won  every  game. 

"You'll  be  at  the  ball,"  said  she,  as  she  quitted  the  room 
with  her  husband.  "Come  quickly^  I'm  uneasy  at  this  busi- 
ness. Leave  the  room  with  us  now." 

"  I'll  follow  your  ladyship,"  said  I,  when  without  the  room, 
"in  a  few  minutes." 

"Lord  Hichborough,"  continued  the  marchioness,  address- 
ing her  husband,  "remain  with  Mr.  Mount.  The  chances 
are,  that  being  strange  here,  he  may  need  a  friend.  I'm  sorry, 
for  my  Bake,  you  have  involved  yourself  in  this  broil,  Mr. 
Blount ;  but  his  lordship  must  see  you  through  it.  Appoint 
him  your  friend." 

The  good-natured  nobleman,  who,  it  appeared,  was  in  tlie 
habit  of  being  ruled  by  his  more  <  clever  spouse,  instantly  re- 
linquished the  arm  of  the  marchioness,  and,  taldng  mine,  we 
turned  to  re-enter  the  billiard- room.  As  I  did  so,  I  was  con- 
fronted by  Major  O'Doherty,  who  instantly  accosted  me. 

"  I  am  commissioned,  sir,"  said  he,  "by  my  friend,  Captain 
Surecard,  to  desire  you  will  give  him  an  instant  meeting  ;  since 
nothing  but  your  blood  can  wash  out  the  public  insult  you 
have  offered  him.  Name  your  friend.'^ 

"  I'll  speak  to  the  valiant  captain  himself,"  said  I,  moving 
towards  him. 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  the  major,  roughly  seizing  me  by 
the  arm,  "  that's  irregular-  •  I  cannot  allow  you  to  do  so." 

"  Remove  your  hand,  sir,"  said  I,  "instantly  from  my  arm, 
or  I'll  knock  you  down."^ 

"  D — n  !"  said  the  major,  "do  you  address  this  language  to 
me  ?  You  shall  answer  this,  sir."^ 

"  When  I  have  satisfied  your  friend,"  said  I,  "I'll  attend  to 
you,  Major  O'Doherty ;"  saying  which,  followed  by  the  mar- 
quis, I  re-entered  the  billiard-room. 

It  was  now  in  some  little  confusion,  and  the  company  in 
high  debate.  Captain  Surecard  had  many  gambling  partisans 
present;  but  the  majority  of  the  company  were  sporting  gen- 
tlemen, who,  formed  into  little  knots,  discussed  the  recent 
transaction.  The  captain  and  his  friends  were  meantime  loud 
in  debate ;  and,  walking  to  the  end  of  the  room  where  they 
were.  I  confronted  my  man. 

"You  have  sent  a  friend  to  me,  sir,"  said  I,  "have  you 
otP" 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  151 

"I  hare,  sir,"  roared  the  duellist;  "I  demand  an  instant 
meeting." 

"  Doubtless  ;  the  sooner  we  meet  the  better :  that  we  may  do 
so  speedily,  as  I  believe  I  am  winner  of  a  hundred  pounds,  I 
demand  its  instant  payment." 

"  I  shall  not  do  so,"  returned  the  leg.  "Give  me  satisfaction 
for  the  affront  you  have  offered.  Here  is  my  friend ;  appoint 
one  on  your  side  instantly,  before  worse  befal  you." 

"Not  till  you  pay  me  the  money  won,"  I  replied,  coolly. 

"  To  the  devil  with  your  winnings  !"  said  the  captain,  work- 
ing himself  into  a  rage ;  "  it  was  no  bet.  Meet  me,  sir,  or,  by 
heavens,  I  post  your  name  in  this  very  billiard-room,  and  all 
over  Harrowgate,  as  a  poltroon.  Marker,  pen,  ink,  and  paper; 
by  heaven,  I'll  stick  you  up  here  this  instant,  unless  you  ac- 
cept my  challenge." 

"And  I,  sir,"  said  I,  "in  return  for  your  intended  favour, 
beg  to  inform  you,  that  if  you  put  pen  to  paper  to  do  so,  I  will 
beat  you  into  a  jelly  with  this  billiard  cue  I  hold  in  my  hand. 
Your  blackguardism  will  not  serve  with  me,  Captain  Sure- 
card,  nor  shall  you  leave  this  spot,  until  you  have  acknow- 
ledged or  paid  the  debt  of  honour  you  have  incurred.  After 
which,  I  will  render  you  satisfaction  across  this  billiard-table, 
if  it  be  your  wish.  Suffice  it,  sir,  I  remember  you  now.  A 
certain  Captain  Catchflat  was  once  your  companion,  if  I  mis- 
take not.  Think  not,  sir,"  I  continued,  "that  I  mean  to 
evade  a  meeting  ;  for,  as  soon  as  you  have  settled  this  debt,  I 
will  appoint  Lord  Eichborough  my  friend." 

The  duellist  was  struck.  His  overbearing  style  left  him,  and 
he  turned  to  consult  his  friends.  Meanwhile,  I  placed  myself 
near  the  door,  in  order  to  intercept  his  retreat ;  for  I  determined 
to  make  an  example  of  this  fellow,  who,  I  firmly  believed,  was 
as  great  a  villain  as  his  sometime  companion,  my  London 
friend.  Several  of  the  gentlemen  present  now  gathered  around 
me,  and  upheld  the  course  I  was  pursuing. 

The  marquis,  meanwhile,  who  had  quietly  watched  the  pro- 
ceeding in.  his  easy,  good-tempered  way,  which  formed  a 
striking  contrast  to  my  excited  style,  addressed  me,  taking  my 
arm,  and  leading  me  aside  as  he  did  so. 

"You  have  overturned  my  plans  entirely,  young  man,"  he 


his  playing  „ 

chioness  of  Eichborough  has  suddenly  contracted  a  violent 
passion  for  play,  which  will,  unless  nipped  in  the  bud,  ruin  her 
health  and  happiness.  It  has  been  my  system,  whilst  here  at 
Harrowgate,  to  allow  of  her  being  plucked  and  pigeoned  by 
these  watering-place  sharpers  in  every  possible  way,  in  order 
to  show  her  the  folly  of  the  thing.  Voila  !  it  is  now  finished 
for  the  present.  This  business  interrupts  it,  and  we  must 
arrange  that  at  once.  It  is  unfortunate  as  it  stands,  because 


152  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

as  an  affair  must  now  take  place,  I  ought  naturally  to  stand  as 
principal,  instead  of  second." 

"  My  lord,"  said  I,  "  I  beg  ten  thousand  pardons  for  my  in- 
temperate zeal.  I  certainly  am,  without  exception,  the  most 
unlucky  dog  in  the  universal  world." 

"  Say  no  more,"  said  his  lordship,  laughing.  "  The  course 
you  have  pursued  with  this  man  is  the  right  one.  He  must 
pay  you  first,  that's  concluded." 

Major  O'Doherty  now  approached ;  upon  which,  I  instantly 
introduced  the  marquis  as  my  friend. 

"  Does  Cornet  Blount  still  demand  payment  of  the  bet  ne 
asserts  he  has  won,  before  he  consents  to  meet  Captain  Sure- 
card  ?"  said  the  major. 

"Decidedly,  major,"  said  the  marquis.  "He  demands 
instant  payment  of  the  hundred  pounds  he  has  won;  after 
which,  I  am  ready  on  his  part,  to  arrange  a  meeting." 

"That,  then,  is  the  sum,"  said  the  major,  placing  in  my 
hand  bank-notes  to  the  amount.  "  See,  sir,  that  they  are 
right." 

I  took  the  notes,  and,  after  counting,  returned  them  to  the 
hands  of  Major  O'Doherty. 

"It  is  sufficient,"  said  I.  "Give  back  the  money  to  your 
principal,  with  this  further  message,  that,  although  I  know 
him  to  be  a  practised  gamester,  and  an  abominable  cheater, 
for  my  own  satisfaction,  not  his,  mind  you,  after  what  has 
passed,  I  choose  to  grant  him  the  meeting.  The  Marquis  of 
Bichborough  will  arrange  matters  with  you." 

So  saying,  I  turned  upon  my  heel,  and  left  the  billiard- 
room. 

When  I  entered  the  hall  of  the  hotel,  I  found  a  servant, 
apparently  waiting  me,  who  delivered  a  note  from  the  mar- 
chioness, desiring  me  to  favour  her  with  a  visit  in  her  sitting- 
room. 

I  found  her  ready  dressed  for  the  ball,  playing  with  her 
only  child  before  she  dismissed  it  to  its  bed.  Anything  more 
lovely  than  the  mother  and  child  you  might  search  sea  and 
land  without  being  able  to  discover.  The  child  was  about  four 
years  old,  and  beautiful  as  Cupid ;  whilst  the  mother  might 
have  formed  a  study,  in  her  voluptuous  beauty,  for  the  Queen 
of  Love  herself. 

She  rose  to  receive  me  as  soon  as  I  entered. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  come,"  said  she ;  "  for  I  have  been  very  un- 
easy. My  somewhat  indelicate  match  with  yonder  gambler 
has  led  ^ou.  into  a  serious  scrape,  I  fear.  Tell  me,  is  it  all 
amicably  arranged.  I  know  Richborough  so  well,  and  his  tact 
and  management,  that  I  am  sure  he  has  settled  everything 
without  disagreeables  of  any  sort." 

Of  course  1  assured  her  that  she  was  right. 
"It  will  be  a  lesson  to  me,"  said  she:  "and  in  order  that  I 
may  not  suffer  in  your  good  opinion,  you  shall  know  the  folly 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  15$ 

which  made  me  commit  the  further  indiscretion  of  playing  a 
public  match  in  the  billiard-room  of  the  Dragon.  My  throne 
here  is  troubled,  like  all  other  thrones,  by  an  adverse  faction. 
Lady  Macdonald  heads  this  cabal;  and  being  surrounded  by  a 
clique  of  sanctified  tabbies,  and  parvenu  beaux,  they  carp  at  all 
my  doings,  rail  at  my  followers,  and  hold  up  their  hands  in 
horror  at  all  the  amusements  by  which  I  seek  to  keep  my 
subjects  from  ennui,  and  ease  the  anguish  of  the  torturing 
hours  of  a  watering-place.  The  fact  of  my  having  once  or 
twice  lost  a  few  paltry  hundreds  at  whist,  has  been  so  ani- 
madverted upon,  that,  in  order  to  show  my  contempt  for  their 
narrow  ideas,  I  resolved  to  play  a  match  at  billiards  for  a  couple 
of  hundred  pounds,  and  thus  '  out-Herod  Herod'  in  reckless- 
ness of  their  contempt." 

The  marquis  now  entering  the  room,  I  arose  to  accompany 
him,  in  order  to  hear  the  result  of  his  arrangement  of  time  and 
place. 

"  There  is  no  occasion  for  us  to  quit  the  apartment,"  said  he, 
answering  my  look  and  motion.  "  Luckily  for  you  there  is  to 
be  no  fight.  The  company  attendant,  at  the  instigation  of  that 
eccentric  Joe  Armstrong,  have  voted  that  your  antagonist 
should  be  expelled  this  hotel,  together  with  his  associates.  The 
publicity  your  affair  has  given  them,  has  completely  blown 
them.  It  is  therefore  settled  that  they  leave  the  Dragon  forth- 
with, or  they  will  be  kicked  out ;  and  a  committee  have  settled 
that  you  are  not  to  meet  Captain  Surecard.  If  you  do,  you 
will  yourself  be  expelled.  As  your  friend  I  have  settled, 
therefore,  everything  on  your  part  honourably  and  properly. 

Greatly  relieved,  I  poured  forth  my  thanks  to  the  marquis, 
who  retired  to  prepare  for  the  ball-room,  committing  the 
marchioness  to  my  escort,  and  taking  his  boy  in  his  arms. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"  The  beginning,  the  middle,  the  end  of  love,  is  nothing  but  sorrow,  vex- 
ation and  misery." 

ANON. 

"  Still  flows  the  tide  of  my  unhappiness, 
The  stars  shoot  mischief." 

Ou>  PI-AY. 

AN  affair  of  this  sort  naturally  cemented  my  intimacy  with 
the  Marchioness  of  Eichborough,  whose  lovely  manners,  inno- 
cence and  beauty  ,made  her  a  dangerous  companion  to  a  young 
man  ot  my  disposition.  Although  I  could  have  sworn,  by 
Cupid's  strongest  bow,  "  by  his  best  arrow  with  the  golden 
head,"  that  no  face  or  form  could  ever  have  driven  the  impres- 


154  THE  SOXDIEB  OF   FORTUNE. 

sk>n  of  Miss  Villeroy  from  my  heart,  I  fear  the  lovely  Mar- 
chioness was  for  the  time  all  powerful,  and  that  I  thought  not, 
whilst  in  her  society,  of  my  former  vows. 

"  O  heaven  !  were  man  but  constant,  he  were  perfect, 
That  one  error  fills  him  with  faults." 

Suffice  it,  that  no  party  of  pleasure  was  formed,  no  amusement 
projected,  in  which  I  was  not  her  companion  and  aid-de-camp. 
To  be  thus,  and  not  to  love,  was  not  to  be  mortal.  Yet,  al- 
though this  heavenly  paragon  hung  upon  my  arm  during  our 
walks  in  the  day,  danced  with  me  at  night,  and  selected  me 
as  her  partner  in  every  amusement  she  was  engaged  in, 
whatever  of  love  was  in  our  hearts,  there  was  no  word  of  it 
crossed  our  lips. 

"  I  loved  and  was  "beloved  again," 

that  was  apparent  to  me  from  a  thousand  signs  and  tokens, 
which  lovers  ae  surely  discover,  as  that  they  live  and  move. 

As  is  generally  the  case  in  such  cases,  all  the  \vorld  saw  it 
but  him  who  was  most  interested;  and  the  good-natured  and 
amiable  marquis,  finding  his  lovely  wife  sp  well  amused  and  so 
happy,  set  off  to  see  his  horse  start  for  the  St.  Leger,  and  lose 
his  money  at  Doncaster. 

It  was  on  the  third  day  after  his  departure,  that  Lady 
Richborough  and  myself,  watching  the  splendour  of  the  set- 
ting sun,  were  seated  upon  the  turf,  amidst  the  trees  and 
shrubs  in  the  gardens  of  Plumpton.  Those  who  have  ever 
visited  Harrow  gate  will  remember  this  lovely  spot ;  the  gardens 
of  Plumpton  being  one  of  the  places  always  shown  to  the  visitors. 

The  marchioness  had  headed  a  pic-nic  party  there  that  day, 
some  few  individuals  of  which  had  left,  and  others  were  saun- 
tering and  amusing  themselves  in  different  parts  of  the  grounds, 
just  before  they  returned  homewards.  The  marchioness  and 
myself  were  seated  upon  a  verdant  bank  which  overlooked  the 
lake;  a  romantic  legend  was  attached  to  the  place,  which  was 
called  the  lover's  leap.  Something  of  the  story  I  remembered, 
and  pointed  out  to  my  companion  how,  in  bygone  days,  a 
youthful  hunter,  in  leaping  upon  a  jutting  fragment  of  rock, 
which  was  detached  from  the  promontory  we  sat  on,  and  at  the 
same  time  held  his  blood-hounds  in  the  leash,  (the  dogs  having 
refused  the  leap,)  dragged  him  backwards  in  the  attempt,  and 
before  the  eyes  of  his  beloved  he  was  dashed  against  the  rocks, 
and  drowned  in  the  lake. 

The  romance  of  the  story  and  the  beauty  of  the  scene  de- 
lighted us.  The  only  child  of  my  fair  hearer  was  with  us : 
indeed,  in  all  her  excursions  that  beautiful  boy  was  her  com- 
panion. It  seemed,  indeed,  that  she  lost  enjoyment  of  the 
hour  if  he  was  from  her  sight.  The  proud  feeling,  however,  of 
having  been  thus  elected  by  this  highly  gifted  and  beautiful 


THE  SOLDIER  O"P  FORTUNE.  155 

woman  as  her  intimate,  and  allowed  to  be  to  her  as  a  brother, 
was  almost  too  much  for  any  man  to  bear,  and  "keep  the  dis- 
position that  he  owed."  As  I  kissed  the  bright  and  laughing 
boy  who  played  in  my  arms,  I  kissed  him  for  his  mother's 
sake. 

The  little  varlet  now  screaming  and  laughing  like  a  sprite, 
and  clambering  up  my  back  in  his  playful  mood,  made  the 
groves  around  echo  with  his  joyous  laugh  and  shriek  of  perfect 
delight.  One  moment  he  pelted  us  with  the  sweet  summer 
buds  he  plucked  from  the  bank  on  which  we  were  seated,  and 
the  next  he  started  off  and  hid  himself  from  sight  in  the  covert 
of  some  clump  of  evergreens  close  at  hand.  For  awhile,  the 
doating  mother  watched  him  with  her  beaming  eyes,  echoed 
his  laugh  with  her  own  musical  voice,  and  encouraged  his  en- 
gaging mirth,  rising  every  now  and  then  to  chase  him  into 
some  bosky  retreat;  at  length,  wearied  with  the  sport,  she 
bade  him  amuse  himself  whilst  she  rested,  desiring  the  at- 
tendant nursemaid  to  seek  for  and  summon  her  carriage. 
"Hence,"  said  she,  playfully,  to  the  beautiful  boy,  "hence  to 
kill  cankers  in  the  musk  rose  bud,  or  *  war  with  rear  mice  for 
their  leathern  wings.'  Go  kill  me  a  red-hipped  humble-bee  on 
the  top  of  a  thistle." 

Seating  herself,  she  leaned  her  cheek  upon  her  hand,  as  her 
eye  wandered  over  the  bright  waters  of  the  lake,  and  watched 
the  splendour  of  the  setting  sun,  with  the  pine  woods  on  its 
margin,  empurpled,  shadowy,  and  massive-loooking,  as  the 
glorious  orb  sank  to  rest. 

"  O  that  I  were  a  glove  upon  that  hand,"  methought,  as  I 
gazed  upon  her  half-averted  and  chiselled  features,  "  that  I 
might  touch  that  cheek." 

1  know  not  whether  I  had  given  any  part  of  my  thoughts 
tongue,  or  whether  the  marchioness  guessed  my  admiration 
from  my  silence,  but  she  suddenly  turned  her  head,  and  our 
eyes  met.  The  expression  of  mine  betrayed  me  as  clearly  as 
if  I  had  written  a  volume;  and  her  pure  and  eloquent  blood 
spoke  in  her  cheeks.  The  embroidered  glove  I  so  much  ad- 
mired, was  in  my  hand:  unconsciously  I  had  retained  it,  whilst 
the  sportful  boy  had  fought  me  with  it  in  his  joyous  mirth. 
She  put  out  her  hand  for  it,  smiling  in  the  innqcence^of  her 
heart,  only  as  such  a  radiant  creature  could  smile.  "  Sweet 
ornament,  that  decks  a  thing  divine,"  said  I,  as  I  resigned  it. 
In  doing  so,  our  hands  met,  and  seizing  upon  the  snowy  offer- 
ing I  earned  it  to  my  lips.  I  could  hardly  think  on  what  I 
had  done,  I  feared  the  marchioness  would  be  offended  at  my 
boldness ;  look  on  her  again  I  dared  not. 

The  next  moment,  uttering  a  piercing  cry,  with  eyes  like  a 
maniac's  starting  from  their  sockets,  she  leaped  up  from  the 
bank  she  had  been  seated  upon,  and  stood  on  tiptoe,  the  per- 
sonification of  some  nymph  suddenly  gone  distracted. 
Hark!  was  that  the  dipping  of  the  teal-duck  in  the  bright 


156  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

waters  of  the  lake,  or  was  it  the  splash  of  the  otter  beneath 
the  rock.  A  sort  of  wailing  cry  disturbed  the  silence  of  the 
grove  as  I  gazed  upon  the  lady  in  awe,  astonishment,  and  fear. 
The  truth  flashed  upon  my  mind  in  an  instant.  It  was  her 
beautiful,  her  own  little  Lord  Eskdale,  had  fallen  into  the 
lake.  With  the  speed  of  thought  I  leapt  to  my  feet,  cleared 
the  intervening  space  between  where  I  had  been  seated,  and 
bounding  from  the  promontory,  stood  upon  the  isolated  frag- 
ment of  rock  which  rose  from  the  sedgy  lake,  and  looked 
around. 

The  situation  commanded  the  base  of  the  rocks  for  some  dis- 
tance, and  beyond  a  jutting  promontory  near  at  hand,  I  beheld 
a  dissolving  circle,  scarcely  defined,  in  the  water,  some  fifty 
yards  from  the  spot  on  which  I  stood.  Marking  well  the  spot, 
I  once  more  adventured  the  hunter's  leap,  and,  untrammelled 
by  his  dogs,  regained  the  promontory.  The  marchioness  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  I  thought  not  of  her,  but  dashing  through 
the  bushes  in  my  descent,  like  one  possessed  with  a  demon,  I 
made  for  the  margin  of  the  lake,  and  plunged  headlong  in  ; 
had  it  been  a  sea  of  flaming  brimstone,  I  should  have  done  the 
same. 

So  well  had  I  marked  the  spot,  that  the  child's  hat  was  the 
first  thing  I  beheld  floating  before  me,  as  I  rose  to  the  surface, 
and  instantly  diving,  I  saw,  seized,  and  brought  him  up.  To 
gain  the  bank  with  my  prize,  was  then  but  the  work  of  a  few 
minutes,  and  to  my  joy,  I  saw  that  the  boy  was  still  alive. 
His  clothes  had  spread  wide,  and  mermaid-like  awhile  they 
bore  him  up.  He  had  but  just  sunk,  when  I  dived  and  re- 
claimed him.  My  delight  at  having  saved  the  beautiful  son  of 
the  marchioness,  the  next  moment  gave  place  to  fear.  Where 
was  the  marchioness  herself?  I  had  observed  her  dart  down 
the  vista  she  had  last  seen  her  child  playing  in  before  she  had 
forgotten  him  in  contemplation  of  the  glorious  sunset.  The 
path  she  had  taken  led  to  a  part  of  the  rock  which  beetled 
over  the  lake. 

Surmising  the  dreadful  truth,  I  shouted  for  assistance,  and 
resigning  the  young  lord  to  the  nursery-maid,  who  at  that 
moment  flew  to  the  spot,  I  threw  off  my  coat,  and  once  more 
took  to  the  stream.  It  was,  however,  in  vain  that  I  dived  and 
swam  around  the  spot  like  some  Newfoundland  dog  in  search 
of  a  stone ; — the  depths  of  the  lake  retained  their  prey  :  and 
oh,  vulgar  death  for  one  so  lovely!  the  marchioness,  like 
Ophelia,  was  drowned. 

It  was  the  morning  after  this  untoward  event,  that  I  waa 
seated  in  the  private  sitting-room  of  my  sometime  beautifu. 
friend,  at  the  Dragon,  at  Harrow-gate.  The  marquis  was  witi 
me.  He  had  been  summoned  from  Doncaster  by  express. 
His  little  boy  was  in  his  arms,  and  to  his  repeated  demand  for 
his  dear  mamma,  the  marquis  had  but  one  answer — his  flowing 
tears.  It  was  the  first  ten  minutes  of  our  meeting  since  his 


THE  SOLDlfcfc  6*  tfOfcTtttffi.  157 


arrival  and  the  catastrophe.  He  had  sent  to  me  on  the  insianfc 
of  his  coming  ;  and,  like  a  culprit  who  had  done  a  murder,  I 
attended  his  summons.  Four  reeking  posters  stood  at  the  inn- 
door,  with  his  travelling-  carriage,  their  distended  nostrils  and 
steaming  flanks,  telling  the  rate  at  which  he  had  travelled. 

"  This  has  been  a  dreadful  business,  sir,"  said  he,  as  he  arose 
and  paced  the  room  ;  "  a  dreadful  and  melancholy  termination 
to  our  visit  here.  Nor  can  I  altogether  understand  it,  although 
you  have  told  the  tale  over  to  me  six  several  times.  Oh,  un- 
happy chance  that  took  me  to  that  cursed  race  !  Yon  saved 
my  boy,  and  I  thank  you.  But  oh,  sir,  how  have  I  deserved 
that  this  affliction  should  light  so  heavily  upon  me?  How 
could  these  things  occur  ?" 

The  marquis  here  became  so  much  moved  that  he  sank  in 
the  chair  beside  him,  and  I  arose  and  took  the  child  from  his 
arms.  After  a  while,  he  subdued  his  emotion,  and  again  ad- 
dressing me,  in  an  irritable  tone,  "  How,"  said  he,  "  is  it  pos- 
sible that  such  an  accident  could  have  occurred  when  you  say 
three  persons  were  with  the  child.  Where  was  the  maid  at 
that  moment  ?" 

I  told  him  :  "  Sent  to  summon  the  carriage." 

"  The  rest  of  this  cursed  pic-nic  party,"  he  continued,  "  were 
away,  you  say;  had  left  the  gardens.  Humph  !—  strange,  to 
say  the  least  of  it  ;  and  the  marchioness  and  yourself—  gazing 
at  the  sun  setting  upon  the  lake  ;  and  the  child  was—  I  need 
not  ask  —  in  the  lake  !  Summon  that  nurse,"  said  he,  rising, 
and  ringing  the  bell  violently. 

The  menial  appeared,  like  Niobe,  all  tears.  At  sight  of  her 
master  she  managed  to  burst  into  a  roar,  like  a  wild  Indian  — 
the  usual  practice  with  persons  of  this  sort. 

"  Silence  !  woman,"  said  the  marquis,  sternly.  "  I  know  the 
value  of  your  grief  of  old,  well  as  I  now  know  the  value  of 
your  services.  Your  tears  are  now  no  longer  worth  shedding 
—  you  are  no  longer  servant  of  mine.  I  sent  for  you  to  hear 
your  version  of  this  affair,  not  to  hear  your  screams." 

"My  lord,"  said  I,  "this  is  unkindly  said.  I  have  uttered 
the  plain  unvarnished  truth  in  this  business  ;  and,  could  my 
life  have  repaired  it,  I  had  died  to  save  -  " 

"  Grief,  like  impatience,  sir,"  said  the  marquis,  interrupting 
me,  "  hath  its  privilege.  What  made  you,  mistress,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  the  nurse,  "leave  your  charge,  whilst  this 
gentleman  entertained  my  wife  ?" 

"  My  lady's  order,  sir,  to  seek  the  carriage,"  returned  the 
sobbing  nurse.  "Oh,  lor!  oh,  lor!  kill  me,  sir,  if  you  will, 
but  don't  say  another  angry  word  to  me.  Don't  blame  me  for 
it,  or  I  shall  die  raving  mad.  Oh,  dear!" 

"  Your  mistress  had  the  child  with  her,  then  ?  You  left  it 
in  her  charge  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  servant.  "  She  bade  Lord  Eskdale  go 
and  catch  mice  and  humble  bees  amongst  the  thistles;  those 


158  THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOETUN1. 

were  her  very  words.  Oh,  my  God  !  I  shall  never  forget  them, 
if  I  live  to  be  a  thousand  years  old.  As  I  returned  from  the 
gate,  alarmed  by  this  gentleman's  cries,  I  ran  to  the  spot,  and 
found  them  all  three  in  the  water  together.  What  happened 
after  that,  God  only  knows,  for  I  swooned  clean  away.  When 
the  men-servants  hastened  to  my  assistance,  they  dragged  this 
gentleman  out  of  the  lake,  almost  drowned." 

"Enough,  enough!"  said  the  marquis;  "say  no  more. 
Fresh  horses,  for  Plumpton.  JSTeedham,"  said  he  to  his  at- 
tendant; "  remain,  and  settle  all  accounts  here,  and  follow  me 
Jo-night,  to  Ferrybridge.  Farewell,  Mr.  Blount,"  said  he, 
turning  to  me.  "Once more,  I  thank  you  for  your  exertions 
in  favour  of  this  poor  child.  Pardon  me,  however,  for  express- 
ing the  wish  that  we  had  never  met,  and  the  still  further  hope 
that  we  may  never  meet  again.  That  my  conduct  may  not 
appear  tinged  with  eccentricity  in  saying  this,  I  can  but  in 
justice  to  yourself  put  these  letters  in  your  hand.  Being 
anonymous,  I  should  not  have  noticed  them,  but  for  this  catas- 
trophe, which,  to  say  truth,  gives  some  slight  colour  to  their 
contents.  I  have,  however,  myself  more  to  blame  than  any 
other  person.  Farewell!" 

So  saying,  the  marquis  left  the  room  with  his  child ;  and  pro- 
ceeding  to  Plumpton,  spent  the  day  in  superintending  the  pro- 
cess of  dragging  the  lake  for  the  body  of  his  wife.  His 
exertions,  however,  were  not  destined  to  be  crowned  with  suc- 
cess ;  and,  broken-hearted  and  disconsolate,  he  returned  to  his 
estate  in  the  north,  from  whence  he  never  again  emerged, 
either  to  partake  of  the  pleasures  of  a  season  at  Harrowgate, 
or  to  enter  into  any  other  diversion  whatever. 

The  anonymous  letters  he  had  received,  were  pointing  at 
myself  as  entertaining  dishonourable  designs  upon  the  mar- 
chioness ;  and  desiring  him,  if  he  valued  his  honour,  to  return 
at  once  from  Doncaster.  They  were  signed  merely  with  the 
feigned  name  of  BACON. 

Such,  gentle  reader,  were  the  results  of  my  first  visit  to  the 
celebrated  Dragon  at  Harrowgate.  I  cannot  say  altogether, 
however,  the  result,  since  I  have  to  record  other  matters  ap- 
pertaining, which  in  their  relation  will  show  the  degrees  that 
helped  the  consummation  of  my  fall  in  life. 

It  may  easily  be  surmised  that  the  little  episode  I  have  just 
narrated  would  give  me  a  distaste  for  the  amusements  of  this 
watering-place.  It  did  so  :  and,  indeed,  threw  a  gloom  over 
the  assembled  company  at  the  Dragon  to  so  great  a  degree, 
that  three  parts  of  them  shortened  their  visit,  packed  up  their 
travelling  apparatus,  and  departed.  I  should  have  left  the 
place  myself,  had  it  been  in  my  power  to  do  so  :  but  it  will  be 
remembered  that  I  was  detached  there  on  duty,  and  conse- 
quently had  no  choice.  However,  as  I  could  not  cut  the 
place,  I  determined  to  remove  my  billet,  and  accordingly  be- 
took me  to  the  inn.  at  Lower  Harrowgate,  mostly  inhabited 


THE  SOIDIEB  OP  FOETTJNE.  159 

and  resorted  to  by  invalids  who  came  there  for  the  benefit  of 
the  waters. 

High  play,  I  have  said,  was  constantly  carried  on  at  the 
Dragon,  and  during  several  visits  there,  I  frequently  spent 
whole  days  in  watching  the  whist-players.  Captain  Catchflat, 
during  our  brief  intercourse,  had  somewhat  inoculated  me 
with  a  love  of  gambling,  which  however,  but  for  the  accident 
at  Plumpton,  and  its  consequently  rendering  me  unfitted  for  a 
time  for  out-door  amusements,  might  never  have  ripened  to 
maturity.  Now,  however,  after  watching  the  game,  I  insen- 
gibly  found  myself  ofttimes  compelled  to  cut  in ;  and  the  vice 
once  indulged  hi,  again  became  a  passion.  Morning  after  morn- 
ing, therefore,  found  me  treading  those  delightful  fields  which 
lead  from  Low  Harrowgate  to  the  pleasant  garden-entrance  in, 
rear  of  the  Dragon,  and  night  after  night  found  me  absorbed 
in  the  card-room,  playing  for  stakes  that  would  have  been 
ruinous  to  a  peer  of  the  realm,  if  long  unsuccessful. 

My  career  among  the  gamblers  at  Harrowgate  was  short.. 
The  constant  ill-luck  which  had  so  followed  and  made  calamity 
of  my  life  pursued  me  at  the  tables,  with  great  malignancy  j 
play  at  what  I  would,  good  cards  fled  my  hands,  and  bank- 
notes my  pockets.  If,  in  cutting  for  partners,  I  gained  Lady 
Merrimoth,  the  bank-notes  disappeared  from  her  lap,  and  the 
accustomed  trumps  and  honours  from  her  hand. — If,  on.  the 
contrary,  she  was  my  opponent,  the  one  was  as  sure  to  gladden 
her  eyes,  as  the  others  were  to  accumulate  to  their  usual 
height — her  nose.  What  Cassio  says  of  drink  might  almost  be 
applied  to  gambling.  "  O  thou  invisible  spirit  of  play,  if  thou 
hast  no  name  to  be  known  by,  let  us  call  thee — devil." 

At  first  I  did  but  seek  the  tables  because  the  sounds  of 
mirth  and  revelry  were  uncongenial  to  my  state  of  mind.  In 
fact,  I  had  lost  all  my  mirth,  foregone  all  custom  of  exercise, 
and  sought  a  temporary  oblivion  from  thought  in  endeavouring 
to  interest  myself  by  observing  others  engaged  at  high  play. 
The  very  countenances  of  those  I  beheld  absorbed  in  this  all- 
powerful  fascination,  instead  of  appalling,  at  first  amused  me ; 
till  gradually  drawn  into  the  whirlpool,  I  was  sucked  in 
amongst  the  victims.  My  career,  however,  was  short,  as  I 
said,  and  I  arose  one  morning,  after  a  day  and  night  of  hard 
play,  not  only  completely  cleared  out,  but  loser  of  a  large  sum 
over  and  above  what  I  could  pay. 

/'Count  Savinski/'I  said,  to  the  Pole  I  had  been  playing 
with,  "  I  find  myself  now  debtor  to  the  tune  of " 

"Yetz,  sare,"  said  the  Pole,  "precisely  dat.  But  it  not 
mattare.  Play  on,  pay  to-morrow.  Come,  let's  have  fretch 
cards.  Sit  down,  monsieur,  your  turn  now.  Suppose  you  win 
a  leetle  dis  next  bout, — your  game  is  to  come  now,  Ecarte^ 
s'il  vous  plait." 

"Not  so,  count,"  said  I,  "'tis  of  no  avail,  I  have  tried  that 


166  THE  SOLDIER  OF 

game  too  long.  There  is  my  I  O  IT  for  the  sum.  I  have  ii; 
not  about  me,  and  must  write  for  it." 

So  saying,  I  arose  and  drew  up  the  blinds. 

"  By  Gor,  it  is  to-morrow,"  said  the  count.  "  If  you  no  play 
more,  I  go  to  bed,  that's  all." 

As  there  was  no  other  flat  to  take  a  hand  with  the  Pole,  he 
retired  to  his  apartment ;  whilst  I,  seizing  pen,  ink,  and  paper, 
commenced  a  letter  to  my  father  for  a  remittance  to  save  my 
honour. 

Before  I  had  written  three  lines,  however,  deep  shame 
stayed  my  pen.  /'No,"  said  I,  as  I  arose  and  walked  the 
apartment,  "  I  will  not  subject  myself  to  a  refusal. — I  will  not 
confess  my  frailty.  Since  1  have'  thus  made  an  ass  of  myself, 
at  least  I  know  how  to  suffer  for  my  folly.  There  is,  however, 
no  occasion  to  make  a  second  sensation  in  this  hotel,  by  dis- 
turbing '  the  curtained  sleep'  with  the  report  of  the  pistol  I 
make  my  quietus  with — I  can  manage  it  otherwise.  I  must 
bid  adieu  to  the  hussars.  My  dear  and  much  esteemed  com- 
rades I  must  part  from,  and  cut  the  cavalry,  for  the  flat- 
foots." 

So  saying,  I  resumed  my  pen,  and  addressing  a  letter  to  an 
army  agent  in  town,  requested  him  to  procure  mean  exchange 
instantly,  into  a  regiment  in  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  of  the 
West  India  Islands,  naming  the  difference  I  required,  and 
which  would  repay  Savinski  his  infernal  winnings  in  one  last 
sederunt. 

Exchanges  at  that  time  of  day  were  easily  effected.  The 
army  agent  had  but  to  turn  over  a  few  pages  of  his  book, 
select  the  man  suitable,  write  a  letter  or  two,  and  the  thing 
was  done. 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

"  Ere  the  bat  hath  flown 

His  cloistered  flight ;  ere,  to  black  Hecate's  summons, 
The  shard-borne  beetle,  with  his  drowsy  hums, 
Hath  rung  night's  yawning  peal,  there  shall  be  done 
A  deed  of  dreadful  note." 

SHAKSPERE. 

WHILST  this  business  was  transacting,  as  it  necessarily  was 
known  to  my  colonel,  I  received  several  letters  of  remonstrance 
at  my  intent  to  leave  him,  and  also  others  equally  gratif3'ing 
from  all  my  brother  officers.  Nay,  Colonel  Gauntlet,  mount- 
ing his  charger,  galloped  over  from  York  to  try  and  shake  my 
purpose,  and  I  beheld  him,  to  my  surprise,  dismounting  at  the 
inn  door,  as  I  was  dressing  for  the  table-d'hote. 

"  My  dear  Blount,  what  is  all  this?"  said  the  fine  old  soldier, 
grasping  my  hand.  "  What  in  the  devil's  name  induces  you 


THE  SOLDIEE  OF   FOKTTTNE.  .1-61 

to  leave  us? — You,  the  favourite  of  the  regiment ;  by  heavens, 
you've  been  the  life  of  the  corps  since  you  joined.  We  can- 
not lose  you.  Is  it  that  you  dislike  us,  or  does  some  matter  of 
a  private  nature  thus  induce  you  to  commit  suicide  by  going  to 
St.  XittsP" 

"I'll  be  candid  with  you,  colonel,"  said  I;  "there's  »*o 
choice  left  me.  Heaven 'knows  how  I  love  the  — th,  and  all 
my  brother  officers.  In  losing  yourself,  colonel,  I  lose  one  I 
love,  I  almost  fear,  as  well  as  I  do  my  own  father ;  for  from 
you  I  have  experienced  the  most  generous  and  affectionate 
friendship  since  the  hour  I  knew  you.  To  say  truth,  I  ought 
never  to  have  joined  the  hussars,  as  I  cannot  afford  it.  This, 
therefore,  has  but  anticipated  our  parting.  In  few,  I  have  lost 
money  here  which  I  cannot  pay,  without  assistance  from  my 
father.  Not  being  on  terms  with  my  family,  I  have  taken  the 
only  means  in  my  power  to  extricate  myself  from  the  difficulty." 

"  Not  the  only  means,  my  dear  boy,"  said  the  colonel,  "  for 
had  you  written  this  to  me,  I  dare  say  I  could  have  assisted 
you.  Come,  name  the  sum,  and  if  I  can  do  so,  I'll  let  you 
have  it  by  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Not  for  worlds,  colonel,"  said  I,  "  since  I  could  never 
repay  it  again,  I  fear,  unless  I  disposed  of  my  commission. 
Heaven  bless  you  for  your  offer !  but  cease  to  urge  it." 

"Perish  the  paltry  sum!"  cried  the  generous  old  soldier, 
"  you  never  shall  offer  to  repay  it,  unless  you  mean  to  insult 
me." 

With  tears  in  my  eyes,  I  wrung  his  hand. 

"  Nay,  then,"  said  he,  "if  it  be  so,  we  must  part  with  you. 
But  you  are  wrong,  young  man,  in  being  thus  headstrong. 
Had  I  time  I  would  write  to  your  father  myself  upon  the 
subject,  and  put  you  under  arrest  till  I  got  his  answer.  But 
to-morrow's  post  you  say  will  bring  your  letter  with  an  advance 
from  your  agent." 

"  Tis  even  so,  my  dear  sir,"  said  I,  "  and  now  let  us  order 
dinner  in  a  private  apartment,  since  I  had  rather  enjoy^your 
company,  tete-a-tete,  than  dine  with  you  at  the  table  d'hote." 

We  accordingly  sat  down,  and  took  our  bottle  of  claret 
together.  After  which,  it  being  a  lovely  summer's  evening,  I 
ordered  coffee  early,  and  proposed  a  stroll. 

"  I  must  look  at  your  detachment  to-morrow,"  said  the 
colonel,  "  and,  as  I  suppose  you  will  be  glad  to  get  away  now 
as  sooii  as  possible,  without  waiting  to  see  yourself  gazetted 
out,  I  must  send  for  Devereux  to  relieve  you." 

We  strolled  through  the  village  of  Low  Harrowgate,  and 
bent  our  steps  towards  the  common.  There  had  been  a  horse- 
race that  evening  upon  the  heath,  and  the  evening  sports  were 
just  then  at  high  tide.  Accordingly,  we  stopped  amongst  the 
tekrong  to  observe  the  diversions  going  on. 

"  Look !  look !  for  heaven's  sake !"  he  cried,  "  look  at  those 
t>raw  wenches  streaming  across  the  common  almost  in  a  state 


16°  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

of  nudity;  nothing  on  them,  as  I'm  a  sinner,  but  their 
smocks." 

"  E'es,  zur,"  said  a  bumpkin  in  the  crowd,  "  that  is  a 
smock-race.  Them  wenches  are  entered  to  run  in  their 
smocks,  and  her  as  wins,  wins  a  smock.  You  may  see  it 
there,  yander  a  be  hanging  at  t'  winning-post.  Yoiks !  yoiks ! 
off  she  goes !  Dang  my  rags,  but  Mopsy  is  safe  to  win. 
Huzza !  I'll  bet  a  pint  o'  yale,  to  a  dollop  of  fat  bacon,  Mopsy 
wins  the  shift." 

"  They  must  be^marvellously  out  of  linen,  worse  than 
Falstaff"  s  regiment,"  said  the  colonel,  "  before  they  consent  to 
go  through  such  an  ordeal.  Let's  go,  and  see  the  winner. 
Well  done,  Cutty  Sark,"  he  said,  "  by  heaven,  but  you  ran 
well,  Mopsy,  and  so  did  you,  Betsy,  and  you  too,  Maud,  and 
Marian,  Bridget,  and  Bess.  You  deserve  a  round  dozen 
changes  of  linen.  There's  half-a-guinea  amongst  you.  Egad, 
Blount,  but  she's  a  well-built  filly,  that  Mopsy,  clean  upon 
her  pasterns,  strong  jointed,  and  amazing  good  action." 

"  E'es,  zur,"  said  the  bumpkin,  "  she's  a  brave  wench,  is 
Moll — a  tightish  craft.  Don't  'e  be  chucking  she  under  the 
chin,  zur,  she  and  I  do  keep  company,  we  do." 

"  There,  stand  aside,  for  I  be  going  to  climb  up  this  pole 
here  for  that  leg  of  mutton  o'top.  Whoop,  Robin.  Now  for 
first  go." 

Dire  were  the  efforts  of  the  Yorkists  to  swarm  up  the  pole, 
which  being  well  greased,  as  fast  as  one  fellow  attained  nearly 
within  arm's  length  of  the  mutton,  the  efforts  at  grasping  it 
caused  him  to  slide  down,  and  another  leaping  upon  his 
shoulders,  struggled  up,  to  share  the  same  disappointment. 
Showers  of  sand  and  gravel,  however,  being  at  length  thrown 
at  the  pole  by  the  competitors,  one  lucky  wight  succeeded  at 
length  in  achieving  the  task,  and  the  leg  of  mutton,  which, 
like  the  head  of  some  traitor,  had  graced  the  top  of  the  pole, 
and  grinned  defiance  upon  the  mob,  was  in  a  few  minutes  torn 
to  pieces  and  devoured. 

Then  came  fellows  to  dip  their  heads  in  tubs  of  water  for 
half-crowns,  till  they  were  half  drowned,  and  subsequently 
diving  in  bags  of  flour  to  grope  for  shillings,  till  they  were 
half  choked.  After  that  we  had  the  gratification  of  witnessing 
a  race  after  pigs  with  soaped  tails,  no  catchee  no  havee.  Then, 
came  a  jingling  match,  in  which  some  nineteen  fellows  (being 
blindfolded)  were  started  to  catch  the  twentieth,  whose  eyes 
were  uncovered,  with  a  sheep-bell  tied  between  his  legs,  llie 
rage  and  annoyance  consequent  upon  the  continual  efforts  of 
the  blind  to  catch  the  fellow  with  the  bell,  which  at  last  ended 
in  a  most  amusing  blind  fight,  greatty  amused  the  colonel ;  at 
last,  after  seeing  a  match  of  jumping  in  sacks  for  a  side  of 
oacon,  we  wended  our  way  onwards. 

A  beautiful  belt  of  pines  bounds  this  common  to  the  east- 
ward, and  through  them  there  are  many  pleasant  walks. 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOETTTNE.  163 

Towards  these  plantations  we  took  our  way.  The  evening 
breeze  was  delightful  after  a  somewhat  hot  and  sultry  day, 
and  proceeding  up  one  of  the  shadowy  avenues,  we  beheld 
in  the  distance  a  couple  of  men  advancing  at  a  swift  pace 
towards  us. 

The  hum  of  the  village  revel,  just  distinguishable,  sounded 
cheerily  from  the  distant  common,  and  the  occasional  shouts 
of  laughter,  mingled  with  the  drums  and  trumpets  of  the 
different  booths,  caused  the  colonel  frequently  to  stop  and 
listen,  as  we  sauntered  onwards. 

"  Those  mirthful  sounds,"  said  he,  "  from  yonder  Scotchified 
heath,  remind  me  forcibly  of  Sir  Walter's  inimitable  descrip- 
tion of  the  Wappenshaw,  in  '  Old  Mortality.'  I  thought  so 
once  or  twice  as  I  looked  upon  the  scene ;  though  I  know  not 
what  Lady  Margaret  Bellenden  would  have  thought  of  those 
slightly-clad  wenches  running  a  race  for  such  a  garment  as  the 
one  we  saw  displayed  on  yonder  pole.  'Tis  a  pity  these 
country  sports  are  fast  fading  away,  even  from  our  memories. 
The  age,  my  dear  sir,  is  getting  too  picked.  We  are  refining 
away  all  the  good  old  customs  of  our  forefathers.  But  stay, ' 
said  he,  stopping  short,  "  what  companions  have  we  here? 
Come  forward,  sirs,"  he  called  aloud  to  the  two  men  I  have 
mentioned,  who,  as  he  turned  towards  them  instantly  stopped, 
and  appeared  inclined  to  retrace  their  steps. 

The  colonel  was  a  soldier  of  the  old  school.  In  all  military 
matters  he  was  an  iron  man ;  perhaps  he  erred  in  over-  strict- 
ness. To  those  who  were  good  soldiers,  he  was  as  gentle  as 
zephyrs  blowing  beneath  the  violet.  But  to  the  malingerer  he 
was  a  terrible  scourge. 

The  colonel,  looking  like  some  templar  of  old,  six  feet  two 
in  height,  a  perfect  cavalier  in  figure,  his  bushy  grey  moustache 
covering  his  mouth  like  a  portcullis,  and  his  white  hair  cropped 
close,  halted,  as  his  eagle  eye  fastened  upon  the  two  feflows 
the  moment  he  turned  and  recognised  them,  and  his  shaggy 
eye-brows  beetled,  pent-house  like,  with  an  ominous  frown. 

"  Come  forward,  sirs,"  said  he,  in  a  stern  voice. 

The  men  obeyed.  As  I  looked  at  them,  I  saw  that  one 
was  clad  in  dirty  regimentals,  whilst  the  other  wore  a  smock 
frock,  and  carried  a  bundle  at  the  end  of  a  stout  cudgel. 

They  moved  quickly  up,  and  endeavoured  to  pass.  The 
soldier  saluted,  and  the  countryman  would  have  done  the 
same ;  but  his  comrade  struck  his  arm  down  as  he  made  the 
attempt. 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  the  colonel,  fixing  his  eye  upon  the 
countryman,  and  putting  out  his  hand  ^and  stopping  the 
soldier.  "  Whither  away  so  fast,  my  lads  ?" 

They  were  both  most  ill-looking  and  truculent  fellows, 
dogged  and  resolute  in  bearing,  and  they  seemed  half  inclined 
I  thought  to  rush  past  us. 

"  You're  of  the  105th,  men,"  said  the  colonel,  "  *£u  sta- 


164  THE  SOLDIEE   OF   FOBTUNE. 

tioned  at  L^eds.  What  does  that  fellow  masquerading  here 
in  countryman's  attire?" 

"  I'm  on  a  few  days'  leave,"  said  the  soldier;  "this  man's 
not  in  the  army  at  all." 

"  Tis  false,"  said  the  colonel,  sharply ;  "  you're  deserters 
both :  show  me  your  pass,  sir." 

The  man  looked  like  a  demon ;  his  eye  flashed  fire. 

"  My  pass,"  he  said ;  "  yes,  I  can  soon  show  you  that." 

"  Do  so,"  said  the  colonel,  holding  out  his  hand  to  receive 
it,  as  the  fellow,  putting  his  hand  into  the  breast  of  his  coat, 
suddenly  drew  forth  a  pistol,  and  shot  him  through  the  heart. 

"  There's  my  pass,"  he  said ;  "  b 1  your  interfering  soul." 

Almost  petrified  with  horror,  I  caught  the  colonel  as  he 
staggered  back ;  whilst  the  two  deserters,  leaping  through  the 
pines,  escaped. 

To  give  any  correct  idea  of  what  I  felt  at  this  moment,  is 
totally  out  of  ^my  power.  Encumbered  with  the  dead  weight 
of  the  colonel's  body  in  my  arms,  and  covered  with  his  life's- 
blood,  I  felt  at  the  moment  as  if  about  to  swoon  myself,  and 
it  was  some  minutes  before  I  was  sufficiently  collected  to 
consider  the  best  plan  to  pursue.  In  laying  the  body  of  the 
colonel  upon  the  grass,  I  found  that  he  was  quite  dead ;  and 
as  soon  as  I  ascertained  that  fact,  I  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the 
murderers. 

There  is  no  necessity  to  pursue  this  part  of  the  story ;  I  wil- 
lingly pass  it  over.  Suffice  it,  they  were  taken,  tried,  and  one 
of  them  executed.  Meanwhile,  I  had  followed  the  old  soldier, 
together  with  my  brother  officers,  to  the  grave :  and  over  a 
braver  and  more  worthy  soldier,  the  volleying  musketry  never 
sounded  a  requiem. 

This  event,  and  the  trial  of  the  murderer  and  his  comrade, 
necessarily  detained  me  some  time  at  York ;  and  whilst  yet 
staying  with  my  comrades  of  the  hussars,  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  adjutant-general,  ordering  me  at  the  expiration  of 
my  present  leave  to  join  the  depot  of  the  — th,  at  that  time 
stationed  at  Fort  G-eorge,  in  Inverness-shire.  I  had,  therefore, 
I  reflected,  just  time  to  run  up  to  London,  per  mail,  order  my 
equipments  for  the  infantry,  and  start  for  the  north. 

As,  for  a  long  time,  I  had  heard  nothing  of  my  father 
or  his  welfare,  I  resolved  to  take  the  Grange  in  my  way, 
(being  now  so  near  it,)  in  order  to  see  how  things  were  pro- 
gressing there. 

Some  time  ago,  I  had  heard  that  my  mother-in-law  had 
favoured  me  with  a  little  brother ;  and  that  the  whole  retinue 
had  returned,  and  were  at  home.  That,  however,  was  now 
old  news ;  and  my  indomitable  pride  would  not  allow  of  my 
holding  communication  with  my  father,  Hitherto  I  had  regu- 
larly received  my  allowance,  and  my  time  had  been  spent  so> 
delightfully  with  my  comrades  of  the  hussars,  up  to  the  period 
of  my  unfortunate  Visit  to  Harrowgate,  that  I  had  wiHinglf 
endeavoured  to  forget  home  and  all  its  disagreeables. 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  165 

Could  I  have  remained  a  short  time  longer  in  the  hussars,  I 
had  every  chance  of  my  lieutenancy,  as  I  had  risen  to  the  top 
of  the  list  of  cornets  ;  but  this  unfortunate  gambling  transac- 
tion shook  all  my  buds  from  blowing :  and  in  my  exchange,  I 
necessarily  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  list  of  ensigns. 
However,  youth  is  the  season  of  hope ;  and  as  long  as  I  was 
master  of  myself,  "  lord  of  my  presence,  and  no  land  beside," 
I  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  despond,  even  though  hitherto  un- 
fortunate. 

I  felt  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  words  of  Caius 
Cassius : 

"  The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  stars, 
But  iu  ourselves,  that  we  are  underlings." 

And  every  day,  as  I  reflected  upon  my  past  career,  I  felt 
convinced  that  my  own  want  of  forethought  might  have  been 
the  cause  of  the  mishaps  which  had  so  inevitably  followed, 
dogged  the  heels,  and  made  shipwreck  of  all  my  doings.  I  set 
myself,  therefore,  down  as  a  slight  unweighing  chap,  without 
ballast,  and  infirm  of  purpose.  I  subjected  myself  to  a  sort  of 
court  of  inquiry,  and  found  myself  convicted  of  so  many  trifling 
misdemeanours,  that  the  whole  amounted  to  a  serious  want  of 
propriety  of  conduct,  and  steadiness  of  deportment.  In  fact 
I  had  dined  at  the  mess  of  the  — th  hussars,  for  the  last 
time ;  had  been  feted,  complimented,  and  regretted  to  the  top 
of  my  bent ;  was  tolerably  overcome  with  grief,  champagne, 
and  excitement,  and  had  got  into  a  post-chaise  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  so  as  to  steal  away  clandestinely,  and  avoid 
a  repetition  of  leave-taking  with  my  noble-hearted  comrades 
in  arms. 

Thus  was  I  once  again  cut  adrift,  and  about  to  seek  my  for- 
tune anew.  It  was  a  sort  of  retrograde  movement  I  had 
made,  as  preferment  surely  awaited  me  in  the  hussars, 
where  I  was  well  beloved  by  the  senior  officers,  and  highly 
esteemed  by  the  juniors.  I  know  not  whether  it  be  the  same 
in  all  cavalry  regiments,  but  in  the  — th  we  were  a  perfect 
band  of  brothers.  There  were  none  of  those  petty  jealou- 
sies, fears  of  rivalry,  bickerings,  backbitings,  callings-out, 
and  courts -martial,  such  as  I  have  since  seen.  The  regiment 
had  been  commanded  by  one  who,  in  himself  was  like  Prince 
Hupert,  "  toujours  soldat,"  the  perfection  of  high  honour, 
t'hivalrous  feelings,  and  devotion  to  the  service.  Stately  and 
precise  as  the  Knight  of  La  Mancha,  he  had  all  his  knightly 
feeling  without  a  touch  of  his  insanity.  When  you  add  to 
this,  that  the  officers  he  commanded  were,  without  exception 
gentlemen  by  birth  and  fortune,  it  may  easily  be  conceived, 
that,  in  any  exchange  I  was  likely  to  make,  I  stood  but 
Jittle  chance  of  bettering  myself,  least  of  all,  by  such  ex- 
change as  J.  had  just  effected ;  since  service  in  the  sugar 
jslands  of  the  west,  during  piping  times  of  peace,  is  so  geae- 


166  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE. 

rally  disliked  by  the  profession,  that  it  is  as  a  matter  of 
course  avoided,  if  possible,  amongst  the  gentlemen  of  the 
blade.  However,  I  was  now  going  to  the  reserve  companies 
of  the  — th  foot,  had  a  few  pounds  in  my  pocket  with 
which  to  carry  on  the  war,  and  hoped  for  the  best.  I 
trusted  to  redeem  my  past  errors,  and  rise  in  the  profession. 
Once  more,  then,  I  sought  my  home,  in  order  to  humble 
myself  before  my  father,  ask  his  blessing,  and  then  put  on 
towards  Scotland. 

"  True,  hope  (said  I),  is  swift,  and  flies  with  swallow's  wings, 
Kings  it  makes  gods,  and  meaner  creatures  kings." 

As  I  repeated  the  lines  of  the  aspiring  Richmond,  I  fell 
asleep,  till,  "  first  turn,  horses  out,"  awoke  me  at  the  end  of 
the  stage. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  No  ill  luck  stirring,  but  what  lights  o'  my  shoulders, 
No  sighs  but  o'  my  breathing,  no  tears  but  o'  my  shedding. 
Thou  stick'st  a  dagger  in  me. — " 

SHAKSPEEE, 

THE  day  had  broke  some  hours,  as  I  looked  from  the  win- 
dow of  the  chaise. 

"  What  place  is  this,  boy?"  said  I. 

"  Wetherly,  sir,"  returned  the  postilion. 

"Don't  bring  out  the  horses  yet,"  said  I,  "I  am  undeter- 
mined whether  or  not  I  shall  remain  here  all  day.  At  any  rate 
I  shall  stop  here  to  breakfast."  Accordingly,  I  kicked  open 
the  door,  and  entered  the  inn. 

Mine  host  ushered  me  into  a  comfortable  room,  with  a 
cheerful  fire  blazing  on  the  hearth.  It  was  a  chill  morning, 
and  ordering  breakfast  to  be  served  immediately,  I  threw 
myself  into  a  chair,  and  lighted  a  cigar.  I  quite  agree  with 
Washington  Irving  in  his  commendations  of  the  comfort  and 
independence  of  an  apartment  in  an  inn ;  a  man  never,  I 
think,  enjoys  a  meal  with  greater  zest  than  when,  after 
the  fatigue  of  a  journey,  he  kicks  off  his  boots,  thrusts  his 
feet  into  slippers,  and  seats  himself  before  the  fire  of  a  snug 
little  parlour  of  a  road-side  hostel.  As  I  looked  out  of  the 
window  upon  the  well-kept  little  garden  across  the  road, 
whilst  I  sipped  a  delicious  cup  of  coffee  and  demolished  the 
new  laid  eggs  and  buttered  toast,  served  by  the  good-looking 
hostess,  I  thought  that  no  man  had  a  right  to  despond  whilst 
he  possessed  the  means  of  enjoying  the  comforts  of  which  I 
then  was  partaking. 


THE  SOLDIER   OF   FOETUNE.  167 

"  Shall  I  bring  in  another  muffin,  sir  ?"  said  the  assisting 
damsel,  in  accents  so  gentle  and  conciliatory,  that  I  felt  half 
inclined  to  thank  her  for  the  offer  with  a  kiss. 

"  Anything,  my  pretty  lass,"  said  I,  "  shall  be  welcome  that  is 
brought  me  by  the  handsomest  girl  in  Yorkshire.  At  the  same 
time,  I  shall  be  more  bounden  to  you,  for  the  sight  of  an  old 
newspaper  to  beguile  the  time." 

Capriciously  did  she  bend  her  head  on  one  side,  and  dance 
up  insidiously,  as  she  returned  with  a  plate  of  reeking  muffins 
in  one  hand,  and  a  newspaper  in  the  other. 

The  girl  was  extremely  handsome,  with  cheeks  like  a  rose, 
and  the  figure  of  a  nymph.  I  felt  I  should  be  totally  wanting 
in  proper  feeling  not  to  offer  her  a  salute.  I  might  even  have 
given  her  two,  but  in  glancing  at  the  paper  she  thrust  almost 
at  me  as  she  escaped,  I  saw  that  which,  handsome  as  she  was, 
completely  banished  her  from  my  thoughts.  The  paragraph 
which  fixed  my  instant  attention  in  the  Yorlc  Herald,  was 
sufficiently  interesting :  it  was  headed,  in  large  letters,  thus : — 
"  Conflagration,  for  the  sixth  time,  of  Wharncliffe  Grange,  and 
total  destruction  of  the  building." 

Like  the  poet  Otway,  who,  it  was  affirmed,  fell  a  victim  to 
an  eleemosynary  penny  roll,  which  stuck  fast  in  his  epiglottis, 
I  was  almost  choked  with  the  portion  of  buttered  muffin  I 
had  between  my  teeth  the  instant  before  I  had  read  this  start- 
ling intelligence. 

Whilst  1  stood  glaring  upon  the  paper,  and  reading  the  ac- 
count of  the  catastrophe  without  comprehending  (in  my  eager- 
ness to  gather  it  all  at  once)  one  half  that  was  given, 
mine  host  entered  the  apartment  with  a  countenance  of 
wrath. 

"  I  ax  pardon,  zur,  (he  said)  but  you'll  excuse  I,  if  I  tell'e  I 
won't  stand  no  nonsense  to  our  Cis.  She  be  a  good  and  war- 
tuous  lass,  zur,  and  ain't  used  to  be  tumbled  and  touzled  in 
Bonder  fashion.  You'll  excuse  I ;  but  you've  made  a  mistake 
Wre,  I'm  jealous.  This  be  the  Harewood  Arms,  and  if  you've 
come  into  it,  thinking  I  keep  a  disrespectable  house,  you're  con- 
siderably out,  that's  all.  _  Cicely  is  my  niece,  zur,  and  if  so  be 
as  you're  agoing  to  stay  in  this  house,  I'll  thank'e  to  treat  her 
as  sitch." 

"Landlord,"  I  said,  disregarding  his  anger,  "have  you  a 
swift  horse  in  your  stable  ?" 

"  A  what,  zur,  a  good  horse  ?  Did  you  ever  know  a  1  ork- 
shire  farmer  wi'out  a  good  nag?" 

"  I  see  here  an  account  of  Wharncliffe  Grange  being  burnt 
to  the  ground.  Your  paper  gives  few  of  the  particulars  of  the 
catastrophe.  Do  you  know  anything  about  it  ?" 

"  Ay.  it  be  old  news,  that,"  said  the  landlord.  "  It  have 
taken  fire  five  or  six  times.  First,  the  rick-yard  was  burned : 
then  the  out-houses  :  next  night,  one  wing  of  the  house  was 
discovered  to  be  OB  fire,  and  when  that  was  put  out  before 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

daybreak,  t'other  side  broke  out  before  nightfall.  It  is  sup 
posed  to  be  the  act  of  an  incendiary.  They've  had  constables 
there  for  the  last  week :  and  yet,  as  t'paper  there  tells  us,  it's 
broke  out  again,  and  burnt  to  the  ground." 

"  It  is  my  father's  residence,  landlord,"  said  I.  "  I  see,  by 
this  paper,  that  no  lives  have  been  lost.  Nevertheless,  I  should 
like  to  reach  the  spot  as  quickly  as  possible.  As  I  know  this 
part  of  the  country  well,  if  you  will  get  me  a  fleet  horse,  I  will 
cross  the  country,  and  reach  the  Grange  in  an  hour.  Forgive 
the  kiss  I  gave  to  Cicely,  landlord,  and  help  me  to  a  nag  for 
the  love  of  heaven." 

"  You  shall  have  my  own  oss,"  said  the  host.  "  I  be  sorry 
now  I  scolded  'e.  Here,  hostler,  bring  out  the  little  lass.  My 
certie,  but  she'll  carry  you  well.  So  you  be  young  Master 
Blount,"  he  continued,  "  be  ye  ?  Lord  safe  us !  but  I'm  sorry 
for  yer  misfprtin.  There's  t'  oss  a  coming  round.  Don't  spur 
her,  zur.  Fire's  a  dreadful  infliction.  Good  bye,  zur.  I  wish 
you  merry." 

"  There's  for  your  bill,  landlord,"  said  I,  as  I  jumped  on  his 


in  my  norse  s  sides.  1  am  amazed,  metmnks,  and  lose  my 
way  amidst  the  thorns  and  dangers  of  this  world."  Having, 
in  former  days,  often  crossed  that  part  of  the  country,  after  the 
fox,  I  made  for  my  sometime  home  by  the  shortest  cuts,  and  at 
full  speed. 

Clearing  the  deer-palings  at  Berrywell  Chace,  in  a  few  mi- 
nutes more  I  dashed  through  the  belt  of  plantations,  and 
presently  drew  bridle  before  the  well-known,  beloved  old 
moat. 

The  account  I  had  heard  was  but  too  correct.  The  mansion 
was  a  heap  of  smouldering  ruins.  A  sort  of  falling  scaffolding 
of  blackened  rafters,  smoking  galleries,  and  still  burning  stair- 
cases, hung  from  every  part  of  the  calcined  walls  of  the  time- 
honoured  Grange. 

The  devouring  element  had  done  its  worst,  and  the  moat, 
now  alas!  but  a  rushy  ditch,  was  in  many  places  half  filled 
with  the  rubbish  of  the  fortress  it  had  once  washed  with  its 
protecting  water.  Some  firemen  and  labourers  were  still 
keeping  up  a  discharge  of  muddy  water  upon  the  mass  of 
burnt  material  as  I  rode  up  to  inquire  about  the  family,  and 
their  place  of  refuge.  I  found  that  they  were  luckily  absent 
at  the  time  of  the  conflagration ;  and  as  I  saw  no  person  I 
knew  amongst  the  throng,  I  thought  it  best  to  seek  old  Martha 
the  housekeeper  at  her  cottage  without  the  park  walls. 

I  found  her  as  I  expected,  with  spectacles  on  nose,  and  bible 
in  her  lap,  seated  before  her  door.  She  looked  over  her  glasses 
as  I  pulled  up  before  her,  but  her  eyes  were  too  dim  now  to 
recognise  me  at  the  moment. 

"Any  more  ill  newss"  said  she,  snappishly.     "Mcthinks 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  169 

there  is  nothing  now  to  add  to  the  catalogue.  The  old  man. 
sion  is  in  a  heap  of  ruins;  the  estate  is  sold,  they  tell  me;  the 
ma-ster  an  outlaw,  and  the  son  an  alien  from  his  father's  heart* 
What  seek  you,  sir,"  she  continued.  "  of  one  who  has  outlived 
all  her  hopes  and  fears?  If  you  have  aught  to  tell  me  of  my 
child— my  young  master,  it  shall  be  welcome.  If  not,  pass  on. 
and  trouble  me  not." 

"He  comes  to  tell  you  of  his  own  welfare,  Martha,"  said  1 
dismounting.  "  Your  old  favourite  stands  before  you." 

The  old  dame  threw  her  bible  somewhat  irreverently  upon 
the  turf  before  her,  as  she  started  up,  and  locked  me  in  her 
arms.  The  next  minute  my  horse  was  tied  to  the  little  gate, 
and  I  was  seated  in  her  humble  cottage.  The  careful  creature 
closed  and  bolted  her  door,  before  she  would  seat  herself  be- 
side me,  and  answer  the  questions  I  poured  upon  her  ear. 

"Ah,  it's  a  bad  world,  sir,"  said  she,  as  soon  as  she  had  in- 
formed me  that  my  father  was  agam  abroad  with  his  wife  and 
some  of  her  family,  living  at  a  chateau  he  had  purchased,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Caen,  "it's  a  bad  world,  sir.  The're  queer 
stories  about  this  fire.  I  suppose  you  know  young  Levison  has 
been  at  the  Grange  the  whole  time  during  these  repeated  con- 
flagrations. It's  never  been  whispered,  nor  have  I  ever  breathed 
such  a  thing;  but  if  it  has  not  been  done  by  his  hand,  it  must 
have  been  the  work  of  the  evil  one." 

"  I  thought  that  constables  had  been  on  the  watch,  night 
after  night,  both  within  and  without  the  building,"  said  I. 

"And  so  they  have;  himself  having  the  ordering  of  their 
stay  there;  and  himself  sitting  up  to  watch,  too;  and  himself 
the  foremost  at  patrolling  the  grounds,  taking  all  sorts  of  pre- 
cautions, and  swearing  that  it  must  be  done  by  some  inmate  of 
the  house,  or  the  flames  could  never  so  mysteriously  and  con- 
tinually burst  out  in  so  many  of  the  locked-up  apartments; 
ay,  and  himself  the  demon,  all  the  while,  that  laid  combustible 
and  set  the  match.  Nay,  I  wouldn't  hesitate  to  swear  that  it 
was  that  incarnate  devil  who  has  done  the  mischief,  even  be- 
fore the  whole  world." 

"'Twere  best  not,  Margaret,"  said  I.  "There's  no  proof, 
it  seems." 

"No,  so  I  find,"  returned  the  old  dame.  "More's  the 
pity." 

"And  where  is  he  now?" 

"Started  for  France,  to  carry  the  clatter,  the  fiend!  He's 
like  the  genius  of  mischief  and  rapine,  an  evil  and  malignant 
demon." 

"  What  could  be  his  motive,  Martha?" 

"  Ill-will  to  you,  I'll  be  sworn.  He  heard,  I'm  told,  that 
you  were  greatly  beloved  and  well  thought  of  in  the  regiment 
you  were  in,  and  he  wished  to  spite  you  in  your  tenderest  part. 
He  knew  you  loved  the  old  mansion  with  a  devoted  affection." 

Badly  as  I  thought  of  my  enemy,  I  could  hardly  conceive 


170  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

him  so  malignant  as  the  faithful  old  servant  made  him  out.  It 
was  useless  to  dwell  upon  the  subject,  and  I  willingly  turned 
my  inquiries  upon  a  more  interesting  subject,  the  owners  of 
Marston  Hall.  Although  I  had  kept  up  a  correspondence  with 
Mistress  Sweetapple  occasionally  since  I  had  left  my  father's 
roof,  still  I  had  much  to  learn,  I  found. 

_ " Miss  Villeroy,"  said  I,  "Martha,  have  you  any  news  to 
give  me  of  her  or  her  relatives  F" 

"None  that  will  much  please  you,"  she  replied.  "That 
party  has  been  on  the  continent,  almost  ever  since  you  left 
London.  They  have  now  returned  to  this  neighbourhood :  and 
report  says,  that  your  old  antagonist,  Lord  Hardenbrass,  is 
speedily  ^to  marry  Miss  Villeroy,  if  they  be  not  already 
married." 

Notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  I  had  made  to  school  myself, 
and  try  to  forget  that  lovely  creature,  a  pang,  sharp  as  the 
stiletto  of  the  Portuguese,  shot  through  my  heart  at  the 
words. 

"The  fiery  trigon  hath  recovered  completely  from  his 
wounds,"  said  I,  "has  he?  Well,  happiness  be  theirs !  And 
the  Lady  Constance,  what  of  her?  Is  she  married,  too, 
Martha?" 

"No,"  returned  the  old  dame,  "I  can  answer  for  it,  she  is 
not.  Her  whole  care  and  attention  has  been  given  to  her 
father,  the  duke,  who  has  never  recovered  the  dreadful  wound 
he  received  in  London,  in  that  duel  with  the  Lord  Co3ur  de 
Lion.  I  understand  he  is  in  a  miserable  state  of  health,  even 
now;  and  never  very  likely  to  be  much  better." 

I  felt  shocked  to  hear  this;  and  reproached  myself  with 
the  taunt  I  had  thrown  put  against  Lady  de  Clifford. 

"Excellent  creature!"  said  I;  "how  much  I  honour  that 
paragon  of  women.  For  fineness  of  disposition,  nobleness  of 
mind,  worth,  high  honour,  and  beauty,  Martha,  that  lady 
towers  upon  a  monument,  high  as  the  clouds,  above  her  fel- 
low-creatures." 

"^She  certainly  is  an  excellent  lady,"  returned  Martha; 
"  with  the  brow  of  a  queen,  and  the  gentleness  of  a  child.  I 
saw  her  but  a  week  ago. " 

"  Saw  her!     Who,  Martha? " 

"  Lady  Constance  de  Clifford.  She  has  been  here  more  than 
once  since  they  returned." 

"  Here?  Lady  Constance  here?  what,  in  this  cottage?"  said  I, 
surprised. 

"Yes,"  returned  Martha;  "and  sitting  in  that  chair  you 
now  sit  on." 

"  For  what  did  she  some  hither,  Margaret,"  said  I. 

"  Ostensibly  to  inquire  after  me — in  sober  sadness  to  inquire 
about  you.  1  was  ill,  and  confined  to  my  bed;  Mistress 
Jampote,  the  housekeeper  at  Marston  Hall,  who  knows  me, 
heard  of  it,  and  told  the  Lady  Constance.  A  few  days  afte?- 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  171 

wards  I  was  visited  on  my  sick  couch  by  the  doctor,  from 
Abbots  Wickford,  and  the  next  day  the  Lady  Constance,  in 
her  riding-habit,  was  standing  beside  my  couch  when  I  awoke, 
after  a  refreshing  sleep,  the  effects  of  the  doctor's  drugs." 

"  Beautiful  creature ! " 

"Since  that,"  continued  Martha;  "  she  rode  over  twice  a- 
week,  to  inquire  after  me;  and  you  may  be  pretty  sure  we 
spoke  of  you  often.  Nay,  it's  all  very  well,  but  you  wont 
easily  persuade  me  that  a  young  and  lovely  creature  like  that 
would  come  twice  a-week,  so  many  miles,  merely  to  inquire 
after  an  old  bed-ridden  housekeeper,  without  there  was  some 
interesting  news  she  wished  to  learn  from  her." 

"How long  did  you  say  it  was  since  she  last  was  here?"  I 
inquired. 

"  A  month,"  said  Martha.  "  She  never  came  after  that  un- 
lucky accident  she  heard  of." 

"  What  accident?  in  heaven's  name." 

"  Why,  the  Marchioness  of  Hichborough's  being  drowned  in 
the  lake,  at  Plumpton." 

"The  devil!"  said  I.  "How  came  she  to  hear  the  particu- 
lais  of  that  affair,  Margaret?" 

"Naturally  enough,"  she  replied.  "The  marquis  is  her 
relation;  she  couldn't  help  but  hear  all  about  it;  most  likely 
from  himself." 

"Martha,"  said  I,  rising,  "I  find  the  room  rather  warm. 
For  the  present,  I  shall  leave  you,  and  take  my  horse  to  the 
village,  where  I  intend  to  sleep.  To-morrow  early  I  shall  visit 
you  again  before  I  leave,  as  I  have  much  to  say  to  you.  For 
the  present,  then,  farewell." 

"Farewell,  my  dear  child,"  she  said.  "Child,  indeed!  what 
a  man  you  have  become;  six  feet  one,  if  you're  an  inch.  And 
how  dark  and  curly  your  hair  is  grown ;  and  how  handsome 
you  are!  Well,  I  always  said  you  were  the  picture  of  Sir 
Herbert,  and  now  you  are  liker  than  ever.  Ah,  my  dear 
young  master,  I  fear  me  your  father  is  playing  a  hard-hearted 
game  by  you.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  he  has  totally 
disinherited  my  poor  boy,  now  this  stranger  has  come  into  the 
world." 

"I  should  not  care,  Martha,"  said  I,  "though  he  cut  me  off 
with  a  shilling,  so  he  did  not  utterly  cast  me  off  from  his 
affections." 

"  Alas !  alas  I  '  evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners,'  as 
the  copy-book  says ;  and  those  he  is  now  led  by  and  connected 
with,  totally  pervert  his  mind.  I  suppose  you  have  heard  that 
all  the  pictures,  plate,  and  valuables  J3ave  been  packed  upland 
sent  off  to  furnish  up  this  Chateau  Eousillon  he  has  taken?" 

"I  neither  know  nor  care,  Martha,"  said  I.  **It  ii  enough 
that  my  father  thinks  me  unworthy  to  share  his  affections  or 
his  councils; — that,  without  fault  on  my  part,  he  has  almost 
spurned  me  from  his  hearth,  and  degraded  me  as  far  as  he- 


172  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

could  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  That  I  have  faults,  I  acknow- 
-edge — that  I  am  headstrong,  rash,  fiery  in  temper,  and  incon- 
siderate, with  a  thousand  faults  besides,  I  am  ready  to  ac- 
knowledge; but  that  I  am,  as  he  would  have  the  world  believe, 
vicious,  evil  in  disposition,  profligate,  and  altogether  a  fool, 
that  I  deny.  Farewell,  Martha,"  said  I.  '"Evil  or  good 
report,'  as  the  poet  says,  'we  soon  live  down,  if  undeserved.' 
It  was  truly  unfortunate,  indeed,  I  could  not  remain  in  the 
— th,  for  there  I  found  myself  in  a  situation  which  might  have 
ied  on  to  fortune.  Well,  be  it  so,  good  Martha ;  adieu,  for  the 

?  resent^    To-morrow,  I  shall  visit  and  take  leave  of  you  before 
start." 

It  was  not  my  intent  to  ride  straight  to  the  village,  although 
I  told  old  Martha  so,  in  order  that  I  might  spend  some  time  in 
wandering  about  the  neighbourhood  I  loved  so  well.  I  there- 
fore bent  my  steps  to  the  now  devastated  Grange;  and  dis- 
mounting, gave  my  horse  to  a  man  I  found  amongst  the  la- 
bourers and  firemen,  with  directions  to  take  him  to  the  vil- 
lage, and  order  me  supper  and  a  bed  at  the  little  inn.  "  For 
the  last  time,  perhaps,  in  my  life  I  will  spend  a  few  hours," 
thought  I,  "amongst  the  scenes  of  my  youth.  And  if,  as 
Martha  says,  I  am  disinherited  by  my  sire,  I  will  never  again 
return  hither." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

"  I  should  have  wearied  of  this  fellow's  company,  had  I  not  beeu  still 
more  tired  of  my  own  thoughts." 

"  His  breath  is  as  dangerous  as  the  breath  of  a  demi-culverin." 

SCOTT. 

A  DAY  or  two  from  this  period  found  me  in  the  great  metro- 
polis, lounging  in  the  great  street  of  that  town  of  towns,  and 
making  my  way  to  the  great  artist  in  military  habiliments, 
Mr.  Jones,  of  Regent-street,  in  order  to  consult  with  him  upon 
the  necessary  equipments  for  my  new  regiment,  the  145th. 
Upon  introducing  myself,  and  making  my  wants  known,  he 
quickly  took  upon  himself  the  ordering  of  my  habiliments. 

"  There  is  a  gentleman  at  the  other  end  of  the  shop,  sir," 
said  he,  "belonging  to  the  145th,  Lieutenant  Bullyman,  just 
at  this  moment  trying  on  a  regimental  coat." 

On  turning,  I  instantly  recognised  the  youth  who  had  been 
my  fellow-passenger  to  Cork,  and  who  had  professed  himself 
an  advocate  for  the  custom  of  fighting  a  duel  upon  first  join- 
ing a  corps,  as  a  necessary  debut.  I  therefore  made  no  scruple 
of  stepping  up  and  accosting  him,  as  I  wished  to  learn  some- 
thing of  the  regiment,  and  the  part  of  the  world  I  was  bound 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  173 

for.  He  remembered  me  instantly,  and  soon  enlightened  me 
upon  the  subject,  as  far  as  he  was  able. 

"  Fort  George,"  said  he.  "  Oh,  it's  a  d d  hole  of  a  place. 

Every  day  there,  sir,  is  a  month.  Added  to  which,  there  are 
so  many  detachments  still-hunting,  that  it's  a  case  of  solitary 
confinement  altogether.  There  are  some  temporary  barracks 
up  in  the  mountains  ;  and  one  never  sees  the  depot  for  months 
at  a  time.  For  my  part,  I  shall  try  and  get  out  to  the  service 
companies  ;  for  it's  the  devil  to  be  snowed  up  in  a  Highland 
castle  for  six  months  at  a  time,  where  you  can  hardly  get  food 
to  eat,  and  are  as  miserable  as  if  an  exile  in  Siberia." 

I  felt  pleased  at  the  thought  of  so  romantic  a  situation,  and 
determined  to  volunteer  for  one  of  those  Siberian  detachments 
the  moment  I  got  there.  As  Lieutenant  Bullyman,  who  had 
been  on  leave  for  two  months,  was  like  myself  on  the  eve  of 
starting  for  Fort  George,  we  agreed  to  go  together,  and  com- 
menced an  intimacy  forthwith.  We  dined,  therefore,  together 
that  day,  went  to  Covent  Garden  Theatre  that  night,  and  the 
next  night,  after  ordering  our  regimentals  to  be  forwarded 
without  delay,  started,  per  mail,  for  the  north. 

Scotland  had  always  been  fairy-land  to  me.  The  perusal  of 
Guy  Mannering  would  of  itself  have  made  me  anxious  to  visit 
it;  and  the  scenes  described  in  Rob  Roy  had  rendered  the 
Highlands  so  peculiarly  interesting,  that  I  looked  upon  each 
pine  forest,  rocky  glen,  river  and  heath,  with  the  devotion  of  a 
Highlander.  I  was  going  there,  too,  under  tolerably  pleasing 
circumstances  ;  not  as  an  idle  tourist  to  visit  Loch  Katrine  and 
Loch  Lomond,  but  as  a  soldier  on  duty.  And  doubtless,  I 
thought,  I  shall  meet  with  as  many  adventures  when  on  the 
mountains,  hunting  after  the  whiskey  brewers— those  hardy 
Highlanders— as  Francis  Osbaldiston  did  at  the  clachan  of 
Aberfoil. 

"  Pah !"  said  my  companion,  "  what  a  mistake !  You'll  find 
the  highlands  a  bore,  Fort  George  a  bastille,  the  country  alto- 
gether overrated,  and  the  inhabitants  a  race  of  Esquimaux. 
Why,  sir,  if  you  ask  a  lady  to  dance  at  a  ball,  she'll  answer 
you  in  an  unknown  tongue.  '  Fats  yer  wull,'  was  all  I  could 
get  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  last  lady  with  whom  I  danced  at 
Inverness — the  day  after  we  marched  to  Fort  George.  There 
were  Buttenshaw,  Pattypan,  L'Estrange,  and  O'Grady,  all  five 
of  us  got  the  same  answer  from  our  partners  that  night.  '  Fats 
yer  wull,'  and  *  Dinna  ken,'  was  all  we  could  elicit.  For  a  taste," 
continued  my  companion.—"  '  Which,  madam,'  said  I,  by  way 
of  commencing  an  interesting  conversation :  '  which  do  you: 
think  looks  best  on  parade,  the  bear  skin  or  the  chaco  ?' 

"  '  Fats  yer  wull,'  said  the  lady. 

"  'I  beg  pardon,'  said  I :  '  but  will  you  favour  me  by  trans- 
lating that  pretty  patois.  I  don't  understand  'Fats  yer  wool?' 


Is  it  Gaelic  or  high-Dutch  ? 
"  *  I  dinna  ken.,'  returned 


the  damsel. 


174  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"And  there  the  conversation  dropped  for  five  minutes.  How- 
ever, as  the  lass  was  really  extremely  handsome,  I  determined 
to  draw  her  out,  if  possible." 

"  '  Pray,  madam,'  said  I,  '  what  is  your  private  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  wings  and  epaulettes  ?  The  wings,  as  you  see, 
are  the  ornamentals  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  light  bobs  and 
grannies.  The  epaulettes  are  the  decorations  pertaining  to 
the  battalion  officers.  The  gentleman  next  you  wears  a  wing. 
This  extremely  handsome  swab  upon  my  shoulder  is  an  epau- 
lette ;  which  do  you  consider  the  most  becoming  of  the  two  ?' 

"  '  Fats  yer  wull,'  returned  the  lass,  with  the  prettiest  ex- 
pression in  the  world. 

1 '  Which,  I'm  asking,  madam,  do  you  altogether  prefer  ?' 

"  '  I  dinna  ken,'  she  said,  with  a  malicious  glance  at  her 
friend  opposite,  and  there  the  conversation  dropped.  There, 
sir,  think  of  that  for  an  intellectual  treat." 

"  I  have  always  heard,"  I  said,  "that  the  better  classes  in 
Scotland  are  no  whit  behind  their  English  neighbours  in  con- 
versational powers.  De  Mowbray,  of  the  hussars,  who  is  a 
Highlander,  has  given  me  several  letters  of  introduction  to 
the  different  families  around  ;  but  if  I'm  to  be  saluted  with 
tones  so  unmusical  to  English  ears,  as  '  Fats  yer  wull,'  and 
*  Dinna  ken,'  I  think  J  shall  put  them  in  the  fire.  Where  was 
this  assembly  held  at  which  you  met  those  fair  nymphs  with 
the  discordant  voices?" 

"  It  was  not  at  an  assembly,  man,  at  all,"  said  Lieutenant 
Bullyman,  "  it  was  at  a  Highland  meeting." 

"A  Highland  meeting!  Oh!  that  accounts  for  it.  What, 
a  sort  of  gathering,  when  only  the  peasantry  meet  together  ?" 

"  It's  all  we  have  seen  of  Scotch  society  as  yet,  however," 
returned  Bullyman ;  "  for,  unluckily,  not  one  of  our  officers 
have  any  acquaintance  in  the  north." 

"  Well,  I  shall  look  up  my  introductions,"  I  said,  "  and  de- 
liver them  faithfully.  My  friend,  Mowbray,  speaks  rap- 
turously of  the  style  of  life  amongst  the  gentry  in  the  north, 
and  the  assemblies,  he  says,  are  delightful." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Bullyman,  "we  shall  see  what  your  in- 
troductions do  for  us." 

In  this  sort  of  conversation  we  passed  the  borders,  wound 
our  way  amongst  the  "  Cheviot  mountains  lone,"  and  reached 
Edinburgh,  where  we  halted  for  a  night's  rest,  and  crossed  the 
Frith  of  Forth  the  next  morning. 

It  was  four  o'clock,  pitch  dark,  cold  and  dismal,  as  we 
crossed  the  Forth :  so  that  we  saw  little  of  Sir  Walter's  "  own 
romantic  town." 

"  There,"  said  Bullyman,  when  we  landed,  "  we're  in.  the 
kingdom  of  Fife ;  and  a  precious  fine,  barren-looking,  inhos- 
pitable spot  it  is.  I  dare  swear  now,  you  would  be  for  looking 
after  MacdufF's  castle,  where  his  wife,  his  bairns,  and  all  the 
innocent  souls  that  traced  his  line,  were  put  to  the  sword." 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  175 

"  I  would  we  had  time  enough,"  said  I,  "  and  I  certainly 
should  do  so.  This  is  Fifeshire,  is  it?  How  many  romantic 
and  delightful  associations  does  it  call  to  mind." 

"  You'd  much  better  call  to  mind  your  baggage  in  the  boat ; 
for  I  see  at  least  a  score  of  those  brawny  Scotch  porters  have 
taken  a  grip  of  some  one  or  two  of  the  packages.  There's  one 
fellow,  with  the  brawn  of  Hercules,  has  loaded  himself  with  a 
.hat-box  of  mine,  containing  a  six-and-ninepennyrgossamer,  and 
is  making  as  much  of  getting  it  ashore,  as  if  it  were  a  seaman's 
chest." 

We  now  traversed  over  the  kingdom  of  Fife,  and  crossing 
the  Frith  of  Tay,  reached  Aberdeen  that  night.  From  thence 
we  took  the  night-coach,  and  arriving  next  morning  at  the 
little  hamlet  of  Campbeltown,  bent  our  steps  across  the  heath, 
to  Fort  G-eorge. 

Fort  George  is  a  dark,  sombre-looking  pile.  On  one  side 
the  wild  waters  dash,  and  on  the  other  a  blasted  heath,  barren 
enough  to  be  identified  with  the  very  place  where  Macbeth 
encountered  the  witches,  meets  the  eye.  As  my  companion 
had  described  it,  a  more  dull  and  melancholy -looking  place  for 
troops  to  be  quartered  in  was  not,  I  should 'think,  to  be  met 
with  in  Great  Britain. 

It  was  a  perfect  town  withinside  the  walls ;  but  it  seemed 
an  uninhabited  town,  for  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen,  except  the 
sentinels  within  the  gates. 

Just  as  we  entered,  however,  the  bugle  sounded  the  assembly, 
and  the  depot  of  the  145th  were  beginning  to  turn  out  for 
parade.  We  stopped,  therefore,  in  the  dull,  dark-looking 
square  to  observe  them.  Altogether  the  appearance^  of  the 
place  reminded  me  of  the  description  in  "Ivanhoe,"  of  the 
Preceptory  of  Templestow.  The  morning  was  cold  and  com- 
fortless, a  driving  sleet  blew  in  our  faces,  and  the  buildings 
had  a  melancholy  and  half  habitable  look :  whilst  ever  and 
anon  the  armed  heel  of  some  field  officer,  or  depot  adjutant, 
clanked  upon  the  pavement,  as  he  passed  from  one  door  to 
another  of  the  officers'  quarters.  Presently  the  brass  drum, 
rattling  and  reverberating,  was  re-echoed  from  the  walls  around, 
whilst  the  trumpets,  files,  cymbals,  and  bagpipes  flourished  out 
their  inspiring  notes.  The  companies  wheeled  into  column, 
and  the  depot  marched  past  in  review  order. 

•My  companion  now  offered  his  services  as  guide,  and  usher- 
ing me  into  the  mess-room,  introduced  me  to  several  officers 
who  were  there  assembled.  It  happened  that  at  this  time 
there  was  a  pretty  large  muster  of  officers,  from  various  other 
regiments  and  depots  quartered  in  Scotland,  on  occasion  of  a 
general  court-martial  having  the  day  before  assembled,  and 
as  there  were  also  the  depots  of  two'  other  regiments  at  that 
time  in  the  fort,  there  was  a  good-sized  party  m  the  room. 

After  the  parade  was  over,  I  was  also  formally  introduced  to 
my  brother  officers  of  the  145th,  and  reported  myself  arrived 


176  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

safe  and  sound  to  the  then  commanding  officer  of  the  depot, 
Major  Clavering.  I  was  received  by  them  with  great  kind- 
ness, and  the  circumstance  of  my  having  exchanged  from  the 
hu-ssars  was  rather  a  favourable  feature  in  my  case  ;  the  offi- 
cers serving  in  a  regiment  stationed  in  the  West  Indies  being 
generally  men  whose  poverty,  more  than  will,  consents  to  such 
unhealthy  service. 

I  thought,  however,  I  observed  a  sort  of  coolness  towards 
my  friend  Bullyman,  which  I  could  riot  completely  compre- 
hend, and  which  I  set  down  to  his  style  'being  rather  too  ro- 
domontade and  overbearing.  lie  was  evidently  a  boaster  and 
a  disputatious  personage,  loud  and  dictatorial  in  conversation, 
yery  much  inclined  to  dispute  upon  every  topic  which  arose  in 
conversation,  and  sometimes  so  rude  and  abrupt  in  manner  as 
to  make  a  disagreeable  stop  in  the  harmony  of  the  assembled 
party. 

He  rather  hung  to  my  skirts  I  observed,  and  wished  to  have 
it  supposed,  by  nis  manner,  that  we  had  been  friends  of  old. 
Making  himself,  therefore,  as  agreeable  as  his  nature  per- 
mitted, he  introduced  me  into  my  barrack-room,  and  per- 
formed for  me  all  those  little  attentions  most  grateful  to  a 
stranger  and  a  new  comer. 

"  A  pleasant  view  that,"  he  observed,  seeing  my  eyes  wander 
over  the  main  of  waters. 

"  Delightful,"  said  I. 

"  How  d'ye  mean  by  that,"  said  he,  "  delightful— I.  think  it 
damnable,  disgusting,  and  disagreeable.  Fancy  being  lodged 
in  this  sea-built  tower,  and  condemned  to  watch  the  monoto- 
nous waters  of  this  infernal  coast  for  a  whole  year  together; 
and  that  to  a  man  of  my  kidney.  One  who  has  seen  society, 
and  mingled  with  the  world,  lived  in  the  eye  of  fashion  from 
infancy.  Oh,  it's  monstrous  !  London,  sir,  is  my  world :  I 
am  wretched  in  this  situation.  Think  of  this  dreary  inhos- 
pitable view,  and  the  bustle  and  gaiety  of  Eegent-street  at 
this  hour  of  the  day." 

"I  rather  prefer  this,"  said  I,  "of  the  two.  Perhaps  I  shall 
tire  of  it ;  but  at  present  the  view  of  the  ocean  from  your  win- 
dow, now  that  the  sun  gilds  the  waves,  'those  curly  headed 
monsters,'  is  delightful.  What  made  you  join  the  army  ?  for 
I  fear  you'll  find  it,  with  your  ideas  and  tastes,  rather  a  suc- 
cession of  banishments." 

"  I  fancy  I  shall,  from  what  I  have  already  seen,"  said  he. 
"  I  came  to  the  place  from  Spike  Island  in  Ireland." 

"  What  place  is  that  ?"  I  inquired,  laughing. 

"  Spare  me  the  description,"  said  he,  bitterly,  "  I  cannot  liken 
it,  I  never  saw  the  like.  "Tis  the  curse  of  service,  sir.  We  are  sent 
to  waste  life  in  places,  which  (but  for  this  red  rag  we're  decked 
out  in,  and  this  trinket  we  wear  by  our  sides,  and  which  some- 
how reconcile  the  children  of  vanity  to  all  the  hardships  the 
trade  is  heir  to)  it  would  break  the  spirit  of  a  hermit  to  be 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  177 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  I,  "  you  liave  mistaken  your  profession. 
Why  do  you  follow  the  trade  of  arms,  or  why  have  you  not 
rather  chosen  some  profession  in  which  you  might  have  passed 
your  time  amidst  the  bustle  of  life  in  London?" 

"  What !  be  an  inspector  of  filth — a  doctor,  or  wear  out  my 
youth  chained  to  the  desk  of  a  merchant's  counting-house ;  or 
defeat  my  favour  with  a  wig  and  gown,  and  become  some 
Temple-haunting  briefless  barrister — some  nisi  prius  scare- 
crow !  No,  that  would  never  do  for  my  complaint." 

"  Well,  what  then  would  you  like?"  said  I. 

"Ten  thousand  a  year  and  a  park — that's  what  I  like. 
Curse  the  service ;  I  detest  and  abominate  it." 

"  Then  why  not  sell  out,  and  retire  to  your  park,  and  the 
ease  and  enjoyment  of  the  ten  thousand  superfluities  and  luxu- 
ries purchasable  by  your  ten  thousand  a  year  ?" 

"My  dear  sir,"  he  returned,  with  a  sigh,  "I'm  a  younger 
son.  I  haven't  ten  thousand  shillings  a  year,  besides  my  pay ; 
or  think  ye  I'd  be  here  ?" 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  it  strikes  me,  since  you  seem  to  have  no 
choice  in  the  matter,  having  made  your  election,  and  joined 
the  service,  the  best  way  would  be  to  make  yourself  as  happy 
as  you  can." 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  the  lieutenant,  drily.  "  However,  I 
confess  to  you  that  I  might  have  been  more  content  if  I  had 
joined  any  other  corps  but  this.  I  don't  like-the  gallant  145th 
— they're  a  queer  set  of  fellows." 

"  They  appear  to  me  a  very  gentlemanly  set  of  fellows,"  I 
replied. 

"  No  doubt,  on  a  two  hours'  acquaintanceship,  you  think 
so,"  he  rejoined.  "  So  did  I  till  I  found  them  out.  For 
instance,  there's  Roland  Robert  Fetlock ;  that  is  a  colt,  in- 
deed, for  he  can  talk  of  nothing  but  his  horse.  He's  one  of  the 
bores  of  the  mess-table,  and  he  goes  by  the  name  of  the  groom. 
I  gave  him  that  name;  and  if  he  had  not  been  a  coward  as 
well  as  a  base  groom,  he'd  have  called  me  out  for  it.  You'll 
be  bored  to  death  with  the  merits  of  that  Squire  Richard's 
stud,  if  you  give  him  your  company,  I  promise  you.  Fancy  a 
man  of  eight  thousand  a  year,  and  whose  passion  is  horses, 
serving  in  a  regiment  in  the  West  Indies— ergo,  he's  fool  as 
well  as  jockey.  Then  there's  Captain  Euclid,  a  narrow-minded 
pedant,  very  fit  to  display  his  deep  reading,  and  wrangle  away  his 
life  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge,  amongst  other  black-letter  double 
asses  as  disputative  as  himself,  but  no  more  calculated  for  the 
society  of  army  men  than  I  am  for  those  of  the  cloister.  He'll 
interrupt  Fetlock's  description  of  how  his  horse  performed  in  a 
hurdle  race,  to  lecture  upon  the  superior  style  in  which  Buce- 
phalus carried  Alexander,  or  to  assert  the  superiority  of  the 
Spartan  horsemanship  over  that  of  the  knights  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem.  Then  comes  that  water-fly,  Bellirmine,  the 
most  insensate  ass  that  ever  was  enfolded  in  regimentals :  a 

N 


178  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

selfish,  miserable,  empty  coxcomb ;  a  regular  libel  upon  man* 
hood." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  I,  "I  must  not  sit  to  hear  this.  Come, 
it  is  time  that  we  prepared  for^the  mess." 

"Nay,  hear  me  dilate  upon  the  virtues  of  pur  commandant," 
lie  said;  "let  me  put  you  in  possession  of  his  capabilities  as  a 
soldier,  and  I  will  spare  you  the  remainder." 

"Not  a  sentence,"  I  said;  "I  should  hold  myself  a  sort  of 
receiver  of  scandal,  if  I  heard  more." 

"Well,  nimporte,"  said  he,  "you'll  find  what  I  have  uttered 
is  the  truth,  at  any  rate." 

Soon  after  this  conversation,  the  drums  sounding  out  the 
"roast  beef  of  old  England,"  we  joined  the  mess-table,  where 
altogether  a  large  party  were  assembled.  Here  again  I  thought 
I  observed,  that  amongst  the  officers  of  his  own  corps,  my 
friend  Lieutenant  Bullyman  seemed  to  be  by  no  means  a 
favourite.  He  was  not  exactly  cut,  but  there  was  a  reserve  on 
their  part  towards  him  and  a  sort  of  endurance  of  his  conver- 
sation, when  addressed  to  any  of  the  145th,  which  showed  me 
he  had  in  some  way  made  himself  on  ill  terms  with  the  whole 
depot.  Accordingly,  he  retaliated  upon  them  by  a  contemp- 
tuous and  rather  rude  bearing,  which  ever  and  anon  met  with 
a  sharp  rebuff ;  and  the  personalities  he  indulged  in,  were  met 
by  those  to  whom  he  addressed  them  by  reproofs,  which  for 
the  time  generally  discomfited  him,  and  sent  him  to  another 
party.  Meanwhile,  the  dinner  being  over,  and  the  mirth 
growing  fast  and  furious,  bumper  after  bumper  was  swallowed, 
and  the  table  was  quietly  in  a  roar. 

"Squire  Richard,"  cried  Lieutenant  Bullyman,  "you're 
going  the  pace,  I  see;  come,  I'll  take  you  a  bet  you  don't 
gallop  up  a  hill  perpendicular,  and  with  a  pistol,  shoot  a  spar- 
row flying." 

"I  never  boasted  of  my  skill  in  the  pistol,"  said  Fetlock, 
"though  I  cannot  say  as  much  for  others.  You're  a  good 
shot,  I  think  you  told  us  so ;  can  you  hit  Wat  Tyler's  mark?" 

"  Not  he,"  said  Bellarmine,  "  he  doesn't  relish  a  target  that 
fires  again.  Best  not  spur  the  horse  too  sharply,  Bullyman, 
he  may  fling  up  and  send  you  into  a  ditch." 

"Better  be  struck  by  the  hoofs  of  the  horse,  than  the  heels 
of  the  ass,"  said  Bullyman.  "  I  didn't  address  myself  to  you." 

"  If  you  allude  to  the  ass  in  the  lion's  skin,  I  grant  you," 
returned  the  dandy. 

"  No  more  of  that,"  said  the  commanding  officer;  "a  song, 
a  song — Captain  Plume  is  going  to  favour  us  with  the  *  British 
Grenadiers.'" 

It  was  easier  to  call  for  a  song,  than  gain  a  hearing,  where 
every  man  talked,  and  few  listened.  Amongst  the  loudest  of 
the  speakers  was  Captain  Euclid,  who  had  got  upon  his  favourite 
theme,  the  ancients.  Accordingly,  my  new  friend  soon  pro- 
ceeded to  draw  him  out,  as  he  called  it,  and  involve  himself  in 
fresh  difficulties. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTFNE.  179 

"  I  maintain  an  opinion  opposite  to  that,"  he  said,  in  answer 
to  some  observation  he  had  heard  him  utter:  "I  hold  fast  tc 
the  Macedonian  phalanx ;  a  fig  for  your  short-s-worded  soldiery 
of  the  seven-hilled  city.  I'm  for  long  spears  and  solid  squares, 
albeit  I've  no  objection  to  the  wedge  formation  either." 

"You're  clean  wrong  then,  sir,"  said  the  captain,  taking  the 
bait.  "  The  Greeks  and  Macedonians  were  in  error,  with  their 
sixteen  ranks  of  long  pikes,  wedged  in  close  array.  Reflection, 
as  well  as  the  event,  prove  that  the  massive  phalanx,  strong  as 
it  was,  was  unable  to  contend  against  the  activity  of  the  Roman 
legion.  The  legion  was  only  eight  deep." 

"  Ten,  sir,  ten,  I've  been  told,"  said  Bullyman. 

"Eight,  only  eight;  every  school-boy  kens  that,"  returned 
Euclid ;  "  and  three  feet  between  files,  and  three  feet  between 
ranks ;  consequently  they  had  free  space  for  the  use  of  their 
arms  and  motions.  Yes,  sir,  it  was  the  short  sword,  and  this 
formation,  that  conquered  the  world." 

"Ha,  ha!"  said  Bullyman;  "with  the  musket  and  bayonet 
in  the  hands  of  the  145th,  I  wouldn't  care  a  pin  for  their  for- 
mation and  weapons,  even  though  you  led  'em  on, — not  a  pin." 

"A  pin,  said  ye,"  returned  the  pedant,  "  peradventure,  a  pin 
may  be  a  more  important  instrument  than  you  imagine.  A 
pin  has  a  head,  sir,  and  that's  more  than  some  folks  I  know- 
are  possessed  of;  but  as  regards  the  phalanx " 

"  No,  no,"  shouted  Bullyman,  "  the  pin,  the  pin.  Prove  the 
importance  of  the  pin,  and  I  give  up  the  phalanx  to  the  devil 
who  invented  it." 

"  The  pin,"  said  the  captain,  contemptuous^,  "  my  dear  sir, 
however  you  may  despise  it,  requires  in  its  manufacture,  the 
hands  of  at  least  a  dozen  men;  quite,  I  should  say,  as  intePec- 
tual,  though,  peradventure,  not  quite  so  conceited  as  your 
worthy  self.  '  Cornet  my  dear.'" 

"  I'm  not  going  to  dispute  it,"  returned  the  lieutenant, 
winking  at  me,  as  much  as  to  say,  now  we  shall  have  it. 
"  Go  on." 

"  The  pin,"  continued  the  captain,  "  in  its  manufacture, 
will  instance  the  division  of  labour  better  than  any  article  I 
can  just  now  think  of,  and  the  fair  Belinda  at  her  toilette 
perhaps,  as  she  repaired  her  smiles,  little  thought  when  she 
selected  the  bright  particular  pin  which  confined  her  bodice, 
the  number  of  hands  that  minikin  had  necessarily  passed 
through  in  its  formation.  Ahem !  Yes,  sir.  One  man  draws 
out  the  wire,  another  is  employed  to  straighten  it,  a  fourth 
points  it,  a  fifth  grinds  it  at  the  top  for  receiving  the  head. 
To  make  that  head,  sir,  requires  two  or  three  distinct  opera- 
tions, to  put  it  on  is  another  man's  business,  to  whiten  the  pin 
is  another's,  and  it  is  even  a  trade  of  itself  to  put  them  into 
paper." 

The  captain's  description  had  so  interested  and  amused  the 
whole  table,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  several  near  him  could 


180  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

restrain  themselves  from  bursting  into  laughter.  However, 
he  was  so  absorbed  in  his  own  conceit,  that  with  his  eyes 
raised  and  his  head  thrown  back,  he  continued  to  dilate  upon 
the  subject,  till  he  had  completely  given  the  history  of  the 
trade. 

"  Pin-making  being  thus  divided  into  .distinct  operations, 
gentlemen,"  continued  he,  "  even  a  small'  manufactory,  com- 
posed of  but  ten  persons,  can  easily  produce  fifty  thousand 
pins  in  a  day — think  of  that ;  each  person,  therefore,  sir,  can 
bring  to  perfection  four  thousand  eight  hundred  pins  daily. 
Think  of  that,  gentlemen, — and  remember  also,  if  you  please, 
that  had  they  wrought  independently,  the  best  man  among 
them  could  not  have  made  twenty. — This  most  important 
young  gentleman,  here,  although  he  evidently  despises  the 
instrument,  could  not  even  have  manufactured  one  pin  in  a 
month,  to  save  his  soul — ahem!" 

"  I  thank  my  stars,  therefore,"  said  Bullyman,  "  and  I  hold 
him  base,  common,  and  mechanical,  who  could  so  give  up  his 
time,  as  even  to  have  learned  by  rote  the  process  of  making  a 
pin.  Ha,  ha !  fancy,  only  fancy,  gentlemen,  the  circumstance 
of  our  learned  and  worthy  friend,  Captain  Euclid ;  the  erudite 
and  accomplished  author  of  the  'Life  of  Quintus  MeteUus 
Celer,  proconsul  of  the  Gauls,'  condescending  to  inquire  into 
the  component  parts  of  a  minikin  pin.  Ha.  ha,  ha!  bravo." 

"  Laugh  at  yourself,  Bullyman,  my  dear,"  said  the  captain, 
growing  angry.  ? "  I'll  assure  you,  you'll  find  the  subject 
inexhaustible,  ye're  a  puir,  weakly,  shallow  mortal,  cornet, 
with  no  more  brains  than  are  to  be  found  in  a  mallet." 

"  Perhaps  not,  in  the  estimation  of  a  narrow-minded  pedant," 
returned  Bullyman.  "  I  don't  allow  you  to  be  judge  of  a 
man's  capacity  for  anything  but  the  manufacture  of  pins. 
Ha,  ha !  God  help  thee^  Euclid,  for  thou  art  a  great  fool." 

The  Highlander's  answer  to  this  was  in  deed,  not  word. 
He  leant  across  the  table,  and  with  his  face  glowing  with  rage, 
emptied  his  glass  of  claret  into  the  countenance  of  Lieutenant 
Bullyman. 

Except  by  those  immediately  near  where  we  were  seated, 
and  who  had  been  listening  to  the  controversy,  and  enjoying 
-t,  the  party  had  not  seen  this  transaction,  and  it  effectually 
silenced  all  who  had  witnessed  it. 

The  irate  Scot,  having  thus  vented  his  anger,  arose  from 
his  seat,  and  deliberately  taking  his  foraging  cap  from  the  peg 
on  which  he  had  hung  it,  walked  out  of  the  mess-room ;  whilst 
Lieutenant  Bullyman  was  so  taken  by  surprise  at  the  consum- 
mation he  had  provoked,  that  he  appeared  completely  dumb- 
founded. He  hadn't  even  energy  to  wipe  from  his  beard  the 
libation  Captain  Euclid  had  conferred  upon  it ;  but  sat  with 
stupid  dismay  eyeing  his  opponent  till  he  left  the  room. 

"  Had  you  not  better  retire  ?"  said  I  to  Lieutenant  Bully- 
man, who  was  sitting  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  his  chin  upon 
his  chest,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  mahogany  before  him. 


THE  SOLDIER   OF   FOETTTNE.  181 

"  Do  you  advise  it?"  inquired  he. 

"  I  hardly  know  how  to  advise  in  such  a  case,"  sale1.  T, 
"  but  I  think  you  had  better  do  so." 

"  Will  you  come  with  me,"  said  he. 

"  I'll  follow  you  in  a  few  minutes,"  replied  I,  "  if  you  wLli 
me  to  be  your  friend." 

"  For  God's  sake,  do  so,"  said  he,  rising  and  retiring;  "come 
quickly." 

The  senior  officer  of  the  145th,  Major  Clavering,  who  had 
been  engaged  in  conversation  with  the  friend  next  him,  had 
not  seen,  or  been  made  acquainted  with  this  little  fracas.  He, 
therefore,  rallied  the  guests,  pushed  the  bottle  about,  and  the 
conversation  once  more  becoming  general,  I  arose,  left  the 
room,  and  sought  Bullyman's  quarters. 

I  found  that  gentleman  in  bed,  to  my  no  slight  astonish- 
ment, and  upon  my  inquiring  as  to  the  meaning  of  such  an 
early  retirement,  he  informed  me  that  he  had  sent  for  the 
surgeon  of  the  regiment,  as  he  meant  to  put  himself  in  the 
sick  report. 

"  Report  yourself  sick !"  said  I,  in  astonishment,  "  and  at 
such  a  time  as  this.  Then,  what  do  you  mean  to  do  about 
Captain  Euclid?" 

"  What  do  you  advise?"  said  he. 

"  You  surely  don't  want  advice,"  I  replied.  "  You  cannot 
help  yourself.  You  must  call  him  out  instantly.  Did  you  not 
ask  me  to  be  your  friend?" 

"  I've  thought  better  of  it,"  said  he,  turning  and  rolling 
himself  in  the  coverlid ;  "  I  shall  do  no  such  thing.  I  shall 
report  him  to  the  commanding  officer  for  ungentlemanly  con- 
duct at  the  mess-table." 

"  And  this  is  your  firm  determination?"  said  I. 

"  It  is,"  returned  he. 

"  Then  I  wish  ?you  good  night,  Lieutenant  Bullyman^  and 
pleasant  dreams,"  returned  I.  "  Here  conies  the  doctor." 

Leaving  my  new  friend,  I  sought  my  barrack-room,  and 
tired  with  my  journey,  retired  to  bed. 

It  was  evident  to  me  now,  why  my  friend  the  lieutenant 
was  on  ill  terms  with  his  brother  officers.  He  was  evidently 
a  bully  and  a  coward ;  had  got  himself  into  several  scrapes 
before  this  untoward  event,  and  failing  in  doing  the  thing  that 
was  right,  was  slightly  regarded  accordingly.  This  last  affair, 
however,  was  a  more  serious  scrape  than  he  had  yet  thrust 
himself  into,  and  strange  to  say,  he  had  not  courage  sufficient 
to  meet  the  man  whose  insult  he  had  provoked. 
^  Meanwhile,  the  colonel  was  made  acquainted  with  the 
circumstance,  by  the  person  who  ought  to  have  been  most 
careful  in  concealing  it,  himself.  The  captain,  therefore, 
finding  that  my  new  friend  failed  in  calling  him  out,  (being 
impatient  of  action,)  proceeded  to  call  the  lieutenant  out  for 
the  insult  he  had  given  him,  before  he  himself  baptized  him 


182  THE   SOLDIER   OF  FOBTTJNE. 

with  the  claret.  The  lieutenant  refusing'  to  come  when  called 
upon,  the  whole  affair  became  a  matter  of  inquiry,  and  created 
quite  a  sensation  in  the  corps. 

Major  Clavering,  our  commandant,  was  a  gallant  and  chival- 
rous soldier,  and  one  who  had  sought  the  bubble  reputation, 
more  than  once,  "in  the  imminent  deadly  breach;"  a  sort  of 
fellow  who  would  volunteer  for  a  storming  party  as  readily 
and  carelessly  as  he  would  for  a  steeple- chase ;  'but  he  was 

Siite  unequal  to  the  command,  even  of  the  depot  of  a  regiment, 
e  couldn't  move  an  inch  without  his  adjutant.  His  ambition 
was  to  have  a  fashionable  regiment,  and  he  especially  liked 
those  quarters  in  time  of  peace  where  he  could  patronize  the 
ball,  the  play,  and  the  mess  dinner-party.  He  was,  indeed,  a 
gay  and  gallant  fellow,  as  jealous  of  the  smallest  deviation  in 
dress  among  his  officers  on  parade,  or  in  the  assembly-room, 
as  he  would  have  been  of  their  address  in  the  field.  The 
circumstance,  therefore,  of  one  of  his  corps  being  known  to 
have  provoked  and  received  an  insult  without  resenting  it, 
was  gall  and  wormwood  to  him.  Being  of  a  kind  disposition, 
he  wished  to  avoid  courts-martial  as  much  as  possible;  and 
after  giving  the  lieutenant  one  or  two  opportunities  and  hints 
to  settle  matters  with  Captain  Euclid,  by  the  arbitration  of 
the  pistol,  he  signified  to  him,  that  it  would  be  advisable  to 
exchange  into  another  regiment,  or  altogether  sell  out  of  the 
145th. 

The  lieutenant  accepted  the  former  alternative,  and  promised 
to  negotiate  an  exchange  as  soon  as  possible.  Meanwhile  he 
was  completely  cut  by  the  corps,  and  during  the  time  he  waited 
for  an  answer  to  the  application  for  leave  of  absence,  being 
relieved  from  duty,  stalked  about  like  a  miserable  degraded 
outcast,  who  had  committed  some  crime  which  placed  him 
without  the  pale  of  society. 

Under  these  circumstances,  much  as  I  despised  and  con- 
demned him,  so  utterly  unhappy  did  he  seem,  that  I  could 
not  choose  but  pity  him.  Whether  or  not  he  discovered  this 
by  my  countenance,  as  I  occasionally  passed  him,  I  know  not; 
but  lie  made  several  efforts  to  accost  me.  His  meanness  of 
spirit  even  prompting  him  to  bow,  although  I  omitted  to 
return  the  compliment,  he  at  length  forced  a  visit  upon  me 
one  morning,  as  I  was  at  breakfast  in  my  barrack-room. 
jSTaturally  surprised,  I  arose,  and  was  about  to  request  him  to 
withdraw,  but  he  threw  himself  upon  my  good  feeling,  and 
begged  a  hearing,  in  terms  so  abject,  that  my  pity  for  his 
situation  got  the  better  of  my  contempt  for  his  pusillanimous 
conduct,  and  as  he  asked  my  advice,  I  felt  myself  quite  unable 
•;  >  refuse  him  the  audience. 

It  happened  unfortunately  that  Major  Clavering  at  that 
moment  paid  me  a  visit  in  my  quarters,  to  consult  with  me 
ibout  some  private  theatricals  he  had  it  in  contemplation  to 
set  agoing  in  the  fort.  He  stopped  short  on  observing  Bully- 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  183 

man  seated  at  my  table,  instantly  turned  upon  his  heel,  and 
quitted  the  room. 

I  saw  that  the  incident  would  be  likely  to  lead  me  into 
difficulties ;  and  the  event  proved  that  I  was  not  far  out  in  my 
conjecture.  Accordingly,  after  the  morning  parade,  I  found 
the  visit  of  Lieutenant  Bullyman  had  been  canvassed  amongst 
the  officers  of  the  145th,  and,  as  the  cant  term  goes,  they  rather 
tipped  me  the  cold  shoulder.  ^  In  addition  to  this,  the  major 
spoke  to  me  upon  the  subject  in  a  tone  and  manner  I  thought 
highly  offensive  and  uncalled  for.  I  answered  him  with  consi- 
derable warmth,  and  was  put  under  arrest  for  my  pains.  In 
an  evil  hour,  I  resolved  to  rebel  against  opinion  and  authority, 
and  conceiving  myself  cut  without  rhyme  or  reason,  disdaining 
all  explanation,  invited  Bullyman  to  spend  the  evening  in  my 
quarters.  That  invitation  sealed  my  fate. 

Bullyman  was  a  designing  knave,  as  well  as  a  coward.  He 
managed  to  get  me  to  espouse  his  quarrel,  and  feel  a  deeper 
resentment  against  my  brother  officers.  During  the  time  I 
was  under  arrest,  his  leave  of  absence  arriving,  he  quitted  the 
regiment  for  good,  leaving  me  in  reversion  the  quarrel  he  had 
been  too  great  a  coward  to  fight  out. 

In  short,  I  was  released  from  arrest  one  morning,  and, 
after  a  reprimand  from  the  major,  was  ordered  to  join  my 
company. 

After  the  drill  was  over,  as  I  still  retained  a  haughty  and 
contemptuous  feeling  towards  some  of  my  brother  officers,  I 
joined  a  party,  consisting  of  two  or  three  officers  belonging  to 
another  of  the  corps  stationed  in  the  fort,  in  a  walk  to  the 
town  of  Inverness.  After  spending  the  day  in  wandering  over 
the  field  of  Culloden,  we  returned,  dined  at  Inverness,  and 
afterwards  strolled  home. 


CHAPTEE  XXVIII. 

"  What !  shall  we  have  incision  ?     Shall  we  imbrue  ? 
Then  death  rock  me  asleep,  abridge  my  doleful  days  I 
Why  then,  let  grievous,  ghastly,  gaping  wounds 
Untwine  the  sisters  three  !     Come,  Atrophos,  I  say." 

SHAKSPERE. 

ON  entering  the  rnes«-room,  I  found  some  half-dozen  of  my 
brother  officers,  who  had  remained  after  mess,  seated  before 
the  fire,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  glass  of  whisky  toddy  and  a 
cigar.  They  looked  round  when  I  entered,  but  did  not  speak 
to  me,  and  continued  their  conversation  amongst  them- 
selves. I  took  a  turn  or  two  up  and  down  the  room,  and 
at  length,  stopping  in  rear  of  the  circle,  I  looked  hard  at  them 
individually. 


184  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTTNE. 

"  A  cold  night,  gentlemen,"  said  I. 

"Very,"  returned  the  major,  drily,  who  was  one  of  the 
party. 

I  took  another  turn.  My  blood  boiled  in  my  veins,  and  I 
felt  myself  about  to  lose  all  control  over  my  actions.  If  any 
man  would  but  have  spit  in  my  face,  methought  I  could  have 
been  happy.  However,  as  no  one  either  insulted,  or  made 
room  for  me  in  the  circle,  I  continued  my  quarter-deck 
promenade. 

Presently  the  adjutant,  entering  the  room,  requested  a  word 
with  the  commandant.  He  arose  to  accompany  him,  and  un- 
buckling his  sword,  threw  it  on  his  chair. 

"I  shall  be  back,  Plume,"  said  he,  "in  two  minutes.  Let 
nobody  take  my  seat." 

I  stepped  up  to  the  fire,  took  the  sword  from  the  chair,  and 
was  about  to  seat  myself. 

"  Stay,  sir,"  said  Plume,  "  that  is  Major  Clavering's  seat. 
He  is  returning.  See,  he  has  left  his  sword." 

"  I  am  quite  aware  of  it,"  said  I,  seating  myself.  "  I  heard 
himself  say  so.  A  cold  night  this,  gentlemen,  as  I  before  ob- 
served. Let  me  stir  the  fire  for  you." 

In  saying  this,  I  thrust  the  major's  steel  scabbard  and  blade 
between  the  bars  of  the  grate,  stirred  up  the  fire,  and  left  the 
instrument  sticking  amidst  the  glowing  coals. 

The  circle  sat  in  a  state  of  perfect  amazement.  They  looked 
from  one  to  the  other,  then  at  the  sword,  then  at  me,  as  I  sat, 
with  arms  folded,  watching  the  glowing  falchion,  as  it  became 
red  hot,  and  then  at  each  other  again.  Every  man  there  knew 
the  major  well,  his  high  and  chivalrous  spirit,  and  his  impa- 
tience at  anything  like  insubordination.  More  than  one  feared 
him,  and  all  toadied  him  to  the  top  of  his  bent. 

During  at  least  a  quarter  of  an  hour  that  he  was  absent,  no 
one  uttered  a  sentence.  Not  a  man  sipped  his  grog,  but  all 
pulled  with  double  vigour  at  their  cigars —  puff,  puff,  puff,  puff. 
At  length,  a  footstep  approached,  and  the  door  opened ;  every 
head  turned  like  lightning  towards  it.  It  was  the  mess  waiter 
to  clear  away  some  of  the  things.  Again  their  eyes  turned 
upon  the  major's  red-hot  brand,  with  looks  of  curiosity  and 
amaze — 

"  And  now  sits  expectation  in  the  air." 

The  major's  armed  heel  and  well-known  step  at  length  were 
really  heard  in  the  passage,  and  the  next  moment  he  was  in  the 
room.  He  advanced  towards  his  seat  before  the  fire.  'Twas 
filled.  He  stopped,  and  was  about  to  demand  his  chair,  when 
his  eye  fell  upon  his  trusty  falchion  turned  into  a  poker,  and 
left  between  the  bars  of  the  grate.  Not  the  Highland  Thane, 
when  he  beheld  the  table  full,  and  the  blood-boltered  Banquo 
on  his  stool  could  have  so  glared,  as  glared  Major  Hotspur 
Clavering  upon  his  some  time  weapon.  There  was  no  occasion 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  185 

for  him  to  ask,  "Which  of  you  has  done  this?"  The  thing 
spoke  for  itself.  He  touched  me  sharply  on  the  shoulder ;  his 
face  was  livid  with  rage,  as  I  started  up  and  confronted  him. 
Pointing  to  the  door,  as  a  signal  for  me  to  follow  him,  he 
turned  upon  his  heel,  and  swiftly  left  the  room.  Traversing 
the  passage,  he  glanced  over  his  shoulder  to  see  that  I  was 
behind,  and  passed  out  into  the  barrack  square.  He  walked 
so  rapidly,  that  I  was  compelled  to  mend  my  pace,  in  order  to 
keep  him  in  sight.  "When  about  the  middle  of  the  square  had 
been  gained,  he  turned  round  and  accosted  me. 

"  Can  you  wield  the  weapon  you  have  put  to  so  unworthy  a 
use?"  said  he. 

"  I  can,"  answered  I. 

"  Be  cautious,  young  man,"  said  he,  "  I  warn  you  that  I  am 
an  expert  swordsman.  Unless  you  are  yourself  a  good  fencer, 
decline  the  weapon." 

"Have  no  compunction,  Major  Clavering,"  said  I;  "the 
chances  are,  you'll  find  your  match." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  returned  he,  "x'tis  something  out  of 
the  common  custom.  But  the  insult  youx  have  put  upon  me, 
is  also  singularly  offensive.  This  is  no  common  case — one  of 
us  must  fall.  The  hour  that  saw  the  affront  must  not  expire 
before  it  is  wiped  out.  Get  your  weapon  and  friend  instantly. 
Pass  the  fort,  and  await  me.  If  first,  beside  the  cairn  upon  the 
heath.  Do  you  agree  to  this  ?" 

"I  do,"  said  I. 

"  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  shall  expect  you,"  continued  he, 
as  he  turned  and  sought  his  quarters. 

Amongst  the  officers  of  the  depot  of  the — th  Highlanders, 
I  had  several  friends.  One  of  them,  with  whom  I  was  most 
intimate,  had  advised  me  that  very  morning  to  pick  a  quarrel 
amongst  the  officers  of  the  145th,  as  a  means  of  righting  my- 
self with  them.  He  could  not  very  well,  therefore,  refuse  to 
accompany  me,  and  him  I  sought. 

Tired  with  the  day's  excursion,  he  had  retired  to  bed ;  but 
rose  immediately  upon  my  making  known  my  errand.  He 
rather  demurred  to  the  settlement  of  the  affair  with  our  regi- 
mental swords ;  but,  at  length,  agreeing  in  consideration  of  the 
oddity  of  my  affront  to  the  major,  we  took  our  way  to  the 
trysting-place,  as  soon  as  he  was  fully  equipped. 

The  moon  shone  out  brightly,  and  the  snow  was  upon  the 
ground,  when  we  left  the  gates  of  Port  George.  I  had  had 
but  small  time  for  reflection ;  yet,  as  I  passed  the  walls  of  the 
fortress,  I  felt  that  the  crisis  of  my  fate  had  arrived.  For  the 
first  time  it  struck  me,  that  at  best  I  was  about  to  fight  a 
losing  battle.  So  strange  is  it,  that  the  violence  of  one's  feel- 
ing under  insult  or  irritation,  allows  no  pause  till  the  enter- 
tainer has  stepped  so  far  that  return  is  impossible.  Pive 
minutes  back,  I  felt  that  if  I  could  be  foot  to  foot  with  my 
rapier  point  opposed  to  the  breast  of  any  one  of  my  brother 


186  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOKTTWE. 

officers  whose  supercilious  conduct  had  injured  my  honour,  I 
should  be  happy.  I  had  sought,  and  found  my  quarrel — fixed 
it  upon  one  worthy  my  arm  and  weapon,  and  now,  for  the  first 
time,  "consideration  came;"  though  too  late  to  "whip  the 
offending  Adam  out  of  me."  "  Beware,"  says  Polonius,  "of 
entrance  to  a  quarrel ;  but,  being  in,  bear  it,  that  the  opposer 
may  beware  of  thee."  I  was  fairly  embarked  in  one:  would 
that  I  had  been  wary  of  engaging  in  it !  The  latter  part  of  the 
advice  was  now  all  I  had  to  follow. 

When  on  the  open  heath,  the  night  was  so  clear — one  of 
those  bright  lovely  nights  so  common  in  the  north  during  win- 
ter— that  the  country  road  was  distinguishable  almost  as  plain 
as  on  a  sunny  day. 

"  I  wish  you  had  fixed  this  business  upon  any  one  but  Ma- 
jor Clavering,"  said  my  companion,  "  for  then  we  might  have 
had  a  chance  of  coming  out  of  it  without  anything  very  serious. 
JNTow,  however,  you  have  placed  us  all  on  a  quicksand.  Major 
Clavering  is  a  wicked  fellow,  when  he's  regularly  angry.  You'll 
find  no  boys'  play  with  him.  Why  didn't  you  take  an  oppor- 
tunity of  something  sulky  amongst  the  subs." 

"  I  know  not,"  said  I ;  "  he  almost  asked  for  the  quarrel,  I 
thought,  and  so  I  indulged  him.  How  mean  you  by  the  word 
wicked,  as  applied  to  Major  Clavering  of  the  — th." 

"  Why,  not  exactly  in  the  sense  the  chaplain  of  the  regiment 
would  understand  it,"  returned  my  friend.  "I  mean,  that 
after  the  particular  way  in  which  you  have  sought  him,  he'll 
be  likely  to  want  letting  blood  to  some  extent,  before  he  cools 
down.  What  you  have  put  in  his  pipe  will  want  a  deal  of 
smoking,  that's  all.  But  see,  there's  the  cairn,  and  as  I  live  he's 
there  before  us." 

It  was  even  so  ;  the  cairn  was  now  not  two  hundred  yards 
from  us  :  and  a  figure  was  flitting  backwards  and  forwards  as 
restlessly  and  wildly  as  Elshender,  the  recluse,  when  first  seen 
by  Hobbie  Elliot,  on  Micklestone  Moor. 

The  major  was  alone.  He  had  sought  and  found  the  friend 
he  meant  to  employ,  desired  him  to  follow,  grabbed  his  case  of 
pistols,  and,  glowing  with  fervour,  longing  for  action,  anxious 
to  wash  out  the  stain  his  honour  had  received,  had  hurried  to 
the  trysting-place,  where  the  effervescence  of  his  passion 
kept  him  at  boiling  heat  till  he  found  his  antagonist  set  before 
his  rapier's  point. 

It  is  singular,  but  not  the  less  true,  that  there  are  a  sort  of 
men  who  are  thus  insane  upon  this  one  point — the  duello. 
Kind  and  warm-hearted  fellows,  good  soldiers,  and  "tall 
fellows,"  as  Falstaff  has  it,  most  estimable  men,  jolly  cqm- 

rions,  and  even  by  no  means  easy  of  affront,  or  seeking 
the  quarrel,  and  yet  withal  so  ready  to  embark  in  any 
cause  which  is  likely  to  bring  on  the  duello ;  and  so  utterly 
unmanageable  and  opposed  to  any  sort  of  arrangement  short 
of  "bullets  wrapped  in  fire,"  that  even  the  most  trifling  and 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  187 

fancied  offence,  when  once  taken,  must»be  wiped  out  by  the 
ceremonious  cartel.  Irishmen  and  Frenchmen,  the  'best- 
hearted  fellows  in  the  world,  are  more  apt  to  fancy  themselves 
called  upon  to  go  out  than  perhaps  the  natives  of  any  other 
country. 

Major  Clavering  was  one  of  these  most  punctilious  gentle- 
men :  and,  certainly,  at  the  present  moment,  he  had  cause  to 
demand  most  ample  satisfaction  for  the  affront  I  had  put  upon 
Hm.  He  stopped  in  his  hurried  walk  as  soon  as  we  reached 
the  cairn,  and  lifted  his  foraging-cap  to  me  as  our  eyes  met. 
The  angry  spot  was  upon  his  brow,  and  I  felt,  with  Richard, 
that  "  for  one  or  both  of  us  the  time  was  come."  There  was — 
there  could  be — no  possible  way  of  accommodating  matters, 
after  having  seriously  offended  such  as  Clavering. 

"  My  friend  will  be  here  immediately,"  said  he.  "  See,  he 
approaches.  I  have  my  pistols  here,  in  case  our  swords  are 
insufficient.  I  need  not  inquire  if  yours  is  the  regulation  blade, 
since  I  allow  none  other  in  the  depot." 

"  Major  Clavering,"  said  I,  "  since  you  have  thought  proper 
to  open  a  conversation  before  we  engage  in  mortal  conflict, 
perhaps  you  will  allow  me  to  say  you  have  not,  as  commanding 
officer  of  the  145th,  exactly  used  me  with  the  consideration 
and  kindness  you  were  bound  to  do.  I  have  chosen  to  fix  this 
quarrel  upon  you,  because  I  have  observed  that  you  have,  in 
something,  biassed  the  opinions  of  the  officers  of  the  depot ; 
not  only  sanctioning  their  coolness  towards  me,  on  account  of 
my  advocating  the  cause  of  Lieutenant  Bullyman,  but  actually, 
I  am  informed,  advising  my  being  cut  in  the  corps." 

"I^would  you  had  sought  an  explanation  before,  young 
man,"  said  he :  "  and  this  might  have  been  avoided.  We  all 
of  us  hoped  for  a  reconciliation ;  but  your  great  spirit,  and  in- 
domitable pride,  prompted  you  to  treat  every  one  of  your 
brother  officers  with  so  much  arrogance  and  hauteur,  that  it 
was  impossible  for  any  one  to  make  advance  towards  a  recon- 
ciliation after  the  offending  object  had  removed  himself  from 
amongst  us.  No,  sir :  you  have  no  cause  of  complaint.  You 
chose  between  the  society  of  your  brother  officers,  and  one  who 
had  brought  disgrace  upon  the  regiment.  You  became  the 
friend,  adviser,  and  associate  of  a  cowardly  scoundrel,  whose 
pleasure  it  was,  since  the  day  he  first  joined,  to  offer  gratuitous 
insult  to  his  companions  in  arms,  and  then  sneak  out  of  the 
responsibility  by  sheltering  himself  under  the  regulations  of 
the  service.  You  witnessed  his  last  effort,  and  how  he  evaded 
giving  satisfaction  to  the  man  who  challenged  him,  and  you 
ought  to  have  avoided  his  society  as  that  of  a  person  unfit  to 
live  amongst  men  of  honour.  This  is,  however,  now  useless 
recrimination.  You  have  conferred  a  singularly  offensive  in- 
sult upon  me.  I  know  you  sufficiently  to'be  aware  that  you 
will  be  ready  and  willing  to  answer  it.  Enough !  here  is  Cap- 
tain O'Toole.  I  have  possessed  him  with  our  grounds  of 
quarrel.  Draw !  sir." 


188  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

He  drew  the  weapon,  he  had  brought  with  him,  as  he  finished 
speaking,  and  putting  himself  in  attitude,  our  swords  crossed. 
The  first  half-dozen  passes  were  sufficient  to  show  me,  had  I 
not  before  known  it,  that  the  regulation-sword  of  the  infantry 
of  the  present  day  is  the  most  useless  weapon  that  ever  was 
invented  in  any  age.  To  fence  with  it  was  impossible :  and 
after  some  half-dozen  clumsy  thrusts  and  wide  parries,  the 
major,  already  at  boiling-heat,  being  foiled  in  his  lunges, 
changed  his  play,  and  dashing  upon  me,  rained  such  a  shower 
of  blows,  that  had  I  not  been  extremely  cautious,  and  given 
ground,  he  must  have,  some  how  or  other,  cut  me  down.  He 
fought  like  a  red-hot  Paddy  at  a  \vake,  and  swung  his  blade 
about  as  though  it  had  been  a  shiklegh. 

How  long  this  might  have  lasted,  before  one  or  other  of  us 
got  an  ugly  wound,  I  cannot  tell ;  but  our  swordsmanship  was 
stopped  by  an  accident  to  one  of  the  weapons.  In  returning 
one  of  the  major's  downright  blows,  and  being  irritated  at 
receiving  a  cut  which  had  lacerated  my  cheek,  I  gave  my  blow 
with  such  good  will,  that  my  sword  broke  in  two,  like  a  piece 
of  cast-iron,  and,  saving  the  hilt  and  some  half-a-foot  of  the 
remaining  blade,  I  stood  weaponless,  and  at  his  mercy. 

He  was  too  chivalrous  in  spirit  to  take  advantage,  and  im- 
mediately dropped  his  point ;  and  our  seconds  stepped  up. 

"Lend  me  your  weapon,  Counterblast,"  said  I.  "  Major,  I 
thank  you  for  your  courtesy ;  you  had  me  something  at  advan- 
tage." 

"  I  think  the  affair  is  finished,  Captain  O'Toole,  is  it  not?" 
said  Lieutenant  Counterblast  to  the  major's  second.  "  I'm  glad 
it  is  no  worse." 

"  Finished !"  returned  O'Toole  :  "  is  it  finished  you're  man- 
ing  ?  Not  exactly.  By  the  powers  !  I  think  it's  hardly  com- 
menced. My  principal  is  anything  but  satisfied.  He  rather 
desires  to  finish  the  affair  like  a  gentleman.  Hand  your  friend 
the  weapon  he  asks  for,  sir.  Major  Clavering  is  quite  ready." 

"  I  do  not  quite  relish  this  sort  of  thing,  Captain  O'Toole," 
said  Counterblast.  "  We  shall  get  into  a  scrape,  I  fear.  I  feel 
inclined  to  withdraw  my  principal.  Enough,  and  more  than 
enough,  has  been  done.  Major  Clavering  has  had  the  best  of 
it  in  every  way :  he  ought  to  be  satisfied.  Can  we  not  arrange 
it  without  proceeding  further,  think  ye  ?" 

"  By  the  lord,  lad !  but  you  don't  seem  to  understand  the 
code  of  honour,"  said  O'Toole.  "You  talk  of  withdrawing 
and  arranging  in  the  same  breath.  Permit  me  to  say,  the 
major  and  I  had  arranged  to  come  here  to  fight.  There  has 
been  quite  enough  shilly-shallying  in  the  145th,  lately,  me- 
thinks.  We  don't  want  to  be  altogether  laughed  out  of  the 
Fort.  If  you  withdraw  your  friend,  I  hope  you  mean  to  take 
his  place." 

"I  understand  the  laws  of  honour,"  returned  Counterblast, 
"  quite  as  well,  and  I  think,  indeed,  something  better  than  you 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  189 

do  yourself,  Captain  O'Toole ;  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  tliia 
duel  has  proceeded  far  enough.  I  shall,  however,  so  far  con- 
cede to  yours  and  the  major's  wishes,  as  to  permit  of  the 
affair  proceeding.  But  I  will  have  no  more  sword-work 
•Give  them  a  shot  a-piece,  and  there  an  end.  We  have  the 
weapons  ready." 

"Agreed,  agreed,"  said  the  captain,  stepping  up  to  his  prin- 
cipal, to  advertize  him  of  this  change  of  weapons :  "  agreed, 
agreed :  '  ods  bullets  and  triggers,'  as  the  man  says  in  the  play 
"  let  the  pistol  decide  the  matter  out  of  hand.'  I'm  clearly  of 
your  opinion." 

To  be  brief,  then,  we  were  placed  with  the  usual  distance 
between  us. 

As  I  received  my  weapon,  the  remembrance  of  the  dreadful 
scene  I  had  witnessed,  on  the  occasion  of  my  former  duel  with 
Lord  Hardenbrass,  came  so  vividly  before  me,  that  I  shuddered 
at  the  prospect  of  another  such  catastrophe,  and  resolved  to 
receive  the  major's  fire,  and  not  to  return  it.  Counterblast, 
however,  advised  me  to  take  good  aim,  and  fire  quick.  "  It's 
your  only  chance,"  said  he:  "he's  a  dead  shot.  Be  steady,  or 
you're  lost." 

I  turned  my  eye,  as  he  retired,  upon  my  antagonist,  and 
saw  by  his  look  that  the  hint  was  not  to  be  neglected.  ^  My 
intent  was  instantly  changed,  and  all  qualms  of  conscience 
silenced  by  the  angry  feeling  which  arose  at  the  evident  san- 
guinary intentions  of  both  my  opponent  and  his  second.  The 
next  moment,  Captain  O'Toole  gave  the  signal,  and  we  fired. 

A  stunning  blow  upon  the  head,  sent  me  reeling  three  or 
four  paces  from  where  I  stood.  I  recovered,  and  saved  myself 
from  falling,  and  as  the  smoke  of  my  pistol  blew  from  before 
iny  eyes,  I  beheld  my  opponent  stretched  at  full  length  upon 
the  heath.  His  ball  had  grazed  my  temple — mine  had  pierced 
his  heart ! 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

»«  There's  nothing  level  in  our  cursed  natures, 
But  direct  villany.     Therefore,  be  abhorred, 
All  feasts,  societies,  and  throngs  of  men ! 
His  semblable,  yea,  himself,  Timon,  disdains ; 
Destruction  fang  mankind!" 

SHAKSPERE. 

pass  over  the  scene  which  followed,  and  my  feel- 
ings upon  this  unhappy  event.  Suffice  it,  the  next  morning 
found  myself,  Counterblast,  and  O'Toole,  prisoners  in  our  se- 
parate barrack-rooms,  under  close  arrest.  I  felt  that  I  was 
irretrievably  ruined,  and  feared  my  friend  and  second  would 
shars  in  my  disgrace. 


190  THE  SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE. 

/ 

My  anticipations  were  not  unfounded,  as  far  as  I  mvself  was 
concerned.  The  matter  became  subject  of  court-martial.  The 
very  members  whom  I  had  met  as  friends,  and  who  were  assembled 
when  I  first  joined  at  Fort  George,  were  again  ordered  to  reas- 
semble for  my  trial.  The  evidence  was  conclusive,  and  clearly 
in  my  disfavour.  I  had  thrust  a  duel  upon  my  commanding- 
officer  by  the  most  unwarrantable  insult,  given  before  several  of 
the  officers  of  the  corps.  I  was  found  guilty,  and  cashiered ;  the 
two  seconds  getting  off  with  a  severe  reprimand.  The  sentence 
was  a  hard  but  a  just  one,  and  I  was  x>iticd  by  the  whole  corps. 
When  too  late,  they  saw  the  injury  they  had  inflicted  upon  me ; 
and  interest  was  subsequently  made,  even  at  head-quarters,  to 
procure  my  reinstatement.  It  however  was  in  vain.  I  had  no 
powerful  friend  there  of  my  own  to  back  my  suit;  and  like  Rob 
jioy,  I  looked  east,  west,  north,  and  south,  and  found  neither  hold 
nor  hope,  neither  beild  nor  shelter.  I  was  a  broken  man  !  Where 
to  go,  or  what  to  do,  I  knew  not.  About  a  hundred  pounds  re- 
mained in  my  purse,  after  I  had  paid  and  settled  the  few  debts  I 
had  contracted  whilst  with  the  145th :  and  the  same  night  of  the 
day  1  was  released  from  arrest,  found  me  a  wanderer  upon  the 
heath,  I  neither  knew  nor  cared  in  what  direction,  so  that  every 
stride  I  took  removed  me  further  from  the  walls  of  Fort  George, 
where  I  had  thus  been,  as  I  conceived,  victimized  and  disgraced. 

It  was  the  depth  of  winter;  the  night  winds  pierced  through 
jny  chest,  like  a  stiletto;  yet  I  heeded  neither  "  winter  nor  rough 
weather."  There  was  too  hot  a  summer  in  my  bosom  for  me  to 
feel  aught  in  the  shape  of  bodily  pain  at  that  moment. 

When  I  was  about  to  leave  my  barrack-room,  my  servant,  a 
rear-rank  man  of  the  company  to  which  I  belonged,  a  good- 
natured,  honest-hearted  fellow,  who  had  eat,  drank,  and  slept  at 
the  sound  of  the  drum  for  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  sus- 
pecting from  my  manners  and  look  that  I  was  about  either  to  cut 
my  throat,  or  do  some  other  rash  act,  after  pottering  about  the 
room,  and  offering  me  a  hundred  different  little  attentions,  sud- 
denly stepped  before  me,  and  thus  accosted  me : — "  Your  honour's 
not  a-going  to  leave  us  to-night  ?"  he  said. 

"I  am,  Cochrane,"  I  answered  ;  "  why  do  you  ask?" 

"  There's  no  conveyance,  that  I  know  of,  from  Cumbletown," 
said  he,  "after  eight  o'clock  to-night,  sir.  Have  you  ordered 
any  tiling  to  fetch  you  away?" 

"  I  have  not,"  I  said. 

"  Then  how  do  you  mean  to  go,  sir  P"  he  inquired. 

"  Walk,  Cochrane,"  I  replied. 

"  Where  to,  sir,"  he  said,  "on  such  a  night  as  this  ?" 

"I  know  not,  my  man,"  I  answered;  "perchance  into  my 
grave." 

" Be  persuaded,  sir,"  he  said;  "I'll  take  your  things  early  in 
the  morning,  before  the  Aberdeen  coach  passes.  I  know  you 
want  to  get  away  quietly,  and  we  can  be  off  before  light." 

"  My  good  fellow,"  I  replied,  "  I'm  off  even  now.    I  could  not 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  191 

amain  here  another  night  for  worlds.  It  would  kill  me.  I  wish 
>  avoid  seeing  any  one." 

"Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!"  exclaimed  the  poor  fellow,  "I'm  very 
>rry; — we're  all  sorry  to  part  with  you,  sir.  The  men  all  have 
liking  for  you,  even  though  you've  been  so  short  a  time  with  us." 

"Farewell,  my  good  fellow,"  I  said. 

"  I've  never  had  a  hard  or  unkind  word  from  you,"  continued 
tie  soldier.  "  I've  served  many  officers,  ay,  and  nursed  many  on 
tieir  death-beds  hi  the  West  Indies ;  but  I  never  was  more  sorry 
3  part  with  a  master  than  I  am  with  you.  You've  been  too  kind 
:>  me,  sir.  I'm  sorry  for  your  misfortune :  and  if  I  was  out  of 
le  service,  I'd  follow  and  serve  you  for  nothing." 

"My  good  fellow,"  said  I,  "this  pains  me.  You  owe  me  no 
ratitude.  I've  treated  you  but  as  a  master  should  treat  a  good 
nd  faithful  servant;  one  who  has  anticipated  my  every  wish, 
idieu !  Send  my  baggage  to  the  Aberdeen  coach,  to  be  forwarded, 
nd  here  is  for  your  pains." 

"  Let  me  shake  you  by  the  hand,  master,"  said  the  poor  fellow, 
Beeping.  "  We  shall  never  meet  again.  I  was  to  go  with  you  in 
tie  first  draught  to  the  West  Indies.  Now  I  shall  go  without 
ou." 

The  rules  of  the  service  are  strict.  No  officer  can  well  shake 
.ands  with  a  private  in  the  same  regiment :  and  I  was  about  to 
raw  back  as  the  honest  fellow  held  out  his  hand  to  press  mine. 

"Pshaw!"  said  I,  "what  have  I  to  do  with  the  service  now? 
Lm  I  not  degraded,  disgraced,  and  cashiered  ?  There's  my  hand, 
ay  good  fellow,"  said  I.  "Farewell;  we  shall  meet  no  more." 

I  put  ten  guineas  into  his  hard  fist,  as  I  wrung  it.  When  he 
aw  it  was  gold,  he  followed  me  to  return  it.  But  I  refused  to  re- 
eive  it  back.  Had  it  been  two  thousand,  his  fidelity  and  good- 
.ess  of  heart  deserved  it  all. 

I  was  now  like  Lear  upon  the  open  heath,  exposed  to  the  pelting 
f  the  pitiless  storm,  and  that,  too,  in  the  climate  of  the  north. 
ly  brain  was  so  excited  with  all  that  had  happened,  that  I  held 
nwards  straight  ahead,  like  a  ship  steering  across  the  trackless- 
cean.  The  night  was  dark,  and  the  snow  stung  my  visage,  like 
harp  bodkins.  I  had  no  particular  intention  of  reaching  any 
own,  but,  like  the  headlong  cavalier,  with  care  seated  behind 
im,  was  hurrying  onwards,  as  much  to  conquer  my  mental  misery 
y  severe  bodily  exercise,  as  any  other  purpose.  I  felt  it  a  relief 
iiien  I  considered  that  each  step  was  bearing  me  away  from  the 
ound  of  the  drums  and  fifes  at  Fort  George. 

The  wind  lulled  for  a  few  minutes,  as  I  ran  against  a  pile  of 
loss-clad  earth,  or  rock,  which  in  the  darkness  I  had  not  seen. 
Ls  I  felt  it  with  my  hand,  I  suddenly  recognised  it  as  the  try  sting- 
lace  of  my  recent  disastrous  duel  with  Major  Clavering.  The 
ast  prolonged  note  of  the  trumpet  as  the  tattoo  finished,  like  the 
aint  blast  of  Eoland's  horn,  died  away  in  the  distance,  as  I  stopped 
leside  the  fatal  cairn.  It  seemed  like  the  farewell  of  all  my  future 
topes  and  prospects.  It  told  me,  in  the  somewhat  hacknied  words 


192  THE   SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE, 

of  the  great  wonder  of  all  time,  that  for  ever  more  "  my  occu- 
pation was  gone."  "The  neighing  steed,  the  plumed  troop,  the 
pride  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,"  had  all,  I  thought,  in 
that  prolonged  note  of  the  shrill  trump,  bidden  me  an  eternal 
adieu.  I  shall  never  forget  that  sound, — "the  knell  of  my  departed 
joys." 

I  shuddered  as  I  quitted  the  cairn,  and,  notwithstanding  the 
increasing  hurricane,  pushed  onwards  over  the  heath.  For  some 
time  I  continued  to  face  the  wind  and  snow,  which  at  times 
threatened  to  stop  my  breathing  with  its  violence.  If  I  had  an 
intent  of  going  towards  any  sort  of  destination,  I  believe  my  wild 
thoughts  touched  upon  Aberdeen.  I  had  a  sort  of  half  made  up 
determination  to  touch  there  in  my  way  to  England.  Though 
what  I  meant  to  do  in  England,  or  why  I  should  go  there  at  all,  it 
would  have  puzzled  me  to  say.  The  idea  of  seeking  my  father,  or 
even  letting  him  hear  from  me,  was  so  completely  opposite  to  my 
ideas  and  feelings,  that  I  would  have  been  torn  with  wild  horse's 
rather  than  either  have  appeared  before  him  or  written  to  him. 
Friends,  I  had  none  that  I  could  think  of  applying  to,  and  I  seemed 
to  myself  a  miserable  outcast. 

"  Destruction  fang  mankind! "  said  I.    "  Earth  yield  me  roots. 

•  Timon  will  to  the  woods,  where  he  shall  find 
The  unkindest  beast  less  cruel  than  mankind.' " 

The  howling  blast  was  now  answered  by  a  roaring  sound.  I 
had  walked  for  some  hours,  and  in  the  dark,  deviated  from  the 
straight  line.  I  was  brought  to  a  stand  by  the  wild  waters  which 
washed  the  coast  of  that  part  of  Scotland. 

I  paused  to  consider,  for  the  first  time  since  I  started,  what  my 
intentions  were,  and  whither  I  was  bound.  A  night  walk  to  one 
of  my  iron  frame  was  nothing ;  but  still,  to  be  cast  away  in  this 
howling  wilderness,  on  such  a  night  as  this,  was  something 
dangerous.  That,  however,  I  cared  not  a  rush  about;  but  as  the 
severe  cold  had  gradually  penetrated  to  my  heart,  it  had  some- 
what cooled  my  feelings,  and  reflection  came  to  aid  me.  I  sat 
down  in  the  snow,  and  listened  to  the  heavy  and  monotonous  dash 
of  the  waves  at  my  very  feet.  So  lost  was  I  in  my  cogitations, 
that  I  felt  myself  'rapidly  falling  asleep.  In  a  moment,  I  re- 
membered that  to  sleep  was  to  die.  The  love  of  life  is  as  singular 
as  it  is  strong.  Why  I  should  have  wished  to  prolong  so  unfortu- 
nate a  career  I  know  not;  but  I  successfully  combated  the  drowsy 
feeling,  started  up,  and,  turning  my  back  upon  the  sea,  once  more 
at  a  venture,  wandered  over  the  waste. 

The  snow  had  now,  in  some  places,  drifted  so  deeply,  that  I 
made  but  little  way,  and  the  exertion  of  walking  kept  me  warm. 
It  mattered  not  which  way  I  went,  as  I  felt  confident  I  should 
obtain  no  shelter  for  that  night.  All  I  could  do  was,  by  moving 
onwards  during  this  long  night,  to  keep  myself  alive.  Silently  and 


laboriously,  therefore,  I  wended  on.  'Hour  after  hour  found  me 
plunging  into  some  deep  wreath  of 


snow,  and  re-threading  my 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  193 

steps  out  of  it  again.  No  sounds  met  my  ear,  but  the  rushing 
winds,  and  the  deep  cry  of  the  bog  bittern. 

At  length  to  my  joy,  yes,  I  actually  felt  joyful,  when  I  beheld 
the  first  faint  streaks  of  the  breaking  day.  "  Great  evils  (says 
Shakspere)  medicine  the  less."  From  confinement  to  my  room, 
whilst  under  arrest,  this  long  and  laborious  exertion  had  wearied 
me.  I  felt  now  chilled  to  death,  too ;  the  cold  struck  more  in- 
tensely to  my  feelings  just  at  this  time,  than  it  had  done  at  any 
other  part  of  the  night.  As  the  light  became  brighter,  I  looked 
around  me  to  see  where  I  was ;  all  was  enveloped  in  one  white 
winding-sheet,  a  dreary,  inhospitable  waste. 

The  snow  had  now,  for  the  moment,  abated,  and  day  having 
quite  broke,  I  looked  out  in  every  direction  in  the  hope  of  spying 
some  cottage.  Nothing,  however,  was  to  be  seen ;  no  hut,  no  tree, 
no  shelter  of  any  sort  or  kind,  not  even  a  bird !  I  had  wandered 
amongst  the  hills,  and  was  completely  cast  away.  Weary,  and 
sick  for  want  of  food,  I  became  almost  unable  to  proceed.  The 
labour  of  walking  in  the  deep  snow  was  so  great,  that  it  took  me 
half-an-hour  to  gain  a  hundred  yards  to  the  front.  (  At  length,  I 
heard  far,  far  away,  the  bark  of  a  dog.  It  came  fitfully  upon  the 
piercing  blast ;  it  was  evidently  miles  away,  yet  I  turned  towards 
it,  as  the  tempest-tossed  barque  turns  at  the  signal  gun.  Steep 
hills,  and  ravines  filled  with  drifted  snow,  lay  between  me  and  th.e 
assistance  I  sought.  I  felt  that  to  gain  it  was  hopeless.  It  was 
doubtless  some  shepherds  trying  to  recover  their  buried  sheep ; 
they  would  probably  be  away  before  I  could  reach  them.  Still  I 
made  great  efforts,  and  struggled  through  more  than  one  deep 
drift.  At  length  I  felt  myself  failing ;  as  I  became  more  and  more 
faint,  a  feeling  of  horror  and  something  like  the  approach  of 
death  seized  me.  I  felt  alarmed  at  the  thought  of  dying  in  the 
open  heath,  alone  miserably,  with  no  soul  to  look  upon  me  as  1 
lay.  The  thought  unnerved  me.  The  solitude  oi  the  place  was 
startling ;  my  legs  failed  me,  my  brain  whirled  round,  and  I  fell 
senseless  upon  the  ground. 

How  long  I  remained  thus  embedded  in  the  snow,  I  know  not ; 
but  when  returning  to  life,  I  opened  my  eyes,  and  partially 
regained  my  senses,  I  felt  myself  rather  roughly  handled  by 
several  persons,  who  had  laid  me  before  a  roaring  turf  fire, 
and  with  might  and  main  were  rubbing  my  body  and  limbs  with 
salt. 

As  I  recovered  under  the  operation,  I  raised  myself  to  look 
around  me  and  at  my  tormentors,  and  felt  not  a  little  surprised  at 
the  scene  which  presented  itself. 

In  the  first  place,  I  was  stark  naked,  surrounded  by  several 
females,  of  all  ages,  sizes,  and  shapes,  from  fourteen,  to  fourscore 
and  upwards.  A  young  and  buxom  lass  had  hold  of  one  of  my 
legs,  which  she  chafed  with  might  and  main;  an  old  and  blear- 
eyed  crone  was  in  possession  of  another,  one  or  two  others  were 
scrubbing  my  arms  and  chest,  and  one  old  wife,  who  was  seated 
upon  a  stool  and  supporting  my  head  in  her  lap,  ever  and  anon 

o 


194  THE  SOLD1EE  OF  FOBTUNE. 

poured  a  few  drops  of  full -proof  whisky  (their  universal  panacea) 
down  my  throat. 

The  whole  affair  was  managed  and  gone  through,  as  if  it  was  an 
eyery-day  occurrence  with  them.  There  was  no  mock  modesty 
with  either  young  or  old ;  they  had  received  my  insensible  carcase 
from  their  shepherd  fathers  and  brothers,  who  had  found  me  lying 
stiff  in  the  snow,  as  they  searched  for  their  scattered  flock,  had 
proceeded  to  strip,  and  'baste,  and  roast  me  before  the  fire,  just 
the  same  as  if  I  had  been  one  of  their  own  kith  and  kin,  or  a 
frozen  pig,  or  frost-bitten  infant. 

As  soon  as  they  perceived  that  I  was  conscious  of  my  unclad 
and  primitive  state,  they  threw  an  old  scarf  over  my  body,  and 
assisting  me  up,  placed  me  in  a  sort  of  dark  oven-like  opening, 
which  served  half  the  family  as  a  sleeping  place.  There  I  lay  snug 
and  warm,  and  except  that  I  was  stung  and  tormented  with  whole 
myriads  of  fleas,  might  have  felt  tolerably  comfortable. 

My  kind  and  hospitable  entertainers  now  busied  themselves  in 
preparing  a  mess  of  hot  brose,  which  they  obliged  me  to  wash 
down  my  throat  with  large  draughts  of  milk.  In  fact,  they  tended 
me  as  though  I  had  been  one  of  their  nearest  and  dearest 
kindred. 

As  I  lay  at  leisure  in  this  warm  berth,  I  contemplated  the  curi- 
osities of  the  hut  I  had  been  brought  into.  It  was  a  low  turf- 
built  dwelling,  erected  against  the  side  of  a  small  hillock.  The 
smoke  of  the  ever-burning  peat  escaped  partially  through  a  hole 
in  the  roof,  the  remainder  curled  in  huge  volumes  around  the 
interior,  making  the  room  so  hot  and  oppressive,  that  none  but 
these  hardy  mountaineers  could  have  thriven  in  such  a  reeking 
kiln. 

The  females,  old  and  young,  were  for  the  most  part,  seated  on 
low  stools  or  broken  chairs,  and  crouching  over  the  peat  reek, 
apparently  employed  in  watching  an  iron  skillet,  large  enough 
almost  to  have  served  for  the  witches'  caldron ;  every  now  and 
then  one  of  the  younger  lasses,  at  a  hint  from  some  of  the  crones, 
would  start  up,  heave  open  the  door,  a  feat  (from  the  violence  of 
the  wind)  requiring  all  her  strength,  and  take  a  look  out  into  the 
wilderness. 

There  was  hardly  anything  in  the  shape  of  furniture  in  the 
apartment  which  did  not  seem  encrusted  with  the  smoke  and  soot 
of  half  a  century.  Three  or  four  children  lay  upon  a  collection  of 
sheep-skins  in  one  corner,  and  Crummie,  their  cow,  quietly  chewed 
the  cud  in  another.  There  was  also  a  small  square  portion  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  hut  to  where  I  was  deposited  in  my  berth, 
•which  was  partially  partitioned  off,  forming  a  sort  of  inner  room. 

As  I  lay  observing  this  specimen  of  a  shepherd's  home,  I  began 
to  wonder  what  had  become  of  my  habiliments,  and  whether  I 
should  ever  again  be  permitted  to  wear  my  nether  garments,  which 
had  contained  in  the  depths  of  their  pockets  the  small  stock  of 
cash  remaining  to  me  in  the  world,  the  trifling  hundred  pounds  I 
had  brought  with  me  from  Fort  Greorge.  Alas !  how  little  did  I 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJNE.  195 

then  know  of  Highland  honesty,  and  how  much  less  did  my  in- 
jurious suspicions  entitle  me  to  the  Highland  welcome  I  had  so 
lately  experienced. 

As  soon  as  I  felt  myself  somewhat  restored,  I  determined  to 
rise ;  and  after  thanking  the  very  handsome  specimen  of  a  High- 
land peasant  lass  who  had  been  attending  upon  me,  and  performing 
the  office  of  nurse,  I  begged  for  my  habiliments.  She  brought 
them  to  me  instantly,  and  drawing  a  dilapidated  sort  of  curtain, 
left  me  to  equip  myself. 

When  I  turned  out  of  my  crib,  however,  and  attempted  to  walk 
towards  the  assembled  party,  with  the  assistance  of  my  bare- 
legged and  short-skirted  attendant,  I  found  myself  quite  unequal 
to  the  task.  My  brain  whirled,  my  limbs  again  seemed  unable 
to  support  me,  and  I  was  fain  once  more  to  recline  upon  my 
couch.  In  fact,  I  felt  so  exceedingly  unwell,  that  I  was  compelled 
to  lie  where  I  was,  from  utter  inability  to  rise.  In  short,  the 
violent  beating  of  my  pulse,  the  scorching  heat  which  burned  me 
up,  and  the  agony  of  my  head,  showed  me  that  I  was  likely  to 
have  a  violent  fever.  I  was  not  mistaken,  but  grew  worse  and 
worse  towards  nightfall,  and  before  the  next  morning,  delirium 
coming  on,  I  lay  in  considerable  danger  for  some  days. 

All  I  remember  of  that  day,  was  the  return  of  the  shepherds 
towards  nightfall,  and  the  bustle  consequent  upon  their  supper 
being  served  to  them.  They  gave  up  their  rude  couch  to  the 
invalid,  and  I  was  tended  by  one  or  two  of  the  females  during 
that  night,  whilst  the  remainder  of  the  family  disposed  them- 
selves to  rest  in  different  parts  of  the  hovel.  In  short,  I  lay 
dangerously  ill  for  more  than  a  fortnight  in  the  shepherd's  hut, 
and  during  that  tune  was  nursed  and  tended  by  these  hospitable 
Highlanders  with  the  greatest  care  and  kindness,  and  I  remained 
their  debtor  for  a  life  twice  saved. 

When  sufficiently  recovered,  I  used  to  take  gentle  exercise. 
On  these  occasions  I  was  accompanied  by  my  unsophisticated 
and  gentle  nurse,  the  girl  who  had  from  first  to  last  been  my 
principal  attendant.  She  was  a  dark-haired  girl  of  about  seven- 
teen. Strong  and  athletic  in  make,  her  figure  was  perfect ;  and 
had  she  been  clad  in  a  full  suit  of  armour,  which  she  would  have 
been  quite  equal  to  the  weight  of,  she  would  have  looked  a  perfect 
Joan  of  Arc. 

The  Highland  females  have  been  generally  noted  by  the  Eng- 
lish for  irregular  features,  and  cheeks  as  red  as  their  top-knots, 
awkward  ungainly  figures,  great  splay  feet,  and  hands  big  enouga 
for  a  conjuror  to  hide  the  pack  under.  A  sort  of  female  Dugald 
creturs.  Such  is  not,  however,  altogether  the  case,  as  many  ot 
the  lower  orders  of  Scottish  females  are  patterns  of  rustic  beauty, 
and  albeit  sometimes  rather  in  the  Eubens'  style,  yet  their  Ama- 
zonian forms  are  perfect. 

Euphemia  M'Tavish,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  shepherd 
under  whose  roof  I  had  thus  been  sheltered,  was  quite  a  rose 
in  the  wilderness.  The  colours  on  her  cheek  were  even  more 

o  2 


196  THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FORTUNE. 

beautiful  than  the  hues  of  the  flowers  of  the  garden.  Her  fea- 
tures were  somewhat  large,  but  beautifully  formed,  with  eyes 
like  the  beads  in  a  wax  doll,  teeth  perfectly  faultless,  and  hair 
which,  by  one  shake  when  unconfined,  would,  I  should  think, 
have  covered  her  whole  body,  a  la  Magdalene.  Her  figure,  I 
have  said,  was  rather  of  the  largest,  but  then  it  was  perfectly 
splendid  in  its  way ;  and  had  she  been  clad  in  fashionable  silks 
and  satins,  and  wafted  for  promenade  to  the  west  end  of  the 
town,  she  would  have  created  quite  a  sensation  amongst  the 
dandies  and  loungers  on  the  Begent-street  promenade. 

Inured  to  the  biting  winds  of  the  hills,  and  frequently  for 
whole  days  helping  her  father  and  other  relatives  to  look  after 
their  flocks,  the  stately  walk  of  this  child  of  nature,  with  head 
thrown  back,  and.  upright  form,  was  what  few  girls,  who  had 
undergone  the  training  both  of  the  drill-serjeant  and  the  fashion- 
able dancing-master,  could  have  approached,  even  in  imitation. 

With  this  beautiful  shepherdess,  then,  whom  I  named  Marsala, 
I  wandered  about  for  the  first  few  days  after  my  illness.  She 
spoke  in  a  dialect  so  broad,  that  at  first  I  could  scarcely  under- 
stand her ;  but  after  a  few  days'  companionship,  I  began  to  com- 
prehend her  northern  accent,  and  she  to  listen  more  profitably 
to  the  more  refined  and  scholarly  talk  of  the  Englisher. 

The  shepherd  and  his  family,  which  consisted  of  three  genera- 
tions, had  made  every  effort  to  render  their  residence  as  comfort- 
able to  me  as  their  means  would  allow.  The  small  closet-like 
apartment,  in  their  spacious  bothie,  or  cottage,  had  been  given 
up  for  my  peculiar  use,  and  two  old  crones,  with  Euphemia,  had 
been  sent  to  lodge  with  the  married  son,  whose  cot  was  half  a 
mile  up  the  glen,  so  that  I  was  tolerably  comfortable,  and  consi- 
dering the  situation  to^  which  I  was  reduced,  almost  happy. 
Indeed,  the  change  of  life  was  so  great,  living  thus  amidst  the 
storm  and  the  tempest,  nursed  to  sleep  by  the  roaring  winds  at 
night,  and  awoke  again  by  the  howling  blast  in  the  morning,  that 
perhaps  no  other  situation  could  have  so  effectually  banished  my 
cares  from  my  remembrance.  In  short,  I  gradually  became,  as 
it  were,  one  of  the  family ;  and,  like  Alfred  in  the  neat-herd's 
cottage,  was  often  to  be  found  watching,  that  the  oatmeal  bannock 
did  not  burn  over  the  peat  fire. 

The  whole  family,  indeed,  became  attached  to  me  ;  and  in  the 
long  and  dreary  winter  nights,  as  we  sat  around  the  glowing  turf, 
they  would  listen  to  the  tales,  stories,  and  songs,  I  sought  to 
amuse  them  with,  in  the  most  extraordinary  state  of  wonderment 
and  admiration. 

On  these  occasions  the  eccentric  Euphemia  would  nestle  herself 
down  on  the  floor  beside  me,  and  gaze  up  into  my  face  with  the 
delight  of  a  child  of  three  years  old ;  she  had  constituted  herself 
my  servant  and  nurse,  and  had  no  more  idea  of  any  impropriety 
in  following  me  wherever  I  went,  like  a  pet  spaniel,  than  a  wild 
Indian  would. 

As  to  the  rest  of  the  family,  innocent  in  thought  and  deed,  they 


THE  SOLDIEE  OP  FORTUNE.  197 

were  well  pleased  to  see  their  children,  one  and  all,  pay  attention 
to  the  English  officer,  and  anticipate  all  his  wants.  He  was 
sick,  sorry,  and  homeless,  and  that  was  a  sufficient  reason  that 
they  ought  to  shelter  and  treat  him  with  care  and  kindness. 

"  I  must  be  thinking  soon  of  leaving  you,  Donald,"  said  I, 
one  evening,  when  beginning  to  feel  myself  growing  strong 
enough  to  travel.  I  considered  I  ought  no  longer  to  inconve- 
nience these  generous  peasants  with  my  company.  "  I  must  be 
soon  now  leaving  you,"  said  I. 

"  Hout  tout,"  returned  Donald,  "fat  de'il's  the  mon  talking  of? 
Leave  us,  quotha!  what  for  leave  us,  mon?  Ye'll  no  think  o't, 
I  hope,  till  the  snow's  clean  awa." 

"  Why,  my  good  fellow,"  said  I,  "  I  cannot  think  of  staying  a 
day  after  I'm  fit  for  travel.  I've  burthened  you  too  long  already." 

"  Aweel,  aweel,  mon,"  returned  the  shepherd,  "  dinna  ye  fash 
yer  sel  about  the  burthen  o't.  When  we  wish  ye  awa,  ye'll  ken 
it  soon  eneuch,  I'se  warrant  ye.  An  ye  talk  any  more  about 
that  I'se  tell  ye,  I'm  sorry  we  ever  picked  ye  up  from  the  snow. 
Ye'll  no  get  away  from  this  quite  so  easily,  as  I  can  tell  you." 

"  What,  then,"  said  I,  "  do  you  mean  to  keep  me  here  all 
winter,  Donald?" 

"  Hout  ay !  winter,  autumn,  summer,  and  a',  if  ye  like  to  stop 
amang  us,  all  yer  life  if  ye'll  stay  wi'  us.  Troth,  but  we'll  make 
a  shepherd  o'  ye.  Ye  say  you've  no  friends  in  your  own  land,  and 
the  red  coats  ha'e  turned  their  backs  upon  ye,  what  for  no  stop 


na  muckle  care  for  ava ;  they  were  o'er  braw  for  me.  But  ye're 
clean  another  guess  sort  o'  a  body,  and  I  think  there's  the  making 
o'  a  gude  hill-mon  in  ye,  when  ye  get  strang.  Ay,  ay,  we'll  mak 
a  right  down  shepherd  o'  ye  yet." 

"  But,  my  good  Donald,"  said  I,  "you  put  it  out  of  my  power  to 
stop,  till  the  weather  breaks  up  even,  because  you  will  not  take 
any  remuneration  for  my  bed,  board,  and  education." 

"Dinna  mention  it,  lad,  again,"  said  Donald,  sharply;  we 
don't  do  the  like  o'  that  here.  You've  gi'en  the  gudewife  a  braw 
gowd  chain,  fit  for  a  born  duchess :  and  the  lass  Phoeme,  too,  has 
gotten  rings  from  ye,  enough  to  tocher  her,  when  she  s  minded  to 

It  was  thus  those  hospitable  people  treated  me,  and  therefore, 
finding  my  company  not  disagreeable  to  them,  but  that  tiiey 
actually  wished  me  to  stay,  the  novelty  of  the  situation,  too, 
rather  helping  me  to  forget  my  late  misfortunes,  i  resolved, 
whilst  the  weather  continued  so  untoward,  to  shelter  myself  under 
their  humble  roof. 

Now  that  I  was  becoming  stronger,  however,  I  loved  to  pene- 
trate into  the  glens  and  fastnesses  around,  and  explore  their 
solitudes,  iust  at  this  time  more  congenial  to  my  frame  ot  mmcL 
than,  any  other  scene  to  which  I  could  have  been  introduced. 


198  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

At  ctner  times  I  spent  my  time  in  rambling  with  the  handsome 
Euphemia,  when  the  weather  permitted,  listening  to  her  artless 
conversation,  and  telling  her  of  the  wonders  of  the  world  abroad, 
as  much  amused  at  her  childish  astonishment  as  she  was  at  the 
marvels  I  related  her. 

The  weather  had  somewhat  changed  whilst  I  had  thus  taken 
refuge  with  this  family.  To  incessant  snow,  had  succeeded  tre- 
mendous rains.  The  rivulets  and  burns,  which,  with  gentle 
murmur,  were  wont  to  glide  through  the  waste,  or  leap  down  the 
glens  and  gullies,  were  now  swollen  into  little  torrents,  and  in 
many  places  in  the  flats,  where  they  had  become  dammed  up, 
had  accumulated  into  tiny  lakes. 

Euphemia,  with  her  unshod  feet,  a  shepherd's  maud,  thrown 
scarfwise  across  her  snowy  bosom,  a  remnant  of  plaid  thrown 
over  her  head  in  place  of  bonnet,  and  her  tartan  petticoat,  a 
world  too  short  for  her  well-grown  limbs,  was  often  now,  by  her 
sire's  command,  on  the  hills  from  daybreak  until  near  nightfall. 
Sometimes,  over  night,  she  would  make  me  promise  to  find  her 
out,  and  tell  me  where  she  thought  it  most  likely  I  should  fall  in 
with  her.  Occasionally  I  kept  my  word,  and  spent  hours  in 
chatting  to  her,  and  listening  to  her  somewhat  original  conversa- 
tion. To  some  her  manners  might  have  appeared  bold,  but  her 
perfect  innocence  threw  so  great  a  charm  over  everything  she  said 
or  did,  that  it  was  impossible  to  quarrel  with  this  freedom. 

"This,  methought,  is  the  prettiest  low-born  lass  that  ever 
Kan  on  the  greensward.     Nothing  she  does,  or  seems, 
But  smacks  of  something  greater  than  hersel£" 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

*•  May  never  glorious  sun  reflex  his  beams 
Upon  the  country  where  you  make  abode  ! 
But  d  rkness,  and  the  gloomy  shade  of  death 
Environ  you,  till  mischief  and  despair 
Drive  you  to  break  your  neck,  or  hang  yourself. 
Thou  art  in  a  parlous  state,  shepherd." 

SHAKSPERE. 

ONE  morning  I  had  accompanied  Euphemia  in  her  peregrina- 
tions and  rounds  upon  the  hills.  It  was  a  raw  and  gusty  day,  and 
after  driving  some  of  the  stragglers  from  the  swamps  and  morasses 
they  had  straggled  into,  we  descended  the  mountains,  and  entered 
the  strath  along  which  our  road  lay,  towards  home. 

Euphemia  was  still  attending  to  her  duties,  with  her  colly-dog 
at  her  side,  as  I  threw  myself,  something  wearied,  upon  a  heathery 
bank,  and  lay  and  watched  her.  Wending  her  way  along  the 
side  of  a  hill,  she  endeavoured  to  drive  away  some  of  the  sheep 

«-.V  ««*  A  "  *4-»        4-  4-ln.  ±*11          *  rt  «  "  1-1 /\»     TTTrt-f  J^T"0  T" 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTUNE.  199 

had  never  felt  my  admiration  so  great  for  my  fair  companion  as 
at  this  moment.  Hitherto  I  had  looked  upon  her  as  a  beautiful 
child,  and  though  certainly  a  fine  grown  child,  yet  so  infantine  in 
manner,  and  although  extremely  talented,  so  untaught  and  igno- 
rant of  the  ways  even  of  persons  in  her  own  sphere,  that  except 
as  a  beautiful  specimen  of  rustic  loveliness,  I  had  hardly  thought 
about  her. 

As  I  watched  her  now,  however,  standing  erect  upon  a  pinnacla 
of  rock,  calling  to  her  dog,  and  directing  his  movements  after  a 
stray  sheep,  the  wind,  too,  blowing  her  tartans,  and  her  beautiful 
figure  displayed  as  perfectly  as  the  drapery  clings  to  and  makes 
more  lovely  the  rounded  limbs  of  a  statue  :  as  I  watched  her  thus 
reclaiming  some  of  the  luxuriant  brown  hair  which  had  escaped 
from  the  fillet  which  usually  bound  it,  I  thought  I  had  never 
before  seen  a  more  commanding  and  exquisite  form.  Uneon* 
sciously,  I  began  to  look  upon  her  with  different  feelings  to  those 
with  which  I  had  hitherto  regarded  her. 

"  How  happy  (methought)  ought  the  man  to  be,  whose  ambition 
prompted  him  no  further  than  to  wear  out  life  amidst  these  tor- 
rents and  glens,  dreading  no  enemy,  '  but  winter  and  rough  wea- 
ther,' his  riches  consisting  in  his  flock,  and  his  companion  such  a 
creature  as  this  lovely  Euphemia  M'Tavish.  Ah !"  said  I,"  it  were, 
indeed,  the  happier  life. 

«•« To  be  no  better  than  a  homely  swain, 
To  sit  upon  a  hill  as  I  do  now, 
And  carve  out  dials  quaintly  point  by  point. 
So  many  hours  must  I  tend  my  flock, 
So  many  hours  must  I  take  my  rest, 
So  many  hours  must  T  contemplate, 
So  many  hours  must  I  sport  myself,  ( 

So  many  days  my  ewes  have  been  with  young, 
So  many  weeks  ere  the  poor  fools  will  yean, 
So  many  years  ere  I  shall  shear  the  fleece, 
So  minutes,  hours,  days,  weeks,  months,  and  years, 
Pass'd  over  to  the  end  they  were  created, 
Would  bring  white  hairs  unto  a  quiet  grave.' 

"  Yes,"  continued  I,  as  Euphemia,  after  successfully  extricating 
her  sheep,  bounded  to  the  spot,  and  threw  herself  panting  and  out 
of  breath  by  my  side,  where  she  lay,  her  cheek  upon  her  hand 
listening  with  the  greatest  attention,  and  eyes  wide  open  in  won- 
der and  admiration  at  my  rhapsody.  "  Ah !  my  Euphemia !'  said 
I,  as  I  patted  her  cheek, 

"  '  "What  a  life  were  this !  how  sweet !  how  lovely  . 
Gives  not  the  hawthorn  bush  a  sweeter  shade 
To  shepherds,  looking  on  their  silly  sheep, 
Than  doth  a  rich  embroidered  canopy 
To  kings  that  fear  their  subjects'  treachery.' " 

The  buoyant  spirits  of  my  shepherdess  companion  were  always 
auieted  when  I  commenced  any  of  my  Shaksperian  rhapsodies. 


200  THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FORTUNE. 

She  was  extremely  apt,  and  the  melody  of  tlie  tragic  rhyme 
pleased  her.  Like  sweet  music,  it  saddened  her  spirit,  and  if  she 
did  not  understand  all  she  heard,  perhaps  she  did  not  like  it  the 
less  for  that.  At  the  present  time  she  lay  with  her  bright  eyes 
gazing  intently  up  in  my  face,  and  an  expression  of  so  much  me- 
lancholy in  her  countenance,  that  I  finished  my  quotation  abruptly 
and  was  about  to  take  the  hand  which  lay  upon  the  neck  of  the 
faithful  dog,  who  was  her  constant  companion.  She  anticipated 
me,  however,  seized  upon  my  offered  hand,  and  carrying  it  to 
her  mouth,  covered  it  with  kisses. 

This  was  the  first  announcement  to  me  that  the  artless  shep- 
herdess entertained  any  other  feelings  towards  the  careless  idler 
who  had  helped  to  pass  away  the  time  by  sauntering  at  her  side, 
than  those  of  common  friendship,  and  I  felt  startled  and  angry 
with  myself  at  the  announcement. 

"Euphemia,"  said  I,  "how  is  this?  you  weep,  my  pretty 
maiden  ?  'Tis  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  tears  visit  those  laughing 
eyes.  What  ails  thee?" 

For  some  time  she  continued  silent,  and  hid  her  face  in  her 
hands.  I  drew  her  towards  me,  and  as  I  kissed  away  the  tears  in 
her  eye,  coaxed  her  to  tell  me  in  express  terms  that  which  I  now 
too  well  knew. 

"  Heed  me  not,"  said  she ;  "  I'm  but  a  silly  bairn,  and  weep  at 
what  I  suld  be  glad  of.  I  weep  because  ye're  now  recovered 
from  your  illness." 

"Why  do  you  weep  for  that,  Euphemia?"  said  I. 

"  Because,"  she  returned,  "  now  you're  weel,  you'll  soon  be 
leaving  Glen  Orchis  never  to  return.  I  shall  never  again  find  one 
who  can  sing  to  me  the  songs  you  have  sung,  or  say  such  words 
as  you  have  spoken.  Oh,  don't  leave  our  hills  for  the  southern 
land,  where,  ye  say,  ye  hae  no  friends.  Stay  with  me,  and  I'll  be 
your  sister,  indeed  ;  indeed  I  loe  you  far  better  than  any  sister  ye 
hae  in  the  lowlands. 

As  I  gazed  upon  the  announcer  of  her  own  feelings  towards  me, 
and  regarded  her  exquisite  face  and  form,  thus  thrown  in  my 
way,  far,  far  away  amongst  the  lonely  and  silent  mountains,  with 
no  \vitnesses  to  pur  loves  but  perhaps  the  antlered  monarch  of  the 
waste  couching  in  his  bed  of  fern,  my  heart  was  touched. 

"Euphemia,"  said  I,  "  you  might  have  had  cause  to  hate  me 
more  than  you  can  possibly  love  me.  I  did  intend  to  leave 
Glen  Orchis,  but  it  was  before  I  knew  any  one  in  it  entertained 
for  me  other  sentiments  than  those  of  friendship.  You  say 
truly,  when  you  say  I  have  nothing  in  the  south.  I  have  even 
worse  than  nothing,  for  I  am  an  outcast,  with  a  brand  set  upon 
me.  I  am  a  disgraced  and  broken  man,  without  purse,  profes- 
sion, or  prospect.  For  one  minute  only  I  have  hesitated  whether 
I  should  leave  you  at  this  spot  for  ever,  or,  for  ever  remaining 
unknown  and  forgotten  by  my  kindred,  and  with  thee  for  my 
companion,  wear  out  my  life  amongst  these  hills.  It  is  past, 
Euphemia,  firm  and  irrevocable  is  my  resolution.  Thou  art  mine 


THJB  SOfcDlEB  OF  FORTUNE.  201 

own,  my  beautiful.  I  have  still  enough  left  to  suit  me  all 
points  for  a  shepherd  swain.  We  will  buy  sheep,  take  a  cot 
somewhere  near  at  hand,  and  part  no  more.  The  hand  you  have 
kissed,  my  Euphemia,  is  dyed  with  the  blood  of  a  fellow-crea- 
ture. By  the  laws  of  God  and  man  it  stands  condemned.  Such 
as  it  is,  however,  I  offer  it  to  thee.  But  hold  off,  my  Phcemia, 
said  I,  as  I  kissed  her  forehead,  and  extricated  myself  from  the 
embrace  she  answered  me  with.  "I  am  a  hot-headed  and  ex- 
ceedingly inconsiderate  youth.  Not  all  the  snows  upon  the 
frozen  ridges  of  the  Grampians  yonder,  could  cool  down  the  fire 
thy  beauty  and  love  hath  raised.  The  wolf  is  in  the  fold,  lass, 
and  '  till  Holy  Church  incorporate  two  in  one,'  as  good  Friar 
Laurence  says,  we'll  have  no  more  pastorals,  no  more  hill-side 
rambles.  "When  I  look  upon  thee,  I  need  not  wonder  that  '  a 
sceptre's  heir  thus  affected  a  sheep-hook.'  " 

I  arose,  as  I  spoke,  to  proceed  towards  our  home.  The  rains, 
I  have  said,  had  been  both  violent  and  of  long  continuance.  For 
many  days  there  had  been  no  cessation  in  their  fall.  On  this 
day,  however,  the  weather  had  been  somewhat  fairer,  and  had 
allowed  of  our  loitering  longer  than  usual  in  our  ramble.  We 
had  rested  upon  the  side  of  a  small  hillock.  The  rivulet  which 
wound  half  around  it  in  its  every-day  course,  was  now  a  perfect 
torrent,  and  completely  environed  us.  Without  any  perceptible 
cause,  within  the  last  hour  the  waters  on  every  side  had  swollen, 
and  were  rushing  and  whirling  in  almost  every  direction  through 
the  strath  we  had  descended  to.  The  colly-dog,  as  if  conscious 
of  our  situation,  threw  his  head  in  the  air,  and  uttered  a  long- 
drawn  howl.  The  first  thought  of  Euphemia  was  for  the  safety 
of  her  sheep.  In  the  next  glance  she  threw  around  her,  she  saw 
reason  to  fear  for  mine  and  her  own  escape. 

While  we  stood  on  a  little  hillock,  almost  petrified  with  as- 
tonishment, the  waters,  foaming  and  whirling  in  a  hundred 
directions  had  evidently  risen  around  us.  There  was  no  time 
for  deliberation.  Euphemia  grasped  me  by  the  hand,  and  pointed 
to  a  bridge  which  crossed  the  streamlet  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  us.  It  was  one  of  those  ancient  structures  frequently 
to  be  seen  amongst  the  hills,  an  old  grey-looking  narrow  bridge, 
which  had,  perhaps,  witnessed  the 'march  of  Brace's  soldiers, 
and  since  then  had  aided  the  Covenanters  and  hill-folk,  in  their 
gatherings  and  contentions.  Its  very  look  spoke  of  battle,  flight 
and  pursuit;  a  grey  and  moss-clad  remnant  of  other  days, 
bleaching  in  the  solitude  of  the  moors,  like  the  pyramio.  in  the 
desert. 

The  banks  where  it  was  thrown  across,  were  higher  than  else- 
where, and  the  rivulet  consequently  deeper.  Could  we  gam  that 
bridge,  we  might  easily  escape  along  the  side  of  the  hill  on  its 
other  side.  I  "seized  Euphemia  by  the  hand,  and  we  turned 
and  descended  the  hillock  into  the  waters  where  they  were 
shallowest.  They  were  in  so  much  commotion  that  the  task 
required  our  utmost  care  lest  we  should  be  lifted  from  our  feet 


202  THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOKTTJNE. 

in  the  attempt.  Once  or  twice  we  were  nearly  whirled  round 
by  its  force.  The  dog  was  carried,  spite  of  all  his  efforts,  far 
away  from  us  before  he  could  get  footing  upon  a  dry  spot, 
with  at  least  twenty  torrents  between  him  and  his  mistress. 
Him  we  never  saw  again. 

With  my  companion  fast  clutched  by  one  arm  around  the 
waist,  I  reached  the  heather  on  the  other  side.  We  ran  along 
it,  crossed  two  or  three  more  increasing  streams,  which  seemed 
to  dance  on,  as  though  bubbling  from  the  earth,  instead 
of  descending  from  the  uplands,  and  had  nearly  gained  the 
bridge.* 

It  now  stood  isolated  amongst  the  waters,  and  all  around  was 
like  the  sea.  We  were  upon  the  stony  causeway,  which  was  some- 
what higher  than  the  moss  on  either  hand,  and  consequently, 
although  under  water  in  many  places,  yet  if  we  could  manage  to 
keep  it,  we  might  still  gain  and  cross  the  bridge. 

Huge  pine  trees,  sheep,  and  masses  of  thatch,  apparently  be- 
longing to  some  cottages  in  the  glen  far  away,  were  to  be'  seen 
whirling  about  in  the  flood,  as  we  paused  to  take  breath,  and  ob- 
serve more  carefully  our  route. 

"  Haste  ye,"  said  Euphemia,  "  seize  yon  staff  floating  before  us, 
'twill  help  ye.  Mark  weel  the  white  stanes  beneath  yer  feet,  and 
come  awa." 

Hand  in  hand  we  struggled  on. 

"  I  ken  the  causeway  weel,"  said  Euphemia.  "  Mind,  it  turns 
a  bittie  here  away.  Dinna  pause,  for  the  love  of  heaven,  for 
when  yon  trees  gain  the  arch,  the  brig  falls  as  sure  as  death !" 

We  accordingly  kept  our  eyes  now  upon  the  causeway,  a  foot 
deep  in  the  water  which  rushed  past,  and  now  upon  the  collection 
of  huge  pine  trees  which  came  whirling  along  in  the  current  of 
the  river  towards  the  devoted  and  brave  old  bridge.  It  was  a 
well- contested  race,  and  likely  to  prove  a  dead  heat.  Sometimes 
the  trees  (which  "by  the  spurs  had  been  plucked  up,"  and  were 
now  washed  from  the  forest  above)  seemed  to  meet  with  some 
rocky  impediment  in  their  progress,  and  would  labour  and  roll 
over,  their  huge  roots  and  branches  mounting  slowly  out  of  the 
torrent,  like  some  enormous  reptile  in  the  agonies  of  death  ;  then 
again,  becoming  detached,  and  darting  downwards  in  the  red 
stream,  tney  were  lost  to  sight ;  till  at  length,  spite  of  our  efforts, 
they  reached  the  bridge  before  us.  I  watched  the  structure,  as  the 
engineer  watches  his  sea-built  tower  when  the  storm  howls  loudest. 
The  next  moment  and  we  had  reached  it. 

The  bridge  contained  two  arches  ;  both  were  now  choked  up  by 
the  accumulated  trees,  which  lay  athwart  its  buttresses,  and  as 
more  and  more  were  each  instant  added,  the  pressure  (as  Eu- 
phemia predicted)  threatened  the  safety  of  the  fabric.  There 
was  no  time  for  consideration.  The  moment  we  had  gained 

*  For  an  account  of  this  extraordinary  flood,  read  Sir  Dick  Lander's  -work 
on  the  subject. 


THE  SOLDTEE  OF  FORTUNE.  203 

a  footing  upon  the  first  stone  of  the  bridge,  the  dammed-up 
waters  rushed  round  its  extremity  with  fearful  violence.  Hur- 
rying on,  we  gained  its  centre.  I  felt  it  shake  fearfully,  as  we 
began  to  descend,  and  before  we  had  gone  half-a-dozen  paces, 
with  a  dreadful  crash,  the  entire  building  seemed  to  dissolve  from 
beneath  our  feet,  and  the  next  instant  we  were  plunged  into 
the  roaring  flood. 

I  had  attempted  to  seize  upon  my  companion  at  the  first  symp- 
toms of  the  dissolution  of  the  fabric.  But  she  was  whirled 
from  my  grasp  with  fearful  violence,  and  carried  out  of  my  reach 
in  an  instant.  Being  a  good  swimmer,  I  arose  after  the  first  im- 
mersion, and  struck  out  manfully. 

I  looked  in  every  direction  for  my  companion  in  misfortune, 
but  for  some  moments  in  vain.  Luckily,  the  greater  part  of  the 
trees  were  for  the  first  minute  or  so,  detained  by  fragments  of  the 
foundations  of  the  arches,  or  I  must  have  been  overwhelmed  and 
borne  beneath  them.  Onwards  rushed  the  waters ;  a  dozen 
whirling  pools  sucking  and  choking  on  either  hand.  It  was  all 
I  could  do  to  avoid  being  drawn  within  their  influence.  As  I 
struck  out  with  the  stream,  I  beheld,  for  one  moment,  the  arms 
and  hands  of  Euphemia  above  the  surface,  and  then  she  disap- 
pered  for  ever  in  an  eddy  towards  the  shore.  Faithful  in  death, 
the  poor  girl  was  thus  the  means  of  saving  me.  Striking  out  with 
all  my  remaining  strength  towards  the  spot,  in  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing her,  I  got  a  footing,  and  was  enabled  to  gain  the  hill-side. 
The  next  instant,  on  came  a  mass  of  trees,  followed  by  a  sea  of 
foam.  Guided  by  their  progress,  I  ran  along  the  bank  for  some 
distance,  in  the  hope  of  again  seeing  Euphemia,  and  plunging  to 
her  rescue.  It  was,  however,  in  vain ;  I  saw  not  even  the  hern  of 
her  garment  to  guide  my  search. 

I  was  now  alone  upon  the  hill ;  the  day  was  drawing  to  a  close  ; 
the  sky  looked  black  and  awful  on  all  sides,  and  the  whole  country 
before  me  was  inundated  with  the  still  increasing  waters.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  last  day  had  arrived,  and  there  was  another  flood 
toward. 

So  many  mishaps  had  happened  to  me,  that  this  new  misfortune 
and  the  death  of  my  companion,  seemed  but  a  consequence  of  my 
unlucky  stars. 

"Yes,"  said  I,  as  I  stood  helplessly,  gazing  upon  the  dreadful 
flood  before  me,  "  the  scene  I  think  is  likely  to  end  here,  and  tis 
best  so.  '  Affliction  seems  enamoured  of  my  parts,  and  i  am 
wedded  to  calamity.' "  I  threw  myself  upon  the  ground,  determined 
to  await  my  fate.  "  Let  the  floods  come,  and  wash  my  swollen 
body  into  the  main  of  waters  j  then,  Britain, '  I'll  owe  thee  nothing, 

I  wenias'l  thought  upon  the  miserable  death  of  the  poor  Eu- 
phemia. Suddenly  the  remembrance  of  her  hospitable  relatives 
came  upon  me,  and  their  likely  danger.  I  felt  unwilling  to  pro- 
sent  myself  before  them ;  but  the  thought  that  they  must  necessa- 
rily be  endangered  by  this  roaring  tempest,  as  I  beheld  tHe 


204  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FOBTTJNE. 

planks,  beams,  and  fragments,  together  with  stacks  of  hay,  hur< 
ried  onwards  in  the  flood,  obliterated  all  idea  but  that  of  trying 
to  save. 

Their  cottage  was  some  three  miles  from  where  I  then  was.  Il 
was  directly  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill.  By  clambering  it,  ] 
might  cross  over,  and  perhaps  reach  it  before  the  waters  rose  to  itj 
destruction,  as  I  felt  certain  it  stood  on  higher  ground  than  thai 
on  which  I  lay. 

Jumping  up,  therefore,  I  commenced  the  ascent.  Clambering 
from  crag  to  crag,  like  some  maniac  just  escaped  from  confinement, 
and  gaining  the  summit,  I  traversed  the  hill  tops,  and  descended 
towards  the  hospitable  cottage. 

I  came,  however,  too  late  ;  the  waters  were  out,  and  partial!} 
covered  the  flats  below ;  all  I  saw  being  the  remains  of  my  late 
refuge.  The  stream  swept  along  under  the  bank  it  was  rearec 
against,  and  the  inhabitants  had  either  forsaken  the  wreck  01 
perished.  Shocked,  and  struck  with  dread,  I  again  turned  t( 
the  hill,  in  order  to  save  my  own  life.  I  seemed  the  last  man 
crawling  and  climbing,  reptile-like,  amidst  the  ruins  of  a  sinfu 
world.  The  love  of  life  had  returned,  however,  and  I  felt  one* 
more  anxious  to  prolong  my  unhappy  existence. 

The  rain  again  descended  in  torrents,  the  night  came  on  sudder 
and  dark,  and  for  many  hours  I  wandered  on  the  mountains 
waiting  anxiously  for  the  dawn  to  appear. 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

"I  am  amazed,  methinks  ;  and  lose  my  way 
Among  the  thorns  and  dangers  of  this  world." 

"  Now  happy  he,  whose  cloak  and  cincture  can 
Hold  out  this  tempest." 

SHAKSPERE. 

1  HELD  onwards,  as  well  as  I  could  guess,  in  the  direction  of  £ 
village  I  knew  to  be  some  ten  miles  off;  but  when  the  dawn  ap^ 
peared,  I  found  myself  upon  a  part  of  the  hills  I  had  not,  in  mj 
late  wanderings  ever  before  visited.  A  deep  ravine  was  directly 
before  me.  The  mist  was  so  thick,  that  I  could  not  make  out  dis: 
tinctly  whether  another  hill  was  beyond  it,  or  the  inundatec 
plains.  To  my  surprise,  the  well-known  smell  of  burning  peal 
saluted  my  nostrils ;  yet,  to  all  appearance,  I  was  solitary  upor 
the  mountains  ;  up,  up  upon  the  summits,  where  the  deer  alone 
loved  to  rest-  far  from  the  habitations  of  man.  I  stepped  upon  s 
small  heathery  mound,  from  whence  the  peat-reek  appeared  tc 
emanate,  in  order  to  peer  over  the  declivity  beyond  it,  and  the 
roof  giving  way  beneath  my  feet,  I  was  instantly,  as  I  conceived, 
precipitated  at  least  half-a-dozen  yards  into  the  earth. 

To  my  further  astonishment,  however,  I  found  myself  suddenly 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  205 

introduced  from  the  solitude  of  the  desert  to  the  society  of  my 
fellow-mortals.  A  turf  fire  was  alight,  and  all  the  means  and  ap- 
pliances at  hand  for  the  manufacture  of  whisky.  The  still  was 
it  work.  I  had  tumbled  into  a  whisky  bothie. 

The  hardy  smugglers  were  as  much  surprised  at  my  unwonted 
appearance,  as  I  was  for  the  moment  gratified  at  finding  myself, 
instead  of  smothering  in  some  kelpie's  flow,  in  their  warm  and 
3omfortable  snuggery.  They  seized  me  rudely,  almost  before  I 
could  recover  my  feet  or  utter  a  sentence. 

"  Ta  ga'ger !"  said  a  great  burly  fellow,  who  held  me  firmly  by 
the  collar;  "ta  cursed  ga'ger  amang  huz.  Hugh,  diel  take  ye, 
mon ;  but  ye're  no  blate  to  come  amang  us  after  yon  fashion." 

"  God !  but  we  ha'  grippit  ye  noo,"  said  the  fellow  who  had  me 
on  the  other  side.  "  Fat  deil  brought  ye  speering  here  for,  ye 
dam'd  loon.  I  thought  the  floods  wad  at  least  ha'  keppit  yer  pry- 
ing een  at  hame  e'noo.  May  I  be  d—  but  we'll  raddle  yer  bones, 
now  we  ha'  gotten  a  haud  o'  ye." 

"  Stay,"  said  a  third,  bringing  a  lighted  brand  from  the  fire. 
:*  It's  no  just  the  gauger  ava.  That  chield's  frae  the  castle.  I'll 
swear  it'll  just  be  ane  o'  the  sojer  officers  frae  Braemar.  Fat  diel 
are  ye,  mon?  Just  speak  out  at  ance,  Cot  tarn  ye." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  I,  "if  you'll  allow  me  to  rise,  I'll  do  my 
best.  I'm  neither  gauger  nor  soldier  officer  from  Bramar,  but 
just  an  unlucky  traveller,  escaping  from  the  washes  ;  and  who,  in 
endeavouring  to  cross  the  mountains,  unwarily  fell  into  your  in- 
fernal dwelling." 

"  It's  a  lie—d,  d—  lie !"  said  the  first  speaker.  "  Ye're  frae 
Argarff  or  Midmar ;  and  ye  shall  rue  still-hunting  this  bout,  any- 
how. We  ken  the  sojers  were  out  the  last  week,  but  we  thought 
the  floods  had  gotten  them,  Cot  tarn  them!" 

I|  had  heard,  whilst  at  M'Tavish's  cottage,  that  two  gangers 
had  been  caught  and  murdered  by  the  smugglers,  only  a  week  or 
two  before;  and  I  also  knew  that  the  detachment  which  had 
marched  to  Strathdon,  had  given  them  so  much  annoyance,  that 
they  had  threatened  to  attack  the  garrison.  I  therefore  made  up 
my  mind  to  a  skinfull  of  broken  bones  at  the  least.  How  that 
might  have  turned  out,  I  cannot  say ;  but  our  controversy  was 
brought  to  a  close  by  the  skirling  sound  of  a  bagpipe,  which 
tsounded  in  the  ravine  below. 

A  narrow  zig-zag  path  formed  the  approach  to  the  entrance  of 
the  bothie,  and  three  or  four  of  the  Highlanders,  after  listening 
for  a  moment,  rushed  out,  and  peered  over  into  the  mist  below. 
They  quickly  returned,  and  spoke  rapidly  to  their  comrades,  in  a 
liarsh-sounding  guttural,  which  I  conceived  to  be  the  Gaelic  for 
"the  red  coats  being  at  hand." 

It  was  even  so.  The  "unwearied  and  indefatigable,"  as  they 
have  been  somewhere  described,  the  flat-foots,  were  at  hand. 
What  can  stop  them  ?  Through  flood,  through  fire,  they  come  ; 
nothing  interferes  with  their  discipline;  and  here  they  were, 
amidst  the  storm,  like  slot  hounds  upon  the  track.  They  were 


206  THE  SOLDIEB  OP  FOBTUNE. 

stttl-hunting  upon  the  mountains  ;  laudably  employed,  burnin 
bothies,  making  libations  of  the  full  proof,  and  giving  the  malt  t 
the  streams. 

At  the  announcement  of  the  approach  of  the  party,  several  o 
the  whisky  brewers  had  attempted  to  escape,  by  gaining  the  sum 
mit  of  the  declivity  upon  which  the  bothie  was  reared  or  ex 
cavated.  But  they  found  that  the  rear  was  guarded  by  a  part  c 
the  same  detachment  who  occupied  the  pass  below.  They  returnee 
therefore,  into  their  den,  bending  savage  looks  upon  me  as  the; 
hastily  snatched  up  one  or  two  long  and  antique-looking  fowling 
pieces,  in  order  to  make  resistance  against  the  on-coming  foe. 

I  had  seen  from  the  first,  that  any  attempt  at  escape  would  b 
likely  to  bring  upon  me  certain  destruction  from  one  side  o 
other.  I  therefore  thought  it  best  to  remain  perfectly  quiet  unde 
the  circumstances,  and  trust  to  the  jade,  Fortune,  although  sh 
had  already  played  me  so  many  unlucky  tricks. 

I  was  not  long  kept  in  suspense.  The  clash  and  clatter  of  arm 
was  heard  without  the  bothie ;  and  the  well-known  word  of  com 
mand  was  shouted  out  in  a  somewhat  theatrical  tone  and  style,  a 
three  or  four  armed  sailor-looking  men,  headed  by  the  gauge] 
rushed  in  at  the  doorway,  followed  by  a  couple  of  king's  officer 
and  a  sergeant.  I  had  seen  by  the  demeanour  of  the  smuggler 
that  they  meant  mischief— and  I  was  not  deceived. 

"  Ne'er  heed  the  red  coats,"  shouted  the  fellow  who  seemei 
their  leader,  "  shoot  the  cursed  gauger  and  his  men." 

A  short,  rapid,  and  unequal  combat  instantly  took  place,  th 
smugglers  not  having  time  to  fire  above  two  shots  before  the; 
were  overwhelmed  in  their  close  quarters,  and  captured.  Th' 
gauger,  who  had  been  wounded,  however,  fired  again ;  and  th 
shot  taking  effect  upon  my  poor  person,  entered  the  fleshy  part  c 
my  shoulder. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  felt  any  great  surprise  when  I  found  mysel 
Ht.  Like  Meg  Merrilies,  when  shot  by  Dirk  Hatterick,  I  "fel 
sure  it  would  come  my  way."  My  only  astonishment  was,  that 
had  not  received  the  ganger's  bullet  through  my  brain,  instead  c 
my  shoulder.  The  wound  was  but  trifling ;  and,  except  that 
felt  my  arm  benumbed,  and  found  myself  bleeding,  I  should  nc 
have  at  first  suspected  that  I  was  hurt. 

"  What  manner  of  man  is  this  ?"  said  the  officer  who  had  en 
tered  with  the  storming  party,  as  he  stepped  up  to  me,  whilst  th 
smugglers  were  being  secured  and  taken  out ;  "  may  I  beg  th 
favour  of  your  name?" 

My  presence  in  the  bothie  was  soon  explained,  and  the  suba] 
tern  seemed  delighted  at  making  my  acquaintance. 

He  was  a  short,  slight,  distingue-looking  youth,  rather  theatri 
cal  in  his  style  and  bearing ;  and  in  everything  he  said  and  did,  i 
seemed  as  though  he  was  thinking  more  of  playing  a  part^  upo 
the  boards,  in  the  false-exciting  scene,  than  acting  upon  life's  du 
stage  in  this  work-a-day  world. 

"  You  bleed,  sir,"  said  he,  quickly,  as  he  saw  the  crimson  drop 


THE  SOLDIEB   OF  FOETTTKB.  207 

trickling  from  the  sleeve  of  my  coat ;  "you  liave  received  a  hurt 
in  this  squabble.  Here,  Sergeant  Cameron,  help  this  gentleman 
to  ascend  the  path.  I  will  look  at  your  hurt,  sir,  with  my  personal 
eye.  We,  luckily,  are  not  altogether  unskilled  in  Galenicals." 

When,  therefore,  I  emerged  from  the  hut,  I  found  the  flat  on 
the  hill-top  in  possession  of  a  party  of  a  Highland  regiment,  They 
stood  at  ease,  with  ordered  arms,  shoulder  to  shoulder ;  their  tar- 
tans fluttering,  and  their  accoutrements  clattering  in  the  furious 
blast ;  whilst  one  or  two  smaller  parties  were  to  be  seen  planted 
upon  the  shelving  rock  of  the  ascent  beneath,  looking  more  like 
flocks  of  scarts  or  sea-gulls  than  soldiers. 

Altogether,  what  with  the  lone  and  desolate  scene— the  deep 
ravine  and  the  swollen  torrent,  the  misty  mountain  tops  in  the 
distance,  dark-looking  and  vast,  seeming  as  if  they  stretched  away 
to  the  far-end  of  the  globe  ;  the  soldiers  enranked  upon  the  heath, 
their  prisoners  in  a  little  knot  before  them,  and  the  bothie  en- 
veloped in  a  sheet  of  flame  ;  the  scene  was  quite  romantic,  and 
almost  realized  some  of  Sir  Walter's  descriptions. 

The  subaltern  of  the  party  was  as  good  as  his  word  ;  he  care- 
fully bandaged  up  my  wound  before  he  attended  to  anything  else. 
He  then  introduced  me  to  the  captain  of  the  Highlanders ;  and 
whilst  the  detachment  was  ordered  to  pile  arms,  we  sat  down  to 
the  enjoyment  of  breakfast. 

During  the  meal,  I  had  been  somewhat  struck  by  the  appearance 
of  the  captain  of  this  detachment.  He  was  altogether  one  of  the 
most  singular-looking  and  silent  soldiers  it  had  ever  been  my  fate 
to  fall  in  with.  His  subaltern,  who  appeared,  indeed,  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  party,  was  altogether  the  creature  of  im- 
pulse. But  the  chief  seemed  to  require,  every  now  and  then,  a 
flap  with  one  of  those  bladders  described  by  Baron  Munchausen 
in  his  Travels  to  the  Moon,  where  the  aristocrats  of  that  curious 
bourne  dropped  into  a  sort  of  lethargy  unless  they  were  fre- 
quently boxed,  in  order  to  bring  them  to  recollection  and  activity. 

He  was  a  square-built  Highlander,  with  a  remarkably  good- 
tempered,  though  exceedingly  Quixotic  visage.  Stooping  much 
in  figure,  and  wearing,  like  Hudibras,  a  goodly  hump  upon  one 
shoulder;  he  had  but  one  eye,  and  always  was  accommodated 
with  spectacles  on  nose. 

Although  naturally  a  remarkably  stout-built  and  strong  man, 
hard  toil,  climate,  war,  and  disease,  had  reduced  him  to  the  mere 
skeleton  of  the  Hercules  he  had  been  in  his  youth.  In  short,  he 
cut  rather  a  queer  figure  beside  the  picturesquely  clad  company 
he  ornamented.  The  casket,>however  rude  and  rough  it  looked, 
contained  a  jewel  both  rare  and  priceless ;  for,  notwithstanding 
the  eccentricity  of  his  look  and  manners,  he  bore  a  heart  and  dis- 
position, which  would  have  done  honour  to  the  fairest  form  in 
nature. 

He  stood  beside  his  men,  as  I  said,  with  his  shoulders  above  his 
head.  His  drawn  sword,  carried  hilt  foremost  under  one  arm, 
and  a  Scotch  mull  in  his  hand,  from  which  he  so  continually  fed 


208  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

his  nose,  that  although  the  pockets  of  his  coat  were  filled  likewise 
with  rappee,  the  feature  seemed  capable  of  soon  exhausting  his 
stock. 

His  accoutrements  were  as  odd  as  his  person ;  for,  being  hia 
own  commanding  officer  whilst  upon  the  hills  with  his  company, 
the  only  thing  he  chose  to  exercise  authority  in,  was  in  relieving 
himself  from  the  annoyance  of  ever  harnessing  himself  in  his 
regimentals.  Consequently,  he  was  now  out  in  virtual  command 
of  his  men,  in  a  full  suit  of  tartans  upon  his  body,  being  a  large 
pocketed  shooting-jacket,  with  waistcoat  and  continuation  to 
match,  and  a  huge  tropical  wide-brimmed  straw  hat  on  his  head. 

"  Captain  M'Kilt,"  said  the  mercurial  ensign  to  his  com- 
mandant, "  I'm  going  to  pile  arms  here  :  fall  out,  sir." 

The  captain  glanced  up  from  the  turf  beneath  his  feet,  gave  a 
snort  and  a  whistle,  something  like  the  catcall  heard  from  the  gal- 
lery of  a  theatre,  took  a  goodly  pinch  from  his  mull,  sheathed  hia 
sword,  and  obeyed  the  orders  of  the  inferior  in  military  grade. 

"  Singular  man,"  said  he,  as  he  turned  about  and  regarded  the 
youth  who  thus  took  upon  himself  the  command.  "  Singular  man, 
whew!"  continued  he,  with  another  sharp  whistle.— "  Singular 
man.  But  devilish  clever  fellow.  Whew!  Subaltern  of  my 
company ;  command  a  brigade,  that  chap." 

Indeed,  what  with  snorting,  _ whistling,  snuffling,  and  admiring 
the  versatility  of  his  officer,  this  eccentric  and  easy  commander 
seemed  to  be  fully  employed,  and  quite  contented  to  have  the 
trouble  of  command  taken  from  his  shoulders.  With  spectacles 
on  nose,  he  watched  his  very  movement,  and  awaited  his  cue,  as 
to  what  was  to  be  the  next  order,  with  the  greatest  apparent 
interest. 

We  had,  as  I  said,  sat  ourselves  down  upon  the  heather,  and 
were  partaking  of  a  slight  refreshment,  furnished  forth  from  the 
haversack  carried  by  the  servant  of  Ensign  Altamont  de  Montdi- 
dier.  Whilst  doing  so,  I  learned  from  him  the  circumstances 
which  had  brought  his  party  so  opportunely  to  this  spot.  "  We 
were  ordered  out,"  said  he,  "some  three  days  back,  fromBrfemar 
Castle,  in  order  to  make  a  foray  upon  these  mountains,  and  burn 
out  the  whisky  trade.  '  Harry  the  wives  of  Greenlaws  goods/ 
and  give  them  light  to  set  their  hoods." 

"For  two  days,"  continued  he,  "we  followed  the  hunt,  carrying 
fire  and  sword  over  rock,  glen,  and  mountain.  Turk  Gregory 
never  did  such  deeds.  Last  night,  however,  '  as  I  upon  advantage 
did  remove,'  half  my  powers  were  nearly  devoured  by  the  unex- 
pected flood.  These  washes  surrounded  a  party  of  the  men,  who 
were  under  my  friend  M'Kilt.  M'Kilt,  I'm  saying,  you  were 
nearly  victimised  by  an  element  you  abhor.  Here's  to  ye  in  a 
fluid  we  have  captured,  more  to  your  taste.  Washael!  M'Kilt. 
This  is  whisky,  mon  brave;  Sergeant  Cameron,  sir,  serve  the 
men  out  an  allowance  of  this  liquor.  The  captain  orders  it." 

"  As  I  was  telling  you,"  continued  Ensign  Altamont  de  Mont- 
didier,  "the  captain  and  myself,  having  divided  our  power,  I  took 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  209 

to  the  mountain  tops,  while  he  trod  the  flats  below.  If  the  man, 
as  Goodman  Delver  expounds  it,  go  to  the  water  and  drown  him- 
self, it  is,  will  he  nill  he,  he  goes,  mark  you  that ;  but  if  the  water 
come  to  him  and  drown  him,  he  drowns  not  himself.  Now,  our 
friend  M'Kilt  hath  been,  (according  to  his  own  account)  since  he 
first  donned  the  red  rag,  nine  times  across  the  Atlantic.  He  hath 
suffered  shipwreck  three  several  times  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  and 
was  once  cast  away  like  Robinson  Crusoe  on  an  uninhabited 
island.  Storm  and  siege,  and  all  the  extremities  of  war  hath  he 
endured,  and  even  borne  surgery  bravely.  Yet  was  he  last  night 
all  but  drowned  in  a  puddle  here.  He  suffered  himself  to  be  sur- 
rounded by  the  waters  of  this  flood  and  with  his  men  was  nearly 
swept  away.  I  brought  him  off  with  his  drum.  No  matter  how, 
here  he  is.  My  service  to  you,  M'Kilt. 

"  In  short,  sir,  we  were  completely  washed  out  of  Strathdon,  and 
the  shelties  which  carried  our  camp  equipage  drowned.  We 
therefore  have  been  fain  to  keep  higher  up  in  our  attempt  at 
reaching  the  Castle  of  Brsemar,  should  it  yet  remain  to  us.  The 
cheil  who  is  endeavouring  to  guide  us  safely  thereto  advertised 
us  of  this  bothie,  and  we  have,  as  you  see,  surprised,  captured  it, 
and  made  your  acquaintance.  M'Kilt,  my  excellent  friend,  I 
think  time  is  up.  Sergeant  Bendochie,  order  the  drum  to  beat 
up,  and  fall  in.  We  have  a  long  march  before  us,  and  a  flooded 
country ;  if  we  are  to  find  out  Brsemar,  we  must  find  it  out  to- 
night. *  We  have,  you  see,"  continued  he,  "  indeed,  come  to  the 
end  of  our  tether.  There's  no  more  corn  in  Egypt.  Our  wallets 
are  now  empty,  so  is  the  whisky  bottle." 

The  detachment,  accordingly,  quickly  got  under  arms,  and  were 
told  off;  the  rolling  drum  and  the  skirl  of  the  pipes  was  carried 
far  away  on  the  rushing  winds ;  and  the  Highlanders,  looking, 
amidst  the  majestic  scenery  in  which  they  marched,  a  mere  crawling 
handful  of  insects,  wended  their  way  towards  the  forest  of 
Brsemar. 

The  march  was  not  unattended  with  danger ;  the  floods  were 
terrific,  many  lives  had  been  lost,  and  much  property  destroyed. 
Ensign  Altamont  was,  however,  a  youth  of  extraordinary  resources 
and  perseverance.  Baffled  at  one  spot,  he  was  only  the  more  de- 
termined to  achieve  a  passage  at  another.  Montrose  could  not 
have  done  it  better ;  and  spite  of  the  fury  of  the  elements,  he  car- 
ried M'Kilt  and  his  power  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  safe 
to  Brsemar. 

The  castle  of  Brsemar,  with  its  small  turrets  at  the  angles, 
resembling  pepper-boxes,  its  loop-holed  wall,  and  its  windows 
which  had  been  carefully  secured  in  old  times  by  stanchions  of  iron, 
(crossing  each  other  athwart  and  end-long,  like  the  grates  ot  a 
prison.)  and  its  Highland  sentinels  before  the  gates,  was  as  like 
the  castle  of  Darnlinvarach,  in  the  legend  of  Montrose,  as  one  pea 
is  like  unto  another. 

Since  the  rebellion  of  '45  (as  far  as  I  could  learn)  it  had  not 
been  used  for  the  reception  of  men  of  war,  until  the  present  de- 


210  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FOETUNE. 

tachment,  some  few  months  before,  was  ordered  there  for  the 
purpose  of  aiding  the  civil  power  in  the  prevention  of  illicit 
whisky  brewing.  It  was  avast,  cold,  tombstone-looking  building, 
appearing,  as  you  gazed  upon  it  from  the  hills  around,  like  some 
huge  mausoleum  erected  in  the  pass.  Its  principal  apartment  was 
large;  and,  having  only  the  simple  appointments  ofasmallbarrack- 
room,  namely,  two  chairs  and  one  table,  placed  in  the  midst 
before  the  huge  cavernous  chimney,  it  had  a  most  chilly  and 
comfortless  appearance.  Ensign  Altamont  de  Montdidier  had, 
however,  partially  rendered  it  more  habitable,  with  the  only  means 
in  his  power;  for  he  had  pitched  a  tent  in  its  centre,  beneath 
whose  protecting  canvas  the  furious  winds  which  blew  around 
the  apartment  were  not  much  more  felt  by  the  occupiers  than  if 
they  had  tenanted  a  windmill. 

It  was  in  the  night  when  we  at  length  reached  the  castle. 
Jaded*  and  spent  with  toil,  the  detachment  was  glad  to  gain  its 
shelter,  since  the  fury  of  the  elements  amounted  to  something 
dreadful  to  encounter  on  the  hills ;  whilst  the  terrific  deluge 
which  was  sweeping  through  the  region  filled  the  minds  of  men 
with  feelings  of  awe  and  dread.  Every  bridge  between  our 
stronghold  and  the  sea  had  been  either  blown  up,  or  washed  into 
the  roaring  waters ;  and  many  thought  the  last  day  had  arrived. 
Buildings  were  levelled,  cottages  carried  away,  enormous  trees 
uprooted,  cattle  lost,  and  many  poor  peasants  drowned  in  sight  of 
their  friends,  who  could  render  them  no  assistance.  And  still 
the  waters  were  on  the  increase. 

Meanwhile  Altamont,  M'Kilt,  and  myself,  sat  ourselves  before 
the  roaring  fire,  in  the  vast  apartment  which  had  been  appro 
priated  as  a  mess-room  in  this  Highland  castle ;  and  amidst  the 
villanous  compound  of  horrible  sounds  which  whistled,  shrieked, 
and  bellowed  in  the  air  without,  we  held  converse,  smoked  our 
havannahs,  and  quaffed  potations  of  whisky-toddy. 

The  scene  was  altogether  new  to  me,  and  not  unamusing.  A 
huge  log  of  pine,  big  enough  for  the  yule  log  on  a  Christmas 
hearth  in  the  olden  time,  blazed  before  us,  giving  a  degree  of  com* 
fort  within;  whilst  all  that  was  terrible  sounded  in  the  forest 
without.  t 

The  winds,  indeed,  sounded  like  the  continuous  rush  of  some 
mighty  cataract ;  the  waters  of  the  foaming  Dee  formed  a  roaring 
second ;  the  chimney  piped  and  groaned  in  concert.  Lamentations 
and  strange  screams  of  death  were  heard  in  the  air;  and  the  sen- 
tinels, calling  to  each  other  "with  dire  yell,"  and  naming  the  pro- 
gress of  the  night  every  quarter  of  an  hour,  added  to  the  discord. 

Two  more  extraordinary  beings  than  the  companions  I  had  thus 
fallen  in  with  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  ha,ve  found,  I  should 
think.  The  one,  all  fire,  spirit,  and  liveliness ;  the  other,  as  slow, 
quizzical,  and  torpid. 

Altamont,  on  doffing  his  regimentals,  in  order  to  take  his  ease 
after  the  march,  had  thrown  on  an  elaborately  embroidered  and 
gpangled  tunic,  which  had  served  him  to  play  the  |jart  of  the 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  211 

haughty,  gallant,  gay  Lothario,  during  some  recent  private  thea- 
tricals in  the  last  quarters  they  had  come  from ;  consequently  he 
looked,  as  he  sat  imbibing  his  whisky-punch  beneath  the  ample 
chimney-piece,  a  sort  of  Sir  Piercy  Shafton.  M'Kilt,  on  the  con- 
trary, with  a  red  night-cap  on  his  head,  an  old  and  long-skirted 
morning-gown  upon  his  body,  and  spectacles  on  nose,  looked  more 
like  the  spectre  of  some  withered  alchemist  of  old,  than  a  man  of 
this  world.  Two  persons,  indeed,  more  opposite  in  disposition 
perhaps  never  were  thrown  together ;  yet,  strange  to  say,  they  felt 
a  degree  of  friendship  for  each  other,  such  as  is  seldom  experi- 
enced amongst  the  gentlemen  of  the  blade. 

Altamont,  by  his  every  action,  would  have  proclaimed  himself  a 
shallow  and  eccentric  fop.  There  was  a  levity  hi  which  it  was  his 
pleasure  to  indulge,  which  made  him  so  slightly  regarded,  that 
what  he  said  and  did  was  neither  heeded  nor  thought  of  but  as 
the  inconsiderate  deed  of  a  trifling  person.  With  all  this,  how- 
ever, there  was  an  under-current.  It  seemed  as  if  he  was  master  of 
everything,  could  pierce  through  the  designs  of  others  in  a 
moment ;  and  was  in  fact  an  exceedingly  clever  fellow :  and  yet, 
although  you  lived  under  the  same  roof  with  him  for  a  twelve- 
month, you  might  have  failed  in  finding  this  out.  He  made  him- 
self enemies  wherever  he  went — that  delighted  him ;  and  yet  he 
was  every  man's  friend  at  heart.  He  professed  to  scorn  the 
world.  "  Society,"  he  said,  "was  poisonous,  even  in  its  smallest  por- 
tions, most  carefully,  most  scrupulously  selected;"  and  yet, 
when  an  actor  in  the  scene,  it  was  delightful  to  be  within  the 
scope  of  his  joyous  influence.  Conscious  of  his  superiority  over 
the  generality  of  his  fellow-mortals,  he  was  the  last  to  presume 
upon  it,  or  be  dissatisfied  with  the  companionship  he  happened  to 
be  thrown  amongst ;  and  he  could  always,  he  affirmed,  extract 
amusement  and  instruction  from  the  veriest  clodpole  of  the 
village. 

M'Kilt  again,  although  in  his  withered  and  wild  attire  "he 
scarce  looked  an  inhabitant  of  the  earth,"  was  a  most  estimable 
man,  and  in  everything  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman.  Beneath  all 
his  singularity,  coldness,  and  quietude  of  manner,  he  owned  a  soul 
of  great  magnitude ;  and,  although  it  took  much  to  arouse  his 
Highland  blood,  when  once  chafed  or  insulted  nothing  but  blood 
would  have  washed  out  the  wound. 

After  the  fatigues  of  our  march,  and  the  storm  we  had  en- 
countered, the  port  we  had  reached  seemed  doubly  pleasant.  JLne 
captain's  serving-man,  performing  the  office  of  cook  and  waiter, 
dressed  us  a  mess  of  red  deer  venison,  boiled  a  kettle  of  water, 
poured  out  a  fragrant  cup  of  tea,  poached  a  round  dozen  of  new- 
laid  eggs,  and  made  a  shake-down  for  me  beneath  the  tent  in  the 
centre  of  the  apartment;  and  we  gave  ourselves  up  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  hour — 

"The  storm  without  might  roar  and  rustle; 
We  did  na  mind  the  storm  a  whistle." 


212  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FORTUNE. 

"  When  you  mentioned  your  name,  my  good  sir,"  said  Alta- 
mont,  "in  yonder  bothie,  I  was  so  taken  up  with  matters  apper- 
taining to  that  action,  that  in  truth  I  hardly  marked  it ;  and  during 
the  troubles  of  our  march  hither,  although  we  have  become  most 
excellent  allies,  we  have  had  other  things  to  think  of,  than  in- 
quiring into  each  other's  titles  and  armorial  bearings." 

I  knew  enough  of  the  world  to  suspect  that  the  knowledge  of 
my  name  and  circumstances  would  be  more  likely  to  poison  the 
comfort  of  the  party,  than  to  add  to  our  conviviality.  I  had  begun 
to  forget  my  misfortunes  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  this 
eccentric  pair  ;  the  query,  however,  although  it  "  stopped  the 
career  of  laughter  with  a  sigh,  required  an  answer." 

Altamont  saw  my  confusion  as  I  told  it,  and  in  an  instant 
guessed  the  circumstances  of  my  recent  trial.  His  supercilious- 
ness of  manner  immediately  left  him,  and  he  redoubled  his  atten- 
tion and  kindness;  whilst  M'Kilt,  who  was  also  in  so  much  master 
of  my  story  as  the  recent  proceedings  of  the  court-martial  had 
published  to  the  world,  likewise  overwhelmed  me  with  civility. 
It  was  enough  that  I  was  unfortunate,  with  these  men :  not  place 
nor  greatness,  nor  any  power  upon  earth,  would  have  made  them 
offer  me  the  most  trifling  slight  when  once  they  became  acquainted 
with  my  story. 

"  Fie,  what  a  night  is  this !"  said  Altamont,  rising,  and  walking 
to  the  window.  ''  The  genius  of  the  storm  rides  on  the  posting 
winds  ;  both  current  and  ripple  are  dancing  in  light  here.  The 
castle  is  surrounded  by  water.  M'Kilt,  we're  like  a  colony  of 
beavers  in  their  lodge  :  ergo,  we  shall  be  drowned." 

M'Kilt  whistled,  rose  from  his  seat,  and  walked  to  the  window. 
The  moon  gave  a  dubious  light,  and  all  around  looked  like  the 
sea. 

"  Best  rouse  the  men  aloft,"  said  he  ;  "I'll  call  the  drummer." 

"To  wThat  end?"  returned  Altamont.  "They  cannot  escape ; 
we  must  await  the  event.  Let  them  sleep  whilst  we  watch.  Yet 
stay  ;  I  will  relieve  the  sentinels  without  the  walls,  lest  they  die 
like  Romans— upon  their  posts." 

The  castle  was  erected  upon  a  green  mound,  around  whose  base 
towards  the  north,  at  ordinary  tunes,  the  river  Dee  was  wont  to 
glide.  Now,  however,  the  course  of  the  Dee  was  lost  sight  of  in 
the  overwhelming  torrent,  which,  sweeping  through  the  entire 
pass,  encroached  to  the  very  walls  of  the  castle,  and  seemed  to 
threaten  its  foundation. 

The  accumulating  tide,  in  fact,  poured  through  the  grated  loop- 
holes, filled  the  dungeons  and  lower  regions  of  the  building,  and 
rising  higher  and  higher  every  hour,  at  length  the  grey  building 
looked  like  some  sea-built  tower  amid  the  waters. 

It  was  an  anxious  night.  The  detachment,  quartered  in  the 
upper  apartments  of  the  building,  slept  soundly  after  their  toil- 
some march.  The  court  of  guarcl  was  necessarily  removed  from 
the  outer  walls  of  the  building,  and  the  men,  withdrawn  up  the 
winding  staircase,  looked  anxiously  upon  the  dark  waters  as 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  213 

^eej*reflected  the  light  tLev  carried,  as  if  from  the  bottom  of  a 

Tke  situation,  indeed,  of  the  soldiery,  thus  cut  off  from  all  in- 
tercourse and  assistance,  was  not  enviable ;  as,  independently  of 
the  chance  of  drowning,  there  was  a  probability  that  they  nught 

Altamont  had  ordered  the  guard  to  bear  up  all  the  provisions 
from  below,  as  soon  as  he  discovered  the  continued  rise  of  the 
flood  ;  and  he  now  carefully  watched  and  marked  the  progress  of 
its  encroachment.  The  sergeant  of  the  guard,  meanwhile,  came 
in  from  tune  to  time,  with  a  branch  of  naming  pine  in  his  hand, 
to  report  the  progress  of  the  water  up  the  castle  stairs  inch  by 
inch,  just  as  a  sailor  heaves  the  lead  at  sea,  and  sings  out  its 
depth. 

"Does  it  still  mount,  sergeant?"  said  Altamont,  as  the  former, 
flambeau  in  hand,  stood  upon  the  steps  below,  looking  into  the 
dark  pool,  like  a  man  about  to  step  into  a  cold  bath. 

"  It  does,  sir,"  returned  the  non-commissioned  officer  ;  "  but  it 
has  taken  half  a  minute  more  in  getting  up  this  last  step  than  it 
has  done  in  walking  over  the  others." 

"What's  the  hour,  sergeant,  by  your  watch?"  inquired  the 
officer. 

"  Five,  sir,"  said  the  sergeant. 

"  It[s  time  the  reveille  sounded,  then,"  said  the  officer ;  "  and 
there  it  goes." 

Accordingly  the  loud  beat  of  an  unbraced  sheepskin,  rattling 
and  rolling  a  few  feet  above  our  heads,  soon  drummed  in  the  ears 
of  the  sleeping  soldiery,  and  the  heavy  tread  of  between  fifty  and 
sixty  individuals,  rushing  from  their  beds,  was  quickly  added  to 
the  clamour. 

If  the  reader  has  never  heard  an  infantry  brass  drum  beaten,  as 
a  British  drummer  can  and  will  beat  it,  and  that  too  under  the 
same  roof  with  himself,  accompanied  l.:y  the  screaming  skirl  of  a 
Highland  bagpipe,  and  the  piercing  squeal  of  the  wry-necked  fife, 
he  can  have  no  conception  of  the  sound  which  now  disturbed 
"  the  curtained  sleep"  of  Captain  M'Kilt's  power.  Nothing,  in- 
deed, as  I  said  before,  interferes  with  the  discipline  of  the  British 
soldier ;  and  the  duty  goes  forward  amidst  storm  and  wreck,  as 
steadily  as  amidst  fire  and  siege. 

Here,  accordingly,  cooped  up  in  a  solitary  tower,  cabined,  con- 
fined, and  surrounded  by  the  roaring  waters,  the  business  of  the 
day  commenced  with  the  same  regularity  as  though  nothing  ex- 
traordinary was  taking  place.  Indeed,  it  was  not  a  littie^  edifying 
to  contemplate  that  system  by  which  men  could  be  kept  in  order, 
and  made  to  sit  down  and  break  their  fasts  at  the  roll  of  the  drum, 
put  their  barrack-rooms  in  trim,  accoutre  themselves,  and  fall  in, 

*  During  this  tremendous  flood,  Broemar  Castle  was  garrisoned  by  a  detach- 
ment of  the  King's  Own  Borderers  (25th),  to  which  party  the  author  was 
attached,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  its  terrific  violence 


214  THE   SOLDIER   OF   FORTUNE. 

enrftnked  along  the  upper  apartments  of  a  building,  whose  foun- 
dation and  ground-floor  were  inundated  by  an  encroaching  flood ; 
their  situation  being  like  that  of  men  wrecked  upon,  a  desert  sand, 
who  look  to  be  washed  off  the  next  tide. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

•'  Hitherto,  this  appears  to  be  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  families  tliaf 
*ver  man  of  quality  marched  into." 

"  Sir  Tunbelly,  I  shall  now  quit  thy  den  ;  but  while  I  retain  the  use  of  my 
fienses,  I  shall  ever  remember  thou  art — a  dem'd  horrid  savage." 

TRIP  TO  SCARBOROUGH. 

UNDER  the  circumstances  I  have  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  was  I  first  made  acquainted  with  Captain  M'Kilt,  and 
his  no  less  eccentric  subaltern  ;  and  such  was  my  first  night  in 
the  castle  of  Braemar. 

Luckily  the  waters,  shortly  after  the  reveille  and  turn  out  of 
the  garrison,  began  to  subside,  though  it  was  many  days  before 
we  were  able  to  set  foot  on  the  greensward  upon  which  the 
building  stood ;  and  long  will  it  be  before  that  flood  is  forgotten 
in  the  north.  I  spent  some  weeks  with  my  generous  and  kind- 
hearted  friends,  and  then  prepared  to  take'leave  of  them.  Alta- 
inont,  now  that  the  country  was  getting  more  passable,  proposed 
to  himself  a  short  leave  of  absence,  and  invited  me  to  accompany 
him  on  a  visit  he  intended  to  make  to  the  residence  of  a  Scotch 
laird  to  whom  he  had  letters  of  introduction.  I  endeavoured  to 
excuse  myself,  as  I  felt  diffident  at  making  new  acquaintances  in 
my  present  situation.  He,  however,  overruled  my  objections,  and 
We  agreed  to  undertake  the  expedition  together. 

As  Rakehelly  Hall  was  not  above  thirty  miles  from  Brssmar, 
after  taking  leave  of  the  excellent  M'Kilt,  we  set  forth  with  knap- 
sacks on  our  backs,  containing  a  change  of  clothing,  early  one 
morning,  to  reach  it  on  foot. 

The  roads,  in  the  direction  we  traversed,  were  in  many  places 
so  completely  destroyed  by  the  recent  floods,  that  they  looked 
like  deep  trenches,  scooped  out  by  an  invading  army :  whilst,  on 
every  side,  were  to  be  observed  devastation  and  ruin  amidst  the 
slimy  deposit  of  the  subsiding  tide. 

We  reached  the  woods  of  Rakehelly  late  at  night ;  just,  indeed, 
as  the  laird  and  his  friends  were  beginning  the  diversions  and 
revels  it  was  their  humour  to  indulge  in.  The  house  was  a  cas- 
tellated mansion,  apparently,  as  we  looked  at  it  from  the  distant 
hill,  rearing  its  white  turrets  from  the  midst  of  a  hanging  forest  of 
enormous  pines :  though  in  reality  it  stood  in  the  midst  of  an  open 
park  of  some  extent,  filled  with  deer. 

It  was  one  of  those  lovely  spots,  to  look  on  which  necessarily 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTUNE.  215 

takes  the  imagination  of  the  gazer  back  to  more  romantic  and 
stirring  clays.  As  the  blue  smoke  ascended  above  the  tops  of  the 
forest  trees,  and  the  turrets,  silvered  in  the  moonlight  and  em- 
bosomed m  the  massive  wood,  met  our  admiring  gaze,  we  stopped 
to  think  upon  some  of  the  deeds  of  gallantry  which  the  legendary 
lore  of  the  neighbourhood  attached  to  the  family  of  the  chieftain 
who  owned  the  estate. 

The  sharp  and  continued  report  of  fire-arms  was  distinctly 
heard  as  we  stood  upon  the  hill-top  and  contemplated  the  house. 

"  The  muckle  laird  of  Rakehelly  is  an  eccentric  and  half-crazy 
being,  I  have  heard,"  said  Altamont.  "  Indeed,  I  have  been  re- 
peatedly warned  against  this  visit  we  are  making,  as  he  is  at  times 
said  to  be  almost  dangerous  in  his  liveliness  of  disposition.  A  SOP'; 
of  fellow  who  stands  to  no  repairs.  He  turns  night  into  day,, 
too ;  rising  with  the  owl,  and  going  to  bed  with  the  lark.  Can  he 
be  indulging  in  the  sports  of  the  field,  like  the  wild  huntsman  in. 
Der  Freischutz  ?  N'importe,  we  shall  soon  see." 

Accordingly  we  descended  the  hill  we  were  upon,  and,  diving 
into  the  thick  pine  forest  at  its  base,  after  a  couple  of  miles  gained 
the  park,  ascended  another  mile  of  wood,  and  entered  the  open- 
ing in  front  of  the  house. 

A  mound  was  thrown  up  before  the  large  bay-window  of  the 
parlour,  which,  although  we  saw  a  glare  of  light  beyond,  hindered 
us  from  observing  the  employment  of  the  persons  whose  repeated 
shots  were  evidently  proceeding  from  within  the  apartment. 

Warned  by  one  or  two  bullets  whistling  past  our  ears,  we 
stopped,  andj  making  a  detour,  reached  the  stone  steps  which  led 
to  the  fore-door  of  the  mansion.  Here  we  were  met  by  several 
keepers  with  torches  in  hand,  who,  on  Altamont  announcing  his 
name,  ushered  him  into  the  dining-room  amidst  the  assembled 
party,  who  were  just  at  that  moment  recreating  themselves  after 
breakfast  in  their  own  peculiar  fashion. 

I  was  considerably  struck  by  the  oddness  of  the  scene.  A  long 
table,  covered  with  the  remains  of  this  midnight  breakfast,  stood 
in  the  midst  of  the  ample  room,  at  which  lounged  several  of  the 
guests.  Others  were  seated  in  the  deep  embrasure  of  the  bay- 
window  which  looked  out  upon  the  park,  and  continually  loaded 
and  fired  iato  the  mound  I  have  described.  Each  man  blazing 
away  at  his  own  target,  above  and  around  which  were  suspended 
various  lighted  lanterns. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  curious  party ;  but  the  host  beat  them  all  hol- 
low, both  in  appearance  and  style.  He  sat  upon  a  raised  seat  at 
the  head  of  his  table,  on  which,  as  I  said,  the  breakfast  equipage 
still  remained,  mixed  up  with  pistols,  rifles,  fowling-pieces,  powder- 
flasks,  bullets,  and  other  matters  appertaining.  Wine  there  was, 
too,  of  every  description,  from  sparkling  hock  to  imperial  tokay, 
together  with  spirits  of  all  sorts,  liqueurs,  and  a  case  of  cigars 
standing  on  one?  side  of  the  room,  big  as  a  seaman's  chest. 

The  host  was  a  short,  thin,  weasel-faced  man,  with  pointed 
features,  a  red  shock  head  of  hair,  a  little  cane-coloured  beard,  and 


216  THE  SotdEfi  Of 

a  laughing,  mischievous,  restless  eye.  So  fidgetty  was  he  withal, 
that  he  could  scarcely  sit  still  for  a  moment,  but  kept  darting 
about  in  his  chair,  and  shifting  his  position,  as  if  he  was  afflicted 
with  St.  Vitus's  dance. 

^  His  conversation,  which  came  by  fits  and  starts,  was  accompa- 
nied by  a  solitary  laugh,  which  preceded  and  ended  everything  he 
said  and  did,  and  was  quite  startling  at  times.  For  instance,  if 
he  darted  suddenly  forward  and  helped  himself  but  to  the  "  rough, 
tough  leg  of  an^old  moor  fowl,"  he  always  preluded  the  action  by 
a  joyous  "ha!"  And  if  he  addressed  any  of  the  attendants  or 
guests,  he  always  preceded  it  with  a  loud  "ho !" 

It  was  his  pleasure  to  be  thought  sometimes  an  eastern  sultan, 
sometimes  a  JR-oman  emperor ;  on  which  occasions  he  was  as  mag- 
nijicent  in  his  entertainments  as  Marc  Antony  himself.  At 
others  he  professed  himself  a  sort  of  high-priest,  and  delighted  in 
fancying  his  companions  were  a  brotherhood  of  the  same  order 
with  himself.  When  such  ideas  held  him,  he  was  not  so  hos- 
pitable. In  fact,  he  was  very  mad  at  times,  and  exceedingly  dan- 
gerous, when  not  in  a  pleasant  temper. 

His  amusement  was  to  help  load  the  pistols  with  which  his 
friends  fired,  and  hold  the  stakes,  and  occasionally,  as  he  sat,  to- 
let  fly  ^at  any  object  on  the  walls  of  the  room  that  hit  his  fancy  at 
the  moment.  Consequently  the  portraits  of  his  ancestors,  and  the 
various  other  paintings  which  adorned  the  apartment,  were  riddled 
with  shot,  and  every  part  of  the  walls  and  ceiling  filled  with 
bullet-marks,  as  closely  as  the  walls  of  the  birth-place  of  Shak- 
spere,  at  Stratford-upon-Avon,  are  with  the  names  of  the  pilgrims 
who  have  visited  the  shrine. 

"  Ho !"  shouted  the  host,  with  a  loud  and  startling  effort,  point- 
ing his  withering  forefinger  at  Altamont  the  moment  he  entered. 
"  Ho  !  who  the  deuce  are  you?" 

"  Mind  what  you  are  at  here,"  said  Altamont  aside  to  me,  "  or 
you'll  get  an  accidental  bullet  through  your  brain.  The  thing  has 
happened  before  to-night.  Most  high,  most  mighty,  and  most 
puissant  Caesar,"  he  continued,  doffing  his  bonnet,  and  walking  up 
to  the  laird,  "I bear  a  sealed  brief  from  your  ally,  Lord  Cceur  de 
Lion.  A  missive  of  introduction  to  your  court  here :— peruse  the 
firman,  Eccellenza." 

"  Ha!"  said  the  laird,  poising  the  pistol  he  had  just  loaded  in 
his  right  hand,  and  biting  the  tip  of  the  forefinger  of  his  left,  as 
his  rolling  eye  glanced  from  Altamont  to  myself,  in  a  sort  of 
insane  doubt  as  to  what  we  really  were,  and  what  we  really 
M' anted  in  his  hall  of  state  ;  for  having  been  twice  put  into  con- 
finement, he  was  extremely  jealous  of  strangers  inking  amongst 
his  party,  or  entering  his  house,  and  the  %chances  were,  if  he  sus- 
pected us  as  inquisitors,  he  would  be  likely  to  give  us  the  benefit 
of  his  weapon. 

"  Ha !"  said  he,  after  seizing  the  letter  Altamont  offered  him, 
throwing  it  upon  the  table,  and  putting  his  elbow  upon  it,  whilst 
he  leaned  forward  and  gazed  intently  from  one  to  the  other. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  217 

"  Lord  Coeur  de  Lion,  said  ye ;  good !  Fraternal  friends  and  holy 
brothers,"  he  continued,  calling  to  the  sporting  gentlemen 
assembled,  and  who  were  all  apparently  as  mad  as  himself,  "  draw 
to  the  table  here,  and  fill  a  chalice  for  the  nonce.  A  welcome 
to  my  new  friends  ^  here  !  Gentlemen,  you're  both  welcome  in  a 
loving  cup.  Here's  dirt  and  ashes,  mortality,  misery,  and  vicissi- 
tude to  us  all!" 

After  drinking  this  toast,  the  glasses  were  all  dashed  over  head, 
and,  the  pistollers  returning  to  their  vocation,  the  match  (which 
was  for  a  large  amount)  proceeded;  and  blaze  away  over  the 
bridge,  was  all  the  rage  for  the  next  two  hours  at  least. 

The  assemblage  were,  as  I  said,  for  the  most  part  men  of 
habits  as  eccentric  as  the  host  himself;  men  who,  in  lending  them- 
selves to  his  humours  during  their  visit  at  Inchkeithing,  and  fol- 
lowing his  insane  and  reckless  style,  in  some  sort  followed  the 
bent  of  their  own  inclinations.  They  occasionally  called  them- 
selves the  infernals,  and  constituted  a  sort  of  club,  which  met 
once  a-year  at  the  Hall  of  Rakehelly ;  the  laird  whereof  was  per- 
petual "head-sinner,  chief  devil,  or  master  of  the  revels ;  and  it 
being  a  case  of  follow-my -leader  whilst  the  meeting  lasted,  their 
freaks  and  hare-brained  deeds  were  the  astonishment  of  the 
whole  country  side.  The  club  consisted  of  twenty  members,  all 
out-and-out  devils,  and  there  was  no  allowance  of  adding  to  their 
number ;  neither  could  any  persons  be  admitted  to  their  society, 
except  through  the  introduction  of  one  of  themselves.  Indeed, 
they  had  played  some  rather  queer  and  rough  jokes  upon  one  or 
two  persons  who  had  sought  to  mingle  in  their  exclusive  society. 

About  a  dozen  out-and-outs  were  at  present  at  this  gathering. 
Some  of  them  were  Scotchmen,  one  or  two  Irish,  and  some  English- 
men. A  hare-brained  and  reckless  brotherhood,  although  gentle- 
manly in  style  and  manner,  as  a  matter  of  course— being  all  of 
them  of  the  higher  class  of  society :  only,  perhaps,  somewhat  too 
boisterous,  all  of  them  having  rather  more  brandy  than  brains  in 
their  heads  at  the  present  moment.  Gamesters  they  were,  be- 
cause that  is  the  varnish  of  a  complete  man  of  the  world ;  and 
philosophers  they  professed  themselves,  because  they  doffed  the 
world  aside,  and  bid  it  pass— taking  no  heed  of  time  but  by  its 

Their  substitution  of  the  night  for  the  day  was  the  least  of  their 
eccentricities,  that  being  frequently  done  by  the  fashionable 
world  during  a  London  season.  These  worthies,  however,  pro- 
fessed to  enjoy  the  sports  of  the  field  during  Phoebe  s  reign,  witn 
more  zest  than  they  could  whilst  bright  Phoebus  glared  upon  then- 
deeds.  The  laird  himself,  who  had,  as  I  said,  been  twice  confined 
in  an  asjdum,  had  done  so,  indeed,  for  years ;  and  the  meeting  of 
the  society  only  lasting  for  six  weeks,  the  members  were  content 
for  that  time  to  make  the  exchange  in  order  to  meet  his  taste. 

At  the  present  time,  then,  the  sweepstakes  having  been  decided, 
the  party  proceeded  to  follow  their  diversions  according  to  tne 
rules  and  regulations  of  their  host.  They  were  allowed  one 


218  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTTNE. 

hour's  rattling  of  the  bones,  stakes  ad  libitum,  only  they  must  be 
held  by  the  laird. 

Next  came,  moon  permitting,  a  horse-race,  there  being  a  regular 
race-course  in  the  park.  Then  came  the  principal  meal,  served  in 
the  great  hall  at  two  o'clock,  in  feudal  style,  the  principal  per- 
sonages sitting  according  to  their  rank,  and  the  retainers  at  a 
lower  board.  After  this,  otter  hunting,  salmon-spearing,  rabbit- 
shooting,  together  with  whatever  diversions  suited  the  weather 
and  the  season,  were  followed  up,  until  supper  was  served,  about 
day-break. 

Such  was  the  custom  of  the  Friars  of  Inchkeithing.  Their 
society  lasted  for  about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period 
its  members  were  for  the  most  part  hors  de  combat. 

To  return,  however,  to  the  present  diversions  j  a  horse-race  was 
the  first  thing  in  rotation.  The  moon  shone  out  brightly,  and 
the  whole  country  around  was  silvered  in  her  rays.  The  horses 
were  excellent,  and  the  stakes  high,  each  man  riding  his  own 
Jiorse. 

Then  came  a  regatta,  with  flat-bottomed  boats,  which  the  oppo- 
nents were  to  row  or  propel  in  any  way  they  possibly  could  up 
a  rapid  in  the  river  Don,  which  ran  through  Inchkeithing  park. 
One  member  had  already  been  drowned  in  attempting  the  feat, 
and  no  man  had  ever  yet  achieved  it,  simply  because  it  was  im- 
possible. After  this  trial,  in  which  those  who  made  the  effort  got 
a  good  ducking  for  their  pains,  the  feast  was  served,  and  the 
fraternal  friends  quaffed  their  potations  with  a  devotion  worthy 
-of  the  monks  of  old;  these,  after  shouting  and  singing  like  a 
regular  crew  of  bacchanals,  finished  their  orgies  by  ordering  their 
steeds  to  the  door,  for  a  sort  of  midnight  parade,  and  moonlight 
scour  over  the  country.  Accordingly,  horses  being  provided  for 
Altamont  and  myself,  the  whole  party  mounted  and  set  forth  on 
a  headlong  expedition,  in  which  Mandeville,  the  laird,  being  the 
leader,  the  devil  for  the  hindmost  was  the  order  of  the  course. 

They  soon  cleared  the  precincts  of  the  park,  scampered  through 
the  little  hamlet,  frighting  the  inhabitants  from  their  sleep,  and 
the  whole  village  from  its  propriety,  by  their  shrieks  and  baccha- 
nalian outcries.  They  then  galloped  through  the  pine  forest 
beyond,  and,  racing  over  the  waste  moorland,  held  onwards  towards 
the  hills. 

After  galloping  along  the  hill-tops  for  some  distance,  they  at 
length  drew  bridle,  and,  leaping  from  their  panting  steeds,  pick- 
eted titem,  and,  throwing  themselves  upon  the  heather  beside  a 
mountain  rivulet,  watched  for  the  first  streaks  of  dawn;  as 
soon  as  it  appeared,  they  once  more  mounted,  formed  in  a  line 
upon  its  ridge,  and  commenced  a  steeple-chase  home  again,  in 
comparison  with  which  all  the  races  of  the  sort  that  ever  were 
run,  were*  I  should  think,  but  flat  and  stale. 

By  miracle,  all  the  party  in  this  instance,  at  some  time  or  other 
during  the  next  day,  got  safe  home ;  but  half  their  horses  were 
totally  ruined.  Two  had  their  backs  broken,  and  two  more  were, 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  219 

likeFitzjames's  steed,  left  amongst  the  crags  as  food  for  the  High- 
land  eagle. 

Altamont  and  myself  managed  to  reach  Bakehelly  Hall  soon 
after  Mandeville  and  his  companions,  when  we  partook  of  supper 
at  day-break ;  and  having  seen  enough  of  their  eccentricities, 
when  the  host  retired  to  his  couch  to  sleep  off  the  fatigues  of  his 
midnight  revel,  we  took  our  leave,  and  wended  our  way  towards 
the  south. 

It  was  delightful  to  travel  in  the  companionship  of  so  agreeable 
a  companion  as  my  new  friend.  We  were  in  the  land  of  romance; 
and  having  been  for  some  time  stationed  in  the  Highlands,  he 
knew  the  neighbourhood  well. 

"  Nor  rock  nor  glen  we  paced  along, 
But  had  its  legend  and  its  song." 

When  we  reached  the  main  road,  our  destinations  necessarily 
lay  in  different  directions.  He  was  due  at  his  detachment,  and  it 
would  need  his  utmost  speed  of  walking,  if  he  meant  to  reach  it 
before  nightfall.  My  destination  it  would  have  been  more  dim- 
cult  to  decide  upon  at  that  moment,  but  I  professed  an  urgent 
desire  to  reach  the  gude  town  of  Aberdeen,  some  seventy  miles 
southward  from  where  we  then  were. 

Altamont  tried  all  his  powers  of  persuasion  to  induce  me  to 
•return  with  him  and  remain  longer  at  Brsemar ;  but  I  felt  unwil- 
ling to  do  so,  and  determined  to  box  the  road,  and  take  my  chance 
towards  the  south.  I  felt  a  secret  longing  to  be  alone,  and  ponder 
upon  my  situation,  and  consider  what  was  the  best  course  for 
me  to  pursue.  Relatives  I  had  none  that  I  knew  much  of,  or 
cared  for ;  certainly,  none  who  felt  the  most  remote  interest  in  my 
fate.  My  thoughts  still  harped.,  however,  upon  my  father.  I  felt 
a  great  desire  to  hear  something  of  him,  although  I  resolved  to 
starve  and  die  piecemeal,  rather  than  ask  assistance  from  him, 
after  his  unkind  behaviour.  England  seemed  to  be,  therefore, 
my  most  proper  destination,  and  I  resolved  to  reach  it,  as  soon  as 
I  conveniently  could.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  felt  the 
value  of  money ;  and  the  poor  hundred  pounds  I  carried  in  my 
pocket,  I  wisely  considered  my  only  earthly  friend. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

<c  What,  what,  what?  ill  luck,  ill  luck?" 

"  Why,  tliou  loss  upon  loss  !     The  thief  gone  with  so  much,  and  so  much  to 
find  the  thief;  and  no  satisfaction.no  revenge:  nor  no  ill  luck  stirring,  but 

what  lights  o'  my  shoulders." 

SHAKSPERB. 

"  FAREWELL,  then,"  said  Altamont ;  "  since  you  will  no  longer 
sojourn  pleasantly  amongst  the  green  retreats  of  Brsemar  with  us, 


220  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

and  doff  the  world  aside  in  the  Highlands,  I  suppose  we  mus 
part  here.  I  shall,  however,  trust  to  meeting  you  in  the  grea 
metropolis,  when  I  am  relieved  from  exile  and  detachment." 

"  It  would  give  me  more  pleasure  so  to  do,"  I  returned,  "  thai 
I  shall  say  here,  or  you  believe.  But,  indeed,  I  rather  hope  w< 
may  not  do  so.  The  best  wish  M'Gregor  can  give  his  friends,  i 
that  he  may  see  them  no  more." 

"  Tush— tush !"  returned  Altamont.  "  You  look  upon  the  darl 
side  of  things.  N'importe :  I  shall  be  up  in  London  soon,  an< 
I'll  see  you  the  instant  I  arrive,  and  never  leave  you  till  I  hav 
put  you  in  a  position  to  laugh  at  your  enemies,  and  set  you  righ 
with  those  you  love."  , 

"  You  will  scarcely  be  able  to  accomplish  that,  I  fear,"  I  re 
turned ;  "  but  only  lose  your  own  position  in  society  in  th 
attempt.  It  is  one  thing,  Altamont,  to  befriend  a  man  am 
become  his  associate  upon  the  misty  mountain-tops,  or  within  th 
walls  of  Brscmar ;  but  it  is  another,  my  friend,  to  walk  with  hir 
down  St.  Jaines's-street,  and  cram  him  down  the  throats  of  you 
acquaintance  in  the  great  metropolis." 

"  And  do  you,  then,  class  me  amongst  those  insects  of  th 
season,  those  figurantes  of  the  ball-room,  the  grinning  sycophant 
of  the  supper-hour,  the  debris  of  the  season,  those  spiritles 
waterflies,  who,  without  one  attribute  in  nature  to  recommen< 
them,  gibbet  themselves  upon  some  person  of  rank  and  authorit; 
in  the  world,  and,  sunned  in  the  eye  of  fashion,  fear  almost  t 
walk  upon  their  mother  earth  unadvisedly,  lest  they  lose  thei 
place  in  the  station  they  cling  to  ?  Dost  think  I  fear  the  look  c 
such  cold  shadows  as  these  ?  No,  my  good  fellow ;  I  have  sail 
it,  and  I'll  do  the  thing  I  promised.  Be  thou  but  guided  by  nu 
and  I  will  bring  you  through  your  difficulties.  Go  according  t 
your  own  headstrong  ideas,  and  deeper  ruin  stares  you  in  th 
face  than  that  which  you  have  achieved.  Take  my  advice;  retur 
with  me  to  Brsemar,  write  to  your  father  instantly,  £,nd  state  you 
situation ;  by  the  time  you  get  your  answer,  my  leave  of  absenc 
will  have  arrived. 

It  was  in  vain  Altamont  endeavoured  to  persuade  me  to  retur 
with  him.  I  felt  even  his  society  irksome  to  me ;  and,  promisin 
to  write  my  address  in  London,  we  parted. 

Those  who  have  never  wandered  upon  the  mountains  in  Scotlanc 
and  visited  these  lonely  habitations,  far  out  of  the  reach  of  th 
mere  traveller,  can  have  no  idea  of  the  solitude  and  beauty  c 
their  situation.  The  glen  I  had  traversed  for  some  miles  realize 
Scott's  description  of  Glendear'd  ;  and  when,  on  turning  the  bas 
of  the  dark  hill,  the  little  habitation  appeared  far  away  in  the  dis 
tance  before  me,  the  streamlet  running  beneath  the  green  hilloc 
it  was  erected  upon,  with  the  mountains  piled  in  awful  grandeu 
all  around,  I  almost  expected  to  see  Dame  Glendmning  herse 
come  forward  to  welcome  me. 

The  sun  was  setting  as  I  reached  the  cottage,  and  I  paused  1 
observe  the  beauty  of  the  lone  and  somewhat  desolate  spot  i 


THE  SOLDlEft  Of  FOSTtJffE.  221 

dch  it  stood.  ^  It  was  precisely  one  of  those  out-of-the-way  resi- 
nces,  where,  in  days  of  strife  and  fierce  contention,  a  proscribed 
outlawed  chieftain,  or  knot  of  prick-eared  whigs,  might  have 
n  concealed  from  the  pursuit  of  their  savage  foes.  It  had  but 
rely  escaped  the  destruction  so  many  cottages  thus  situate  had 
;t  with  during  the  recent  floods ;  tor  the  ascent  it  stood  on  was 
some  parts  completely  undermined  by  the  sweeping  torrent, 
lilst  many  of  the  little  cultivated  patches,  where  the  water  had 
ssed  over  them,  were  devastated  and  covered  with  torn-up  hea- 
er,  roots  of  trees,  mud,  and  slime. 

Finding  no  one  to  greet  me  without,  I  passed  through  the  little 
il  yard,  and  entered  the  cottage.  The  peat  reek  was  welcome 
my  nostrils,  as  it  spoke  of  rest  and  refreshment,  and  in  truth 
leeded  both  after  my  somewhat  toilsome  walk.  I  found  no  one 
•wever,  within  the  cottage,  but  an  elderly  female,  who  waa 
inning  and  singing  beside  the  turf  fire. 

A  sort  of  hood  was  drawn  over  her  grey  locks ;  and  altogether 
more  hideous-looking  hag  it  had  never  before  been  my  fate  to 
counter. 

As  I  advanced  into  the  interior,  she  glanced  round  and  saw 
3,  and  jumping  up  with  more  alacrity  than  from  her  age  I 
ould  have  supposed  her  capable  of,  s.  j  immediately  confronted 

She  was  evidently  not  the  gude  wife  of  the  cottage,  and  I  at  first 
ok  her  for  one  of  those  demented  creatures,  who  are  still  to  be 
and  wandering  on  the  Highlands,  speering  fortunes,  and  chant- 
g  old  ditties  in  the  ingle  neuk,  for  eleemosynary  scraps,  and  the 
ght's  lodging,  which  the  simple  cottagers  would  think  it  ill-luck 
refuse  them. 

"  Fat  divil  do  we  want  with  meelitary  men  or  gaugers  here, 
id  she,  quickly,  as  she  stared  into  my  face. 
"  Who  told  you,  my  good  woman,"  said  I,  "  that  I  was  either 
e  one  or  the  other  ?" 

"  Brsemar,"  said  she,  quickly.  "  Ye're  frae  Brsemar.  1  e  re  ane 
'  the  officers.  Ye've  been  watched  to  the  Hall.  How  came  ye 
>re,  in  the  deil's  name  ?  Follow  me  out,  if  ye're  wise." 
She  glided  from  the  cottage,  as  another  female  entered  from  an 
ner  apartment.  I  immediately  altered  my  intention  of  following 
;r,  and  addressed  myself  to  this  person,  who,  I  rightly  concluded, 
as  the  wife  of  the  proprietor  of  the  place.  She  was  a  sulky- 
oking  and  ill-favoured  individual ;  and  to  my  request  for  some 
freshment,  after  telling  her  whither  I  was  bound,  and  the  long 
alk  I  had  had  since  morning,  she  deigned  me  no  other  answer 
.an  that  of  placing  bannocks,  milk,  and  a  lump  of  mouldy  cheese 
;fore  me.  ((  ,  , 

"Your  miles  are  long,  my  good  madam,  said  1,  and  tne 
>untry  much  cut  up.  Can  you  give  me  a  night's  lodging  in  your 
easant  cottage  ?"  ,,  ,, 

"Na,"  said  she,  sulkily,  "we've  no  that  accommodation  for  the 
!ces  o'  ye." 


222  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

At  this  moment,  and  as  I  was  finishing  my  meal,  the  old,  daf 
boddie  returned,  and,  resuming  her  seat,  began  to  warble  anothe] 
of  her  old  ballads. 

She  evidently  wished  to  draw  my  attention  towards  her ;  for  ai 
I  turned,  while  the  ill-favoured  hostess  looked  another  way,  ] 
observed  her  making  secret  signs  for  me  to  leave  the  cottage 
Accordingly,  somewhat  struck  with  her  manner,  although  I  hac 
intended  half  an  hour's  rest,  and  (if  I  could  have  obtained  accom 
modation)  a  night's  lodging,  I  arose  and  offered  to  remunerate  th< 
crabbed  landlady. 

She,  however,  refused  the  coin  I  offered  her,  though  some 
thing  more  civilly.  "  Hout  na!"  said  she.  "  It  was  na  wortl 
the  quarter  o'  that.  I  was  quite  welcome ;  they  did  na  tak  sillei 
frae  travellers :  they  seldom  came  that  way,  and  when  they  came 
her's  was  no  inn." 

As  I  nodded  to  the  weird  sister,  in  quitting  the  cottage,  sh< 
pointed  significantly  with  her  choppy  finger,  in  the  direction  ] 
had  just  traversed,  as  if  warning  me  to  return.  I,  however,  paic 
no  attention  to  her  actions,  made  no  further  inquiry,  and  althougt 
for  the  first  few  paces  I  thought  the  circumstance  rather  singular 
and  the  Highland  hospitality  I  had  received  somewhat  constrained 
I  shouldered  my  burden,  and,  like  Christian  in  the  "  Pilgrim.'* 
Progress,"  went  onwards  on  my  way.  The  shades  of  evening 
were  now  descending  fast,  the  hills  were  wrapped  in  deeper  brown, 
and  the  breeze  sighed  along  the  glen  I  traversed  in  a  melancholy 
and  dreary  style,  that  would  have  been  quite  delightful  to  a  lovei 
of  the  wild  poetry  of  the  bard  Ossian. 

As  the  glen  was  thus  lonely,  and  I  had  still  some  five  miles  be 
fore  I  came  upon  any  other  habitable  spot,  I  plucked  a  stout  stake 
from  amongst  some  hurdles  before  I  quitted  the  precincts  of  the 
the  little  farm.  The  warning  action  of  the  old  woman  had  foi 
the  moment  struck  me,  and  I  felt  that  something  hi  the  shape 
of  a  weapon  in  hand  would  be  both  companionable  and  perhaps 
useful. 

The  path  I  traversed  ran  along  the  margin  of  the  streamlet; 
turning  and  winding  between  the  hills  ;  and  to  my  surprise,  as 
soon  as  I  had  wound  my  way  around  the  base  of  the  first  hil. 
beyond  the  cottage,  I  found  my  weird  and  withered  friend  had 
cut  nearly  across  it,  and  was  in  waiting  before  me  beside  the 
burn. 

"  Did  I  no  warn  ye  not  to  tak  this  road  ?"  she  said,  as  SOOE 
as  I  came  up.  "  Did  I  not  sign  to  ye  no  to  gang  further  uj 
the  glen?" 

"And  wherefore  not,  my  good  woman?"  said  I. 

"  There's  danger  in  your  path,"  she  returned. 

"Who  will  injure  me?"  I  inquired.  "  Robbery  is  almost  un- 
known in  your  country;  and  for  myself  I  fear  nothing.  I  have 
injured  no  one ;  why  should  I?" 

"You  have  eaten  of  the  bread,  and  drunk  of  the  cup  of  thos< 
you  have  injured  but  now,"  returned  the  beggar. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  223 

"  Whose  bread  Lave  I  eaten,  foolish,  woman,"  I  inquired,  "  that 
rou  can  allude  to  ?" 

"  Yonder  woman's,"  returned  the  hag,  pointing  back  to  the  cot- 
age.  "Ye  have  imprisoned  her  husband  and  her  son  with  yer 
rursed  sodgermg;  burned  their  bothies,  and  wasted  the  gude 
iquor  in  the  streams.  Ye  have  clean  ruined  them  a'tegether." 

"  If  you  allude  to  the  capture  of  some  smugglers  upon  the  hills, 
Beyond  Toumantoul,  I  have  had  as  much  to  do  with  that  as  you 
lave.  I  was  captured  amongst  the  lot." 

"Are  ye  not  frae  BraanarP"  said  she,  impatiently,  "and  have 
re  not  been  away  at  that  daft  Mandeville's  place  there  in 
Donside  ?  Ye  ken  ye  have,  for  I  saw  ye  at  Braomar.  Gang 
lot  doun  the  glen,"  she  continued;  "I'se  tell  ye  fairly,  there's 
;hem  been  out  speering  for  ye  these  twa  days,  that  winna  spare 
re" 

"  Ridiculous !"  said  I ;  "  what  have  I  to  do  with  the  people  here  ? 
[  never  burnt  a  bothie  in  all  my  life." 

"  A-weel,  a-weel,  ye  mun  do  as  ye  like.  Be  ye  ane  of  the  garrit: 
son  or  not,  ye're  kenned  and  marked,  and  they  winna  be  pleased 
;o  see  ye  again  where  the  still's  at  work,  that's  a'.  Dinna  say  ye 
la  na  been  forewarned." 

So  saying,  the  old  dame  turned  upon  her  heel,  and  returned 
towards  the  cottage. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  altogether  relished  this  warning,  when  I 
;ame  to  reflect  upon  it  as  I  pursued  my  way.  It  was  not  impos- 
sible that,  from  having  been  with  Altamont  and  M'Kilt  deer- 
jhooting  in  the  forest,  I  might  have  been  recognised  and  identified 
is  one  of  the  officers. 

My  way  still  lay  along  the  side  of  the  streamlet,  which  had  now 
iDecome  much  shallower  and  wider,  its  pebbly  bottom  not  a  foot 
from  the  surface.  A  rustic  bridge  had  been  here  erected,  but  was 
now  broken,  nothing  but  the  piles  here  and  there  remaining  to  tell 
of  its  sometime  whereabout. 

Somewhere  about  a  mile  from  these  fragments,  I  had  been  di- 
rected by  Altamont  to  bear  off' to  the  right ;  and  a  mile  further, 
lie  told  me,  would  bring  me  to  a  small  public-house,  where  I  might 
obtain  a  bed  for  the  night. 

I  /began  to  congratulate  myself  upon  the  near  termination  of 
my  journey,  when,  on  casually  turning  my  head,  I  found  myself 
followed  by  three  men,  who,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of 
mile,  were  hastening  along  the  path  I  had  traversed.  From  their 
manner,  I  instantly  knew  they  were  in  pursuit.  They  were  run- 
ning when  I  first  saw  them,  but  broke  into  a  walk  as  soon  as  they 
;  aw  me  stop  and  regard  them. 

The  only  chance  left  me  was  to  push  on,  and,  actually  running, 
I  walked  on  as  fast  as  I  possibly  could. 

The  rivulet  again  narrowed,  and  ran  between  precipitous  banks, 
;he  path  ascending  on  the  right-hand  bank.  As  I  hastened  up  it, 
.ft  slight  turn  for  the  moment  hid  them  from  my  view,  and  I  was 
beginning  to  deliberate  with  myself  whether  there  would  be  any 


224  THE  S6LD1EH  OF  FOSTtJffB. 

degradation  in  trusting  to  my  heels,  three  to  one  being  great  odds, 
wlien  I  found  the  path  in  front  also  occupied:  two  men  quietly 
stepping  from  the  rocky  ascent  which  overhung  it,  and  standing 
not  twenty  yards  before  me. 

There  was  small  time  for  deliberation,  and  a  hundred  years  of 
thought  would  only  have  brought  me  to  the  conclusion  I  arrived 
at  the  moment  I  caught  sight  of  them.  Whether  I  escaped  or 
not,  my  only  chance  was  to  charge  the  opposing  force. 

The  demeanour  of  the  two  ruffians  in  my  path  was  sufficient  to 
advertise  me  that  they  meant  mischief.  They  stood  doggedly  be- 
fore me,  so  that  I  could  not  possibly  get  past.  Each  man  had  a 
stout  cudgel.  I  walked  steadily  on  till  I  came  within  about  six 
yards,  and  then,  taking  the  heel  of  my  hedge-stake  into  the  palm 
of  my  right  hand,  and  grasping  it  as  a  soldier  holds  his  musket 
and  fixed  bayonet  in  my  left,  I  sprang  upon  the  fellow  more  im- 
mediately opposing  me,  and  driving  the  point  into  the  pit  of  his 
stomach  with  considerable  force,  he  was  hors  de  combat  before  he 
could  effectually  strike  a  blow.  Both,  however,  had  levelled  tre- 
mendous blows  as  I  dashed  at  them,  but  my  activity  had  thus 
been  the  means  of  my  eluding  their  cudgels ;  and,  instantly  turning 
upon  the  remaining  ruffian,  I  was  just  upon  the  point  of  driving 
him  backwards  into  the  stream,  when  I  was  felled  to  the  earth 
by  a  heavy  blow  upon  the  back  of  my  head. 

I  was,  however,  only  stunned  for  the  moment,  and,  conscious 
that  I  was  now  completely  in  the  power  of  my  enemies,  I  had  the 
sense  to  remain  perfectly  quiet  whilst  they  ransacked  my  pockets 
and  possessed  themselves  of  my  pocket-book,  containing  nearly  all 
I  possessed  in  the  world — my  poor  hundred  pounds. 

As  soon  as  they  found  it,  three  out  of  the  four  arose  from  their 
stooping  posture  and  examined  its  contents. 

"  Curse  the  fellow !"  said  the  man  whose  comrade  I  had  floored, 
"  he  has  fairly  done  for  Murdoch,  I  think  ;  the  poor  chap's  bleed- 
ing from  the  mouth  and  nose  like  a  pig." 

"We've  fairly  stunned  the  cheil,  however,"  said  another  fellow, 
whose  knee  was  upon  my  breast.  "  Best  ^toss  him  into  the  burn 
before  he  comes  to ;  he'll  sink  like  a  stane." 

"Na,  na,  that  winna  do  ava,"  returned  the  other:  "that 
might  tell  tales  of  us.  Draw  yer  knife,  mon,  across  his  wea- 
sand,  and  then  we  can  tak  the  loon  doun  to  the  bothie,  and 
bury  him." 

I  turned  sick  at  the  words.  To  die  (as  Eugene  Aram  says)  is 
natural  and  necessary ;  but  the  manner  of  it  is  something  which 
should  be  decent  and  manly.  To  be  slaughtered  thus  like  a  calf 
by  these  butchers,  was  anything  but  pleasant,  and  I  resolved  to 
demur,  and  resist  the  application  of  the  knife  to  my  carotid  by 
every  means  in  my  power.  Four  to  one  was  great  odds,  however. 
On  my  legs  I  could  have  been  content  to  fight,  like  Macbeth, 
"till  from  my  bones  the  flesh  was  hacked," but  to  be  held  down, 
like  a  pig  upon  a  shutter,  and  feel  the  sharp  knife  cut  through  my 
windpipe,  was  horrible  to  contemplate. 


THE   SOLDIER   OF   FORTUNE.  225 

Three  of  tlie  fellows  were  still  engaged  hunting  amongst  the 
pockets  of  my  book.  The  ripple  of  the  stream  sounded  just 
beneath  the  bank  I  lay  on,  and  a  sudden  thought  struck  through 
my  brain. 

The  villain  who  mounted  guard  over  me  relaxed  his  hold  for 
one  moment,  as  he  searched  his  pocket  for  the  knife  which  was 
to  cut  my  thread  of  life,  and  kill  me  like  a  calf.  With  a  sudden 
and  violent  effort,  I  wrenched  myself  free  from  him,  and  rollin°- 
rapidly  over  before  he  recovered  himself,  in  the  next  instant  I 
dropped  like  a  water-rat  into  the  stream. 

JSio  shipwrecked  mariner  ever  felt  the  grateful  and  cooling 
freshes  of  the  desert  more  welcome  to  his  throat,  than  I  felt  the 
cold  waters  over  my  body  as  I  plunged  into  this  burn  ;  and  allow- 
ing myself  to  sink  several  feet,  I  struck  out  like  an  otter,  for  some 
distance,  beneath  the  stream. 

When  I  rose  to  the  surface,  I  found  my  pursuers  were  as  cun- 
ning as  myself;  they  were  quite  awake  to  the  habits  of  the  ani- 
mal I  have  mentioned,  and  knowing,  that  if  I  could  swim,  I  must 
soon  rise  for  air,  had  run  along  with  the  current,  and  instantly 
saw  me  when  I  reached  the  surface.  It  was  lucky  for  me  that  I 
was  an  expert  swimmer,  as  I  found  I  should  have  a  hard  struggle 
for  it,  if  I  meant  to  escape  being  murdered  in  mistake. 

In  my  boyhood  I  had  practised  diving  and  swimming  under 
water  in  the  different  streams  situate  near  the  Grange,  and  I  was, 
therefore,  quite  at  home  in  the  element ;  and  as  soon  as  I  heard 
the  shout  which  my  pursuers  gave  from  the  bank,  I  again  allowed 
myself  to  sink. 

^This  time,  however,  I  altered  my  game,  and  instead  of  swimming 
with  the  stream,  I  turned  beneath  the  surface,  and  although  I 
could  not  stem  the  swift  current,  like  a  trout  or  a  salmon,  I  kept 
my  head  against  it,  and  pulled  with  might  and  main,  with  a  half 
turn,  towards  the  further  bank. 

The  half  minute's  breath  I  had  taken,  had  not  only  showed  me 
that  destruction  awaited  me  from  my  foes,  but  I  distinctly  heard 
the  roar  of  a  torrent  right  a-head,  which,  together  with  the  rush 
of  the  waters  which  hurried  me  on,  made  me  conjecture  that  there 
was  in  all  probability,  either  a  small  cataract  near,  or  some  rapids 
must  be  at  hand.  As  a  last  resource,  I  therefore  made  for  the 
opposite  bank,  and  completely  hidden  in  its  dark  overhanging 
shade,  grasping  a  tuft  with  one  hand,  to  keep  my  head  above  the 
water,  thus  out  of  the  force  of  the  current,  lay  perdue,  like  a  North 
American  savage,  listening  to  the  retreating  footsteps  of  his  foes. 

I  found,  however,  this  was  a  situation  I  could  not  long  endure. 
The  cold  was  too  great  for  one  not  bred  in  the  woods  and  prairies, 
and  I  felt  completely  numbed.  To  add  to  my  discomfiture,  I 
found  it  impossible  to  land,  the  water  being  too  deep,  and  nothing 
to  obtain  a  grasp  of  on  the  bank  sufficiently  firm  to  haul  myself 
up  on  dry  land.  My  only  chance,  therefore,  was  to  cross,  and 
run  the  risk  of  capture.  To  deliberate,  was  to  drown ;  I  was  be- 
coming more  benumbed  and  exhausted  every  instant,  and  letting 

Q 


226  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

go  my  precarious  hold,  I  struck  out  as  strongly  as  I  was  now 
able. 

m  Luckily  the  rivulet,  instead  of  being  in  deep  pools,  as  on  the 
side  I  had  quitted,  was  just  at  this  part  gravelly  and  shelving,  and 
I  was  enabled,  with  some  little  effort,  at  last  "to  get  footing  upon 
dry  land. 

It  is  not  often  the  case  in  the  moral  north,  (in  these  latter  days) 
that  a  traveller  falls  into  an  ambuscade,  and  is  nearly  victimised'by 
such  a  relentless  lot  as  I  was  endeavouring  to  escape  from.  Scot- 
land is  for  the  most  part  a  quiet  land;  its  remotest  lakes,  its 
thicket  forests,  its  mountains  and  its  glens,  as  safe  and  secure  for 
the  exploration  of  the  stranger,  as  Hyde  Park  on  a  Sunday.  In 
ould  Ireland,  indeed,  it  is  more  common  for  a  red-coat  to  fall  in 
with  fellows  who  bear  the  gallows  in  their  features,  and  murder  in 
their  right  hands.  It  was,  therefore,  my  peculiar  luck  to  be  thus 
hunted  like  a  beast  of  prey,  and  it  jumped,  I  considered,  with  the 
evil  fate  my  destiny  always  had  in  store  for  me. 

There  were,  however,  these  peculiar  features  in  the  case,  that 
these  men  had  been  much  enraged  by  the  powerful  interference 
of  the  two  detachments  lying  at  Brsemar  and  Corgarff,  which  had 
most  completely  ruined  their  trade;  and,  as  they  considered,  in 
the  most  unwarrantable  manner  robbed  them  of  their  subsistence. 
They  had,  therefore,  with  the  less  remorse  appropriated  my  purse, 
and  sought  to  take  revenge  upon  my  person. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  the  dry  land,  I  cautiously  looked  about 
me ;  first  1  thought  of  climbing  the  craggy  banks  which  overhung 
the  path,  and  gaining  the  hill,  attempt  to  reach  Aberlochie,  which 
I  knew  was  not  now  very  far  from  me. 

As  I  stooped  and  listened,  however,  I  caught  site  of  the  lurid 
glare  of  a  fire,  reflected  in  the  water,  not  many  yards  from  me. 
I  knew  instantly  that  it  proceeded  from  a  whisky  bothie,  which 
in  my  progress  down  the  stream  I  had  passed.  With  stealthy 
pace,  and  so  quietly  that  the  blind  mole  could  scarcely  have 
heard  my  footfall,  I  approached  it,  and  cautiously  looked  in.  It 
was  empty,  and  I  entered.  There  were  several  tattered  garments 
lying  about,  and  hastily  stripping  off  my  coat  and  waistcoat,  I 
made  free  with  one  of  the  ragged  great  coats  I  found  lying  on  the 
floor.  This  is  the  great  secret  in  regard  to  saving  oneself  from 
taking  cold,  after  becoming  wet  through  either  from  rain  or  im- 
mersion in  water;  namely,  to  put  on  a  dry  garment  over  the  wet 
one  and  immediately  exercise  the  body. 

Stepping  to  the  door,  I  again  listened,  but  no  sound  met  my 
ear.  The  smugglers  were  in  possession  of  the  path  before  me, 
and  which,  unless  I  could  have  landed  on  the  other  side  the 
stream,  or  consented  to  return  the  way  I  came,  was  the  only  one  I 
could  take,  the  river  being,  as  I  said,  on  one  side,  and  the  steep 
craigs  on  the  other. 

I  was  fully  resolved  not  to  return ;  and  to  fight  my  way  through 
my  opponents,  was  rather  too  hazardous.  The  ruffians  evidently 
thought  I  should  make  some  effort  to  land,  before  I  reached  the 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTTTNE.  227 

falls.  There  were  several  shelving  parts  of  the  ascending  rocks  I 
had  observed,  as  I  cautiously  approached  the  bothie.  I  resolved 
to  chance  concealment,  by  clambering  up  one  of  these,  and  lie 
perdue,  till  the  smugglers  returned;  and  not  to  lose  time,  I  resolved 
myself  to  recall  them. 

Seizing,  therefore,  a  large  piece  of  glowing  turf,  I  threw  it  into 
the  dry  thatch  of  the  bothie,  and  set  it  on  fire;  it  was  a  sort  of 
retaliation  which  exceedingly  pleased  me.  Then  grasping  a  stout 
cudgel,  which  I  found  lying  near,  I  ran  several  paces  towards  the 
falls,  jumped  up  the  ascent,  and  effectually  concealed  myself. 

The  stratagem  answered ;  the  bothie  sent  up  a  glowing  blaze, 
the  whisky  taking  fire,  and  I  lay  in  breathless  expectation  of  the 
result. 

The  smugglers  soon  saw  the  beacon,  hastened  back,  passed  the 
spot  in  which  I  lay  concealed,  and  with  horrible  imprecations 
upon  me,  rushed  onwards,  supposing  that  I  had  fled  the  way  I 
came. 

After  listening  for  a  few  minutes  to  their  retiring  footsteps,  I 
seized  the  opportunity  of  escape,  and  leaping  down  the  rocks, 
with  might  and  main  I  fled. 

Knowing  that  the  lone  inn  or  public,  which  Altamont  had  de- 
scribed to  me,  was  in  the  highway  which  intersected  the  footpath 
I  traversed,  I  quickly  passed  the  salmon  leap,  in  the  falls ;  and 
now,  not  thinking  my  dignity  at  all  compromised  after  this  bad 
action,  by  taking  to  my  heels,  continued  to  speed  onwards  till  I 
reached  the  high  road. 

After  I  had  gained  about  half  a  mile  further,  I  stopped  for  a 
moment  to  look  back,  and  listen  if  there  was  any  sound  of  my 
pursuers.  All,  however,  was  silent ;  a  dancing  light  shot  up  ever 
and  anon  in  the  direction  of  the  burning  bothie,  and  beyond  that, 
far  away  in  the  distance,  was  King  Richard's  bright  track  yet 
visible  upon  the  horizon,  which  "  gives  token  of  the  goodly  day 
to-morrow." 

I  was  now  warm  and  vigorous ;  the  plunge  into  the  river  had, 
together  with  the  excitement  consequent  upon  my  adventure,  car- 
ried off  all  my  previous  fatigue.  I  was  once  more  solitary  upon 
the  moors ;  but  my  heart  was  light  to  what  it  had  been  upon 
former  occasions.  I  had  fought,  and  all  but  conquered,  and  it  is 
wonderful  upon  what  good  terms  a  man  feels  with  himself  after 
doing  his  devoir  Eke  a  true  knight.  Making,  therefore,  my  cudgel 
play  around  my  head,  I  hurried  forward,  and  before  long  a  twink- 
ling light  threw  its  beams  from  afar.  Praying  heaven  that  it 
might  not  be  an  "ignis  fatuus,  or  a  ball  of  wildfire,"  I  made 
towards  it  with  might  and  main,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  I  had 
won  the  lone  public-house. 

After  battering  at  the  door  with  as  much  vigour  as  the  Black 
Knight  at  the  hermitage  of  the  clerk  of  Copmanhurst,  I  succeeded 
in  arousing  the  old  people  who  tenanted  it,  and,  after  some  diffi- 
culty, gained  admittance. 

It  was  but  a  poor  place  of  refuge  I  found ;  for  except  some  eggs, 

Q  2 


228  THE  SOLDIEK  OF  FORTUNE. 

coarse  clieese,  and  marvellously  stale  oaten  cake,  this  house  <f 
entertainment  was  all  unprovided  with  viands  for  the  travellers 
use.  The  reason  was  plain,  it  was  seldom,  if  ever,  visited.  Tha 
landlord  and  his  aidd  wife  were  superannuated,  and  past  work. 
I,  however,  was  glad  of  the  slight  shelter  it  afforded;  and  making 
the  outlets  as  secure  as  I  could,  in  case  my  pursuers  should  dis- 
cover my  place  of  refuge,  and  "possessing  myself  of  an  old  rusty 
fowling-piece,  which  had  apparently  graced  the  walls  for  half  a 
century,  I  felt  myself  tolerably  secure,  and  determined  to  rest 
liere  till  dawn,  and  then  put  on  with  all  convenient  speed. 

_  Making,  therefore,  a  good  turf  fire,  I  set  myself  down  to  such 
viands  as  my  host  put  before  me,  and  then  threw  myself  back  in 
my  chair,  and,  between  sleeping  and  waking,  pondered  over  my 
situation.  With  my  pocket-book  and  its  contents,  all  my  present 
store  was  gone,  except  some  half  a  dozen  shillings  I  carried  in  my 
waistcoat  pocket,  and  my  watch.  I,  therefore,  made  up  my  mind 
to  push  on  for  Aberdeen,  as  well  for  the  purpose  of  giving  infor- 
mation of  the  robbery  to  the  police  there,  as  also  that  I  might 
find  the  few  effects  I  had  directed  my  servant  to  send  from  Fort 
George,  and  on  which,  trifling  as  they  were,  I  was  now  to  depend 
for  support  till  I  could  get  a  supply. 

I  was  now,  indeed,  in  a  different  situation  to  any  I  had  ever 
before  been  in.  Hitherto  I  had  only  had  those  disagreeables  to 
encounter  incident  to  personages  moving  in  the  higher  sphere  of 
life.  Gold,  the  pale  and  common  drudge  "  'twixt  man  and  man," 
I  had  never  contemplated  the  want  of;  my  means  had  always  been 
ample  for  my  wants,  as  far  as  subsistence  went.  There  were  cir- 
cumstances, also,  which  had  made  application  for  money  from  my 
father's  agent,  extremely  unpleasant  to  me ;  and  the  last  time  I 
had  applied,  I  had  been  given  to  understand  that  my  demands  in 
future  were  not  likely  to  be  honoured. 

The  fact,  therefore,  of  my  becoming  suddenly  a  penniless 
wanderer  in  the  open  world,  was  sufficiently  startling,  and  stared 
me  in  the  face,  as  if  the  poor  hundred  pounds  I  had  just  been 
robbed  of.  had  been  as  inexhaustible  as  the  cap  of  Fortunatus. 

Thank  Heaven,  however,  that  buoyancy  of  spirit  which  enabled 
me  to  surmount  all  the  ills  my  particular  person  has  been  heir 
to,  enabled  me  to  rise  above  the  present  ill  fortune. 

"  What  am  I,"  said  I,  "  that  I  should  repine  at  that  which  my 
own  rashness  of  temper  has  brought  upon  me  ?  Hitherto  I  have 
ranked  myself  above  those  with  whom  my  lot  has  been  cast,  on 
account  of  my  gentility.  I  brought  myself  into  difficulties  with 
my  comrades  of  the  145th,  by  holding  them  cheap,  and  estimating 
myself  beyond  price,  ergo,  I  have  been  humbled,  fallen  (I  fear) 
like  Lucifer,  never  to  rise  again.  Away,  then,  with  my  gentility," 
said  I,  "  there  is  no  sign  left  to  show  the  world  I  am  a  gentle- 
man." My  name,  which  had  been  a  knightly  and  a  noble  one 
since  my  fathers  helped  to  conquer  for  the  J^ormans,  I  determined 
to  part  with.  Through  me  it  had  suffered  no  dishonour;  but  I 
seemed  now  unworthy  to  bear  it.  The  station  in  life  to  which  it 


THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FORTUNE.  229 

had  pleased  Heaven  to  call  me,  I  was  unable  to  fill.  Be  it  so ; 
nature  hath  given  me  talents,  I  will  use  them.  The  only  difficulty 
was  to  know  what  I  was  most  clever  in.  Having  been  brought  up 
to  no  profession,  the  chances  were,  that  I  was  unfit  for  any.  All 
the  accomplishments  I  possessed  were  utterly  useless— not  one  of 
them  would  earn  me  a  shilling.  "  What,  in  the  name  of  all  the 
gods  at  once,  is  to  become  of  me?"  said  I.  Divested  by  a  multi- 
tude of  rash  acts,  of  home,  friends,  and  country,  unless  I  could 
manage  to  strike  out  some  means  of  present  subsistence,  I  must 
either  rob  or  starve. 

"  Poor  is  the  friendless  master  of  a  \vorld,"  saith  the  poet.  I 
was  not  master  of  a  world,  but  I  was  both  poor  and  friendless. 
At  least,  it  was  my  pleasure  to  revel  in  the  idea,  that  such  was 
the  fact.  Mine  was  a  case  of  pride  aping  humility ;  and  I  cast 
from  my  mind  as  offensive  the  idea  of  applying  to  any  one  for 
assistance  in  my  present  strait.  Altamont  would  have  flown  to 
me  had  I  but  hinted  my  mishap.  So  would  M'Kilt.  I  was  not 
without  friends,  then  ;  but  how  could  I,  however,  borrow  without 
the  slightest  idea  when  I  was  likely  to  be  able  to  repay  them. 
Mrs.  Allworthy,  too,  good  soul,  if  alive,  would,  I  was  sure,  have 
received  me  into  her  house,  and  advised  with  me  as  to  my  future 
career.  But,  110 :  I  resolved  to  work  for  bread,  rather  than  be 
under  obligation  to  living  mortal.  "  No,"  said  I,  rising^and 
striding  across  the  floor  of  the  little  cabin  I  was  cribbed  in ;  the 
world  hath  used  me  scurvily.  I'll  seek,  for  favours  from  none. 
To  receive  them  would  be  bad  enough ;  but  to  be  refused,  ye  gods ! 
I  know  not  whether  the  thought  most  frightens,  disgusts,  or 
affronts  me.  Better  beg  my  food,"  I  said  aloud,  throwing  myself 
into  an  attitude  which  caused  the  old  host  to  thrust  his  head  from 
his  berth,  and  stare  with  affright,  thinking  he  had  a  daft  body  for 
his  guest, 

"  Or,  with  a  base  and  boisterous  sword,  enforce 
A  thievish  living  on  the  common  road." 

"  Ha !  a  thought  strikes  me,"  I  continued ;  "  by  this  penniless 
pocket,  'twere  not  the  worst  way.  I'll  turn  actor  for  the  nonce ; 
and  fret  my  hour  upon  the  stage.  As  honest  Bardolph  says,  It 
is  a  life  I  do  desire :  I  will  thrive.' " 

I  think  it  is  my  Lord  Burlington  who,  in  one  of  his  letters  to 
Pope,  remarks  upon  the  amusement  afforded  him  in^observmg  the 
disparity  of  men  from  themselves,  even  in  a  week's  progress  ot 
time.  The  desultory  leaping  and  catching  of  new  motions,  new 
modes,  new  measures;  and  that  strange  spirit  01  life  VI  use  his 
own  words)  with  which  men,  broken  and  disappointed,  resume  their 
hopes,  their -solicitations,  their  ambitions. 

It  is  even  so:  seated  in  a  mud- walled  cottage,  and  almost 
penniless,  I  already  began  in  anticipation  to  fancy  myself  tlie 
observed  of  all  observers:  a  very  Koscius  in  Borne  Ihe  scenic 
hour  had  always  been  to  me  one  of  peculiar  enchantment.  1  He- 
veriest  strollers  that  ever  ranted  in  a  booth,  I  had  always  envied 


2dO  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

their  hour  before  the  footlights ;  the  idea,  therefore,  was  the  more 
pleasant  to  me,  as  it  promised  to  afford  me  a  visible  means  of 
existence,  and  jumped  with  my  humour.  Oh !  Shakspere,  I  fear 
me  you  have  much  to  answer  for.  How  many  a  gawky  youth, 
who  might  have  done  his  country  service  at  the  plough-tail,  have 
thy  words  of  fire  sent  to  rave,  recite,  and  throw  his  awkward 
limbs  about,  and  be  hissed  into  madness  in  a  country  barn. 

As  soon  as  dawn  appeared,  I  prepared  to  leave  the  little  inn. 
The  hostess  crept  from  out  of  her  berth,  and  prepared  me  a  mess 
which  she  called  sowans ;  and  the  old  hen  having  deposited  an 
egg,  I  made  a  tolerable  breakfast.  After  remunerating  the  old 
dame,  I  grasped  my  cudgel,  and  wended  my  way. 

Luckily  for  me,  my  foes  had  spent  so  much  time  in  seeking  for 
me  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  farm  in  the  glen,  that  they  thought 
it  unsafe  longer  to  remain  near  the  scene  of  their  robbery ;  they 
therefore  made  the  best  of  their  way  to  Glasgow,  as  I  afterwards 
heard ;  whilst  I,  unmolested,  wended  on  towards  Aberdeen,  which 
place  I  reached  late  the  next  night. 


CHAPTEB  XXXIV. 

"  A  poor  player, 

That  struts  and  frets  his  hour  upon  the  stage, 
And  then  is  heard  no  more." 

"  How  will  this  grieve  you, 
"When  you  shall  come  to  clearer  knowledge,  that 
You  thus  have  published  me  ?  Gentle,  my  lord, 
You  scarce  can  right  me  thoroughly,  then,  to  say 
You  did  mistake." 

SHAKSPERE. 

WHEN  I  reached  Aberdeen,  I  inquired  my  way  to  M'Cray's 
hotel,  where  I  had  ordered  my  late  rear-rank  servant,  of  the  145th, 
to  forward  my  baggage  to,  and  which  I  was  glad  enough  to  find 
the  faithful  fellow  had  performed.  I  forthwith  located  myself 
there ;  and  for  the  first  time  for  many  nights  enjoyed  a  comfort- 
able bed  and  refreshing  sleep. 

It  was  nigh  noon  the  next  day,  before  I  made  my  appearance  in 
all  the  comforts  of  clean  linen  and  my  best  suit  of  mufti.  As  I 
breakfasted,  I  was  surprised  to  find  what,  a  gay  place  this  northern 
town  was.  The  fashionables  were  just  then  promenading  the 
High-street,  which  was  quite  filled  with  elegantly  dressed  and 
lovely  females,  attended  by  beaux  and  cavaliers  as  smart  as  them- 
selves. 

I  had  always  thought  the  Scotch  were  grave  and  staid 
folks,  both  young  and  old,  with  an  eye  to  the  main  chance,  and 
as  rigid  in  manner  and  conversation  as  a  community  of  quakers: 
the  old  folks,  like  Douce  Davie  Deans— the  young  as  serious  as 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  231 

his  daughter  Jennie.  Here,  however,  the  nymphs  and  swains 
seemed  as  fresh  and  fair,  and  full  of  spirit,  as  the  month  of  May. 
As  I  looked  from  my  window  upon  the  gay  scene,  the  depot 
of  the  regiment  stationed  there  came  sweeping  down  the  street, 
with  their  drums  and  trumpets  sounding  my  hopes.  The  sight 
gave  me  a  pang,  as  I  reflected  that  all  my  hopes  in  that  profession 
were  gone  for  ever. 

To  my  surprise,  I  saw  Altamont  de  Montdidier  coming  full 
swing  down  the  street.  He  seemed  to  know  every  party  he 
met,  and  had  something  to  say  to  each,  whether  he  knew  them  or 
not. 

"  Ha !  my  Lord  Provost,"  said  he,  to  a  most  curious-looking 
elderly  gentleman,  dressed  something  in  the  style  of  Nicol  Jarvie, 
a  venerable  functionary  wearing  a  families  wig,  which  covered 
his  whole  forehead  in  front ;  a  laced  neckcloth,  and  carrying  a 
most  respectable  cane  behind  his  back.  "  Ha !  my  Lord  Provost, 
what  sort  of  rule  do  you  keep  here,  in  this  shire  of  yours  ?  I 
have  been  stopped,  robbed,  and  well-nigh  murdered  amongst  the 
fastnesses  beyond  Lochintoidar." 

"Heaven  be  here,  man,"  said  the  provost;  "ye  dinna  mean 
that ;  hout,  but  it's  clear  again  common  sense,  yon.  Ye 're  joking. 
Ye  made  the  giants,  and  then  ye  killed  them,  eh?" 

"Not  I,"  said  Altamont:  "like  Ensign  Pattypan,  I  should 
have  been  stopped,  robbed,  and  stripped,  but  that  I  luckily  had 
fire-arms  with  me.  I'm  uneasy  about  a  friend,  from  whom  I 
parted,  the  same  morning,  and  I  galloped  into  town  from  Tou- 
mantoul,  to  ascertain  if  he  has  arrived." 

"Yera  gude  youth,  and  an  extraordinar,"  said  the^provost; 
"  I  can  hear  ye  well  spoken  o'  in  every  house  I  call  at.  'Gad,  but 
yer  a  monstrous  favourite  of  Mistress  Macmullain's.  What  for 
no  come  away  an'  dine  wi'  us  at  five,  man  ?" 

"  It  cannot  be,  Baillie ;  I've  engaged  myself  this  evening  to 
Ducrow.  He  professes,  in  his  bill,  to  ride  five  horses  at  once.  I 
have  betted  that  I  ride  ten.  All  Aberdeen  is  coming  to  see  it, 
and  you  must  bring  Mrs.  Macmullain  also." 

"I'll  surely  do  that.  But  ye're  a  queer  chiel!  something 
foolish  in  these  vain  matters,  but  a  monstrous  favourite  o'  Mis- 
tress Macmullain.  Come  awa,  and  tak  yer  brose  wi'  huz  to- 
morrow." 

"  It  cannot  be,  Baillie,"  said  Altamont.  "  To-morrow  I  am^en- 
gaged,  also,  at  the  theatre.  I  am  going  into  the  oven  with  Mon- 
sieur Chaubert,  the  fire-eater,  and  his  leg  of  mutton." 

"  Heaven  be  here !  but  ye're  surely  no  blate !  Yer  o  er  fond  o 
these  fierce  vanities,"  returned  the  Baillie,  taking  a  huge  pinch 
of  rappee  ;  "  and  here  comes  the  bonniest  lass  in  the  hale  kintra 
side,"  he  continued,  bowing  as  a  party  of  ladies  were  about  to 
pass ;  "the  Laird  o'  Aberbirkfeldy's  dauchter." 

""Did  I  not  dance  with  you  in  Brabant  once?'  said  Altamont, 
addressing  himself  to  one  of  the  young  ladies,  a  remarkably 
handsome  and  elegant  creature. 


232  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"Now  then,"  I  thought,  "I  shall  hear  the  northern  accent 
rained  upon  this  impudent  youth's  head.  I  shall  certainly  now 
hear  the  '  Fats  yer  wull '  of  Lieutenant  Bullyman." 

I  was  mistaken :  the  lady  answered  quite  to  the  purpose,  and  iff 
the  same  language  too. 

"Did  I  not  dance ^with  you  at  Brabant  once P"  she  said. 

"  I  know  you  did." 

"  How  needless  was  it  then  to  ask  the  question." 

Altamont  now  joined  the  ladies  in  the  promenade,  and  was 
Quickly  out  of  sight. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pursue  my  story  during  the  short  time  I 
remained  in  the  north.  In  fine,  _the  good  Altamont,  who  had 
indeed  returned  post-haste  from  his  detachment  in  the  desire  of 
finding  me  at  Aberdeen,  totally  failed  in  dissuading  me  from  my 
resolution  of  adopting  the  stage  for  a  profession,  and  trying  my 
powers  in  the  company  of  the  first  strollers  with  whom  I  should 
fail  in.  He  was,  as  I  said,  himself  a  lover  of  the  drama,  fond  of 
amateur  performances  and  one  of  the  most  finished  actors  per- 
haps upon  the  stage.  He  therefore  could  better  forgive  the  pro- 
pensity I  felt  to  try  my  hand  upon  the  boards,  although  his  good 
sense  told  him  that  it  could  only  lead  to  ruin,  being  adopted  as 
much  out  of  the  spirit  of  opposition  as  anything  else. 

I  therefore  converted  the  few  articles  I  possessed  of  any  value 
into  cash ;  and  left  in  Altamont's  hands  the  task  of  endeavouring 
to  discover  the  thieves  who  had  possessed  themselves  of  my 
pocket-book  and  its  contents.  Then  in  order  to  be  quite  in  cha- 
racter, I  put  what  things  I  wanted  by  way  of  change  into  a 
bundle,  sounded  the  very  base  string  of  humility  by  assuming 
the  name  of  Mr.  Peter  Snooks,  and  started  on  a  promenade  to- 
wards England. 

My  journey  southward  was  pleasant  enough.  I  lingered  and 
loitered,  like  any  other  dreamer,  for  days  together  beside  the 
mouldering  tower,  the  battered  keep,  ana  the  ruined  abbey.  I 
even  sometimes  passed  the  night  under  the  trees  of  the  forest ; 
and  whilst  thus  sequestered  and  alone,  amused  myself  in  melan- 
choly musings  upon  the  bygone  days,  my  own  blighted  hopes, 
and  all  the  mishaps  that  had  happened  to  me.  I  had  still  some 
few  pounds  in  my  pockets ;  my  wants  were  few,  and  I  turned  my 
steps  from  the  direct  route  wherever  fancy  led  me.  A  draught 
from  the  running  brook  served  me  in  place  of  more  hot  and 
rebellious  liquors :  like  Boniface's  ale,  I  merely  fancied  it  Bur- 
gundy, and  it  was  worth  ten  shillings  a  quart ;  and  whilst  the 
fresh  spring  bubbled  beside  my  napkin,  and  the  free  birds  twit- 
tering and  chirping,  hopped  from  bough  to  bough  to  claim  the 
crumbs  I  left  for  perquisites,  I  eat  my  solitary  meal  of  bread  and 
cheese  thus  "under  the  shade  of  melancholy  boughs,"  or  in  any 
of  the  cottages  I  happened  to  pass  in  my  travels. 

Thus  I  visited  many  of  the  places  of  interest  mentioned  in 
Scott's  pages,  and  whilst  his  magic  spell  was  upon  me,  and  I  wan- 
dered amidst  the  hills  and  valleys  he  has  immortalized,  I  forgot 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  233 

for  a  time  the  cares  of  my  every-day  existence.  It  seemed  indeed 
indifferent  to  me  how  I  passed  my  time,  or  whither  I  bent  my 
steps,  provided  I  did  but  pass  it  in  a  sort  of  oblivion  of  all  per- 
taining to  self.  Totally  without  prospect,  there  seemed  nothing 
left  to  me  but  to  get  through  existence— a  dreary  waste  of  years. 
Thus  I  wandered  through  Perthshire,  saw  the  mist  upon  the 
mountain,  and  heard  the  night-bird  shriek  in  the  country  of  the 
McGregors,  wandered  over  the  fields  of  Bannockburn  and  Flodden, 
and  wended  my  way  through  Ettrick  and  Teviotdale,  by 

"  Tweed's  fair  river,  broad  and  deep, 
And  Cheviot's  mountains  lone." 

I  then  passed  over  the  wilds  of  Cumberland,  and  once  more  ap- 
proached the  more  fertile  country  of  Yorkshire. 

As  I  was  now  fairly  quit  of  my  military  employment,  I  hoped 
never  even  to  see  a  soldier  again.  Indeed,  the  mere  falling  in 
with  a  recruiting  party,  in  a  small  town  I  passed  through,  had 
brought  back  so  many  unpleasant  reminiscences,  that  I  generally 
avoided  the  most  frequented  road,  and  travelled  through  by-ways 
and  shadowy  lanes,  having  no  fixed  destination,  but  still  pro- 
gressed onwards  in  a  tortuous  progress,  with  the  great  metropolis 
in  my  mind's  eye  as  a  halting-place,  but  with  no  desire  to  reach  it. 

My  stock  of  cash,  however,  now  ran  low,  and  I  could  not  live 
so  cheaply  as  I  managed  to  do  in  the  north.  Moreover,  although 
I  might  sometimes  throw  myself  upon  the  greensward  before 
some  cottage  porch,  and  play  with  the  little  urchins  where  I  pur- 
chased my  homely  meal,  yet,  in  England,  as  I  was  compelled 
generally  to  seek  my  bed'  at  the  roadside  inn,  my  purse  had 
diminished  to  the  lowest  ebb. 

One  evening,  as  I  entered  a  little  village  in  Derbyshire,  I  per- 
ceived a  man  fishing.  I  was  always  fond  of  the  sport,  and  the 
sight  of  a  brother  of  the  angle  was  sure  to  interest  me  ;  accord- 
ingly I  stopped  and  entered  into  conversation  with  him.  I  found 
he  was  the  manager  of  a  company  of  strollers,  who  were  travelling 
towards  Derby.  They  had  halted  for  the  night,  he  told  me,  in 
the  village :  and  he  had  been  to  the  great  house,  the  residence 
of  Squire  Wildhawk,  who  had  given  them  a  bespeak.  They  were 
to  play  in  the  squire's  drawing-room,  before  a  large  company  of 
his  friends.  The  squire  had  bespoke  the  play  himself;  he  was  a 
great  lover  of  the  immortal  bard,  and  he  desired  them  to  play 
"  As  you  like  it." 

"You  know,  sir,"  said  the  manager,  "that  J  aques  was  a  cha- 
racter that  used  to  make  John  Philip  Kemble  tremble  ;  my  heavy- 
business  gentleman  is  just  now  extremely  unwell,  or,  between 
ourselves,  he  affects  it;  he  lies  crafty  sick,  to-day,  at  the  Checquers, 
and  I  must  either  play  the  part  myself,  or  we  must  leave  Jaques 
out  of  the  piece.  I  am  by  no  means  up  in  the  part,  and  am  slow 
of  study,  and  knowing  not  what  to  do,  in  pure  melancholy  and 
troubled  brain,  I  have  taken  my  rod,  and  come  to  fish." 

"  Make  yourself  quite  easy,  sir,  on  that  subject,    I  said ;     1 II 

1          T  f  •»      f\ 


234  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETUNE. 

"  My  dear  sir,  you're  surely  joking,"  said  the  manager ;  "  you're 
not  of  the  profession." 

"  I  am  not,"  I  replied ;  "  but  I'll  play  the  character,  notwith- 
standing." 

"  We  play,  man,  this  evening,"  returned  the  stroller,  "  in  t 
couple  of  hours'  time.  The  rehearsal's  over." 

"I  want  no  rehearsal,"  said  Ij  "I  know  every  part  in  the 
play." 

"  This  is  fortunate,  indeed,"  said  the  manager.  "  Now,  Mr. 
Arden,  I  have  ye;  'no  more  that  thane  of  Cawdor,  that  Mr. 
Buttenshaw,  shall  deceive  our  bosom's  intent:'  I  discharge  Mr. 
Buttenshaw  to-morrow.  A  specimen,  sir,  a  specimen ;  *  all  the 
world's  a  stage,' — speak  that  speech,  I  pray  you!" 

I  gave  it  him,  with  good  emphasis  and  discretion. 

"My  good  sir,"  said  he,  seizing  my  hand,  "you've  been  joking 
with  me.  You  are  from  London ;  you  belong  to  the  profession, 
and  you  ask  thirty  pounds  a- week." 

I  answered  him  in  the  negative ;  and  added,  I  meant  to  look 
for  an  engagement. 

"  If  my  poor  company  will  not  disgrace  your  powers,"  said  he, 
"  I  shall  be  happy  to  engage  you." 

In  short,  I  enrolled  myself  in  his  corps  dramatique,  and  made 
my  debut  that  night  in  the  drawing-room  of  Wildhawk  Hall :  I 
played  Jaques  before  the  squire  and  his  party.  The  whole  affair 
was  not  a  little  curious.  Squire  Wildhawk  was  a  specimen  of 
the  old  country  squire,  long  since  extinct,  a  regular  roaring, 
.blustering,  drinking  cavalier.  He  was  a  humorist,  a  would-be 
wit ;  and,  moreover,  a  great  lover  of  the  drama,  considering  him- 
self no  slight  judge  of  acting.  ^  We  played  as  they  used  to  do  in 
the  olden  time,  without  the  aid  of  scenery  or  decorations,  in  the 
dining-room,  a  vast  oak-panelled  apartment ;  the  audience  passing 
their  remarks  upon  us  as  we  appeared,  and  criticising  us  with  as 
little  mercy,  as  Theseus  and  his  court  criticised  Bully  Bottom, 
Peter  Quince,  Snout,  Starveling,  and  Flute. 

The  Squire  was  an  invalid:  a  fine,  portly,  fox-hunting,  drink- 
ing, gouty,  old  English  gentleman  ;  and  being  unable  to  walk,  he 
had  £is  great  chair  wheeled  into  the  room,  and  a  table,  with  his 
punch-bowl,  his  port  and  his  claret,  set  before  him.  The  lights 
were  arranged  across  the  room  at  his  feet :  his  family  and  guests 
flanked  him  on  either  side,  and  with  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  he 
prepared  to  enjoy  his  favourite  play. 

The  audience  was  entirely  made  up  from  the  party  beneath  his 
roof,  or  belonging  to  the  place.  There  were  his  two  Hebe 
daughters,  with  their  intended  swains,  several  ladies  and  gentle- 
men staying  in  the  house,  and  every  servant,  from  the  butler  to 
the  greasy  kitchen  wench. 

It  was  the  old  gentleman's  peculiar  delight  to  interrupt  every- 
thing that  was  going  forward.  If  he  heard  a  line  misquoted,  he 
stopped  the  performance.  If  he  heard  anything  that  particularly 
pleased  him,  he  interrupted  the  scene  with  as  little  remorse,  in 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  235 

order  to  drink  to  the  speaker,  and  commend  him  for  his  elocu- 
tion. 

"A  prologue,  a  prologue;  hang  me,  but  I'll  have  a  prologue. 
To  t,  he  began,  as  soon  as  the  curtain  drew  up,  and  Orlando  and 
Adam  appeared,  and  were  about  to  commence.  "  Manager  I  sav 
manager,  d n  thee,  where  hast  thee  hid  thyself?" 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  manager,  running  in,  his 
points  only  half  trussed  for  the  senior  duke.  "  I  be«-  your  par- 
don, but  there  is  no  prologue  to  this  piece." 

"Indeed!"  said  the  squire;  "that's  aU  you  know  about  the 
matter.  Here's  a  pretty  fellow,  my  masters"  all,"  he  said,  turning 
to  the  company.  "  Can't  find  a  prologue  to  '  As  you  like  it.' 
D ,  I'll  give  you  one  myself— one  that  comes  as  pat  to  the  pur- 
pose as  one  of  Sancho's  proverbs." 

He  accordingly  laid  down  his  pipe,  ordered  the  butler  to  vrheel 
his  great  chair  round,  faced  the  audience,  and  commenced  the 
prologue  to  "  Pyramus  and  Thisbe :" 

"  If  these  lads  offend,  it  is  with  their  good  will. 
That  you  should  think,  they  come  not  to  offend, 
But  with  good  will.     To  show  their  simple  skill, 
That  is  the  true  beginning  of  their  end." 

He  then  ordered  his  chair  to  be  countermarched  back  again, 
and  desired  the  performance  to  proceed. 

Before  the  first  scene  was  gone  through,  however,  he  had  inter- 
rupted the  performance  half-a-dozen  times,  and  read  the  actors 
such  a  lecture,  that  they  found  it  difficult  to  play  their  parts  at  all. 

It  was  thus  the  old  Squire  continued  to  torment  those  of  the 
performers  who  displeased  him  in  their  efforts :  and  sooth  to  say, 
being  as  sorry  a  set,  with  one  exception,  as  ever  stepped  upon  the 
boards,  and  never  having  attempted  '  As  you  like  it'  before,  know- 
ing hardly  anything  of  their  parts  too,  they  really  deserved  his 
censure. 

Meanwhile,  the  audience  continued  in  one  roar  of  laughter  from 
beginning  to  end  of  the  first  scene ;  whilst  the  squire,  what  with 
twinges  of  the  gout,  and  the  repeated  shocks  he  received  at  hear- 
ing every  line  of  his  favourite  play  misspoken,  continued  to  make 
such  diabolical  faces,  and  utter  so  many  complaints,  that  the  actors 
were  reduced  to  the  same  situation. 

Amiens  was  the  exception  I  have  mentioned.  He  was  person- 
ated by  a  remarkably  good-looking  young  lad,  who  had  only  joined 
the  company  a  few  days  before,  a  stranger  to  all  the  company, 
and  although  he  had  apparently  never  before  followed  the  profes- 
sion, an  exceeding  good  actor.  The  squire  was  enraptured  with 
him  as  soon  as  he  made  his  appearance,  laid  down  his  pipe,  and 
insisted  on  drinking  his  health  in  a  bumper  immediately.  He  also 
fell  desperately  in  love  with  the  lady  who  played  Eosalind. 

"  Fine  gal,"  said  he,  "  by  the  Lord ;  with  a  most  sweet  voice; 
plays  Eosalind  like  an  angel,— a  heavenly  Eosalind !  My  service 
to  ye,  lass,  I  wish  ye  merry,  and  a  better  Orlando  than  that  thin- 
faced  gull  we  have  just  hissed  off."  In  short,  the  squire 


236  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FORTUNE. 

applauded  Rosalind  to  the  echo,  and  her  beauty  and  liveliness 
restored  the  good  humour  which  the  two  sticks  of  the  former 
scene  had  disturbed. 

Thus  the  first  act  ended,  and  my  turn  approached.  I  cannot 
say  that  I  felt  quite  easy  under  this  sort  of  infliction  ;  indeed,  the 
whole  company  were  rendered  somewhat  nervous, by  the  downright 
old  squire  and  his  unceremonious  remarks.  He  was  getting  more 
fuddled,  too,  and  ever  and  anon  complaining  of  the  delay  between 
the  acts,  crying  out  for  Jaques  and  his  favourite  speech  about 
the  poor  sequestered  deer  in  the  forest ;  whilst  his  two  lovely 
daughters,  hanging  about  his  chair,  sought  to  quiet  his  irritability 
and  persuade  him  to  fill  his  glass  less  often. 

Our  company  had  been  rather  put  to  it  for  a  supply  of  foresters 
for  the  scene,  and  some  of  the  old  gentleman's  serving  men,  two 
grooms,  the  helper,  and  the  footman,  had  been  pressed  into  the 
service,  and  put  into  such  costume  as  the  exigence  would  allow  of; 
for  the  company  were  not  only  wanting  in  figures  for  the  play, 
but  there  was  also  a  difficulty  in  dressing  them  when  found.  In 
fact,  the  strolling  company  resembled  that  described  by  Gold- 
smith, when  the  same  coat  which  served  Romeo  turned  with  the 
blue  lining  outward,  served  for  his  friend  Mercutio ;  a  large  piece 
of  crape  sufficed  at  once  for  Juliet's  petticoat  and  pall ;  a  pestle 
and  mortar  from  a  neighbouring  apothecary's  answered  all  the 
purposes  of  a  bell,  and  the  landlord's  own  family,  wrapped  in  white 
sheets,  served  to  fill  up  the  procession. 

Under  these  circumstances,  which  I  did  not  discover  till  just 
before  we  had  assembled  to  play  our  parts,  I  felt  considerable 
annoyance,  especially  when  I  had  to  make  my  debut  before  such 
an  unceremonious  judge  as  was  seated  before  us.  I  felt  as  much 
ashamed  of  my  companions,  indeed,  as  Falstaff  did  of  his 
recruits.  However,  the  bell  invited  us,  the  second  act  com- 
menced, and  "  my  co-mates  and  brothers  in  exile"  were  fairly  in 
Arden. 

Meanwhile,  whilst  the  second  act  was  thus  in  preparation,  the 
liearty  old  buck  had  been  drinking  potations  pottle  deep,  and 
completely  sewed  up  the  one  fiddler  who,  seated  before  the  lights 
arranged  across  the  room,  constituted  our  orchestra. 

"Hang  thee,  thou  villanous  scraper,"  he  roared,  "thou  hast 
played  us  but  that  one  sorry  tune  all  this  time.  Thou  shalt  drink, 
man — there's  rum  punch  for  thee.  Egad,  but  I'll  put  life  into 
thy  precious  fiddle-bow !" 

In  short,  the  fiddler  was  soon  whistled  drunk,  and  like  Master 
^Robert  Shallow,  carried  off  to  bed. 

The  similitude  of  our  company  to  the  description  of  the  strollers 
above,  was,  indeed,  nearer  man  the  reader  would  have  imagined ; 
for  the  doublet  of  Orlando  was,  with  many  apologies,  appropriated 
by  the  manager,  with  the  addition  of  a  hunting  bugle  and  a  cross- 
'hilted  couleau  de  chasse,  as  the  hunting-gear  of  the  melancholy 
Jaques.  How  they  intended  to  manage  when  Orlando  and  Jaques 
should  appear  on  the  stage  together,  I  know  not,  nor  indeed  had 


THE   SOLDIER   OF  FORTUNE.  237 

I  ever  an  opportunity  of  discovering,  for  the  performance 
came  to  an  abrupt  close  before  we  arrived  at  that  part  of  the 
play. 

The  good  duke  was  played  by  the  manager,  who  was  both  short 
and  fat ;  I  myself  was  upwards  of  six  feet"  in  height,  and  the  rest 
of  the  foresters  were  as  ungainly  in  their  appearance  as  they  were 
motley  in  apparel.  However,  I  played  my  part  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  audience.  The  squire  was  enraptured,  broke  his 
crutch  in  applauding,  and  drank  my  health  half-a-dozen  times, 
before  I  had  got  through  his  favourite  speeches  about  the 
wounded  deer.  The  ladies  also  did  me  the  favour  to  approve  of 
my  personation  of  the  character,  and  threw  their  bouquets  at  my 
feet.  The  squire  praised  my  voice,  the  ladies  my  person. 

"D ,"  cried  the  former,  "but  that  fellow  can  act.    There's 

none  of  your  clipping  and  cutting,  wringing  and  clinging,  attitu- 
dinizing, ranting  and  raving,  like  a  beggar  in  an  epileptic  fit.  He's 
a  good  man's  picture  too  :  a  good-looking,  strong  fellow." 

In  fact,  the  whole  audience,  from  the  master  of  the  mansion  to 
the  kitchen  wench,  were  enchanted  with  my  powers,  and  I  felt 
elevated  accordingly,  when  another  unlucky  stroke  of  fortune  once 
more  levelled  me  to  the  common  standard  of  humanity.  In  the 
next  scene,  Orlando  was  absent  without  leave  ;  we  were  to  have 
exchanged  coats  again,  as  per  agreement,  whilst  Duke  Frederick 
gives  directions  to  his  people  to  make  search  after  Celia  and 
Ilosalind.  The  stage  waited,  however,  and  no  Orlando  was  to  be 
found. 

"  Dang, that  weasel-butted  Orlando,"  said  the  squire ;  "  I  suppose 
he's  gone  along  with  Kosalind  and  Celia  to  Arden." 

"I  would  it  were  no  worse,  sir,"  said  the  butler,  who  had  left 
the  room  to  help  the  search,  and  now  returned,  with  a  face  of 
dismay.  "  But  my  pantry  is  completely  sacked,  and  all  the  plate 
gone  with  them." 

"  It  was  too  true  ;  gone  he  was,  together  with  the  gentleman, 
who  had  played  the  wrestler,  and  Old  Adam.  They  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  whole  household  being  spectators  of  the  scene, 
and  unmolested  had  packed  up  and  made  off  with  all  the  plate 
they  could  readily  lay  their  hands  on.  This  of  course  caused  an 
abrupt  termination  to  the  play.  The  squire  was  in  a  furious  rage, 
and  ordering  the  doors  to  be  secured,  sent  instantly  for  a  constable 
to  have  us  all  conveyed  before  a  magistrate.  As  for  me,  I  f urea 
worse  than  any  of  them ;  for  Orlando,  who  had  been  prigging  in 
the  early  part  of  the  evening,  had  taken  the  opportunity  of 
pocketing  one  or  two  of  the  stray  spoons,  before  he  changed  his 
coat ;  and  the  idea  of  the  greater  robbery  striking  him,  from  see- 
ing the  plate  left  exposed  in  the  pantry,  be  had  in  his  eagerness 
overlooked  the  more  petty  theft,  and  left  me  the  reversion  of  his 
misdeeds.  .-, 

I  might,  however,  have  still  escaped  disgrace,  but  for  my  own  wil- 
fulness,  as  the  squire  declined  at  first  to  subject  me  to  the  ordeal  < 
a  search.    I,  however,  insisted  upon  being  searched  like  the  rest, 


238  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTJNE. 

and  to  the  horror  of  myself  and  astonishment  of  the  audience,  in 
the  pockets  of  my  doublet  were  discovered  the  drumsticks  of  a 
devilled  turkey,  a  slice  of  cold  plum-pudding,  two  silver  forks, 
and  a  gravy-spoon. 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  protested  my  innocence,  and  accounted  for 
the  stolen  articles  being  found  upon  me  in  consequence  of  having 
assumed  the  real  thief  s  doublet.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  protested 
that  my  ignorance  of  the  knowledge  of  the  treasures  I  carried 
about  me  was  but  another  proof  of  my  honesty,  as,  although  I  had 
been  annoyed  by  their  weight  and  clatter,  even  whilst  I  enacted 
my  part,  I  had  forborne  to  make  search  after  the  annoyance,  in 
consideration  that  the  pockets  of  another  man's  coat  ought  to  be 
as  sacred  from  my  fingers,  whilst  on  my  back,  as  if  it  was  on  his 
own.  The  squire,  now  in  a  maudlin  state,  and  past  reasoning 
•with,  was  inexorable.  He  vowed  he  could  have  consented  to  for- 
give me  if  I  had  not  acted  Jaques  so  well,  and  I  doubly  deserved 
punishment  accordingly. 

"JSTone  but  men  of  fine  parts,  I  tell  thee,  lass,"  he  said  to  his 
daughter,  "deserve  to  be  hanged.  This  is  some  stage-struck  youth, 
who  has  run  away  from  his  friends;  and  by  the  blood  of  the 
Mirabels,  this  will  be  a  lesson  to  him  as  long  as  he  lives.  Take 
him  awa,  constable,  kick  the  rest  o'  them  out  of  doors,  and  send 
out  horse  and  foot  after  the  other  runagates." 


CHAPTEE  XXXV. 

«•  I'll  disrobe  me 

And  suit  myself, 

As  does  a  Briton  peasant :  so  I'll  fight ; 
So  I'll  die." 

"  Away,  boy,  from  the  troops,  and  save  thyself; 
For  friends  kill  friends,  and  the  disorder's  such 
As  war  were  hood- winked." 

SHAKSPEKE. 

SUCH  was  the  commencement  and  finish  of  my  theatrical  career. 
I  was  now  utterly  digusted  with  life,  and,  like  Macbeth,  "  'gan 
to  be  aweary  of  the  sun."  The  shame  and  disgrace  of  this  last 
business  affected  me  more  than  anything  that  had  yet  happened. 

It  was  on  the  third  evening  after  these  unfortunate  theatricals, 
that,  as  I  was  seated  in  the  cell  of  the  prison  to  which  I  had  been 
conveyed,  I  felt  so  totally  unhinged  at  the  sad  prospect  before 
me,  I  was  tempted  almost  to  end  my  life  and  misfortunes 
together.  Dejected  and  wretched,  without  one  ray  of  comfort, 
my  eye  rolled  from  the  roof  to  the  floor  of  the  wretched  cell  in 
which  I  was  confined,  in  all  the  frenzy  of  despair,  and  seizing  a 
knife  which  lay  upon  the  table  before  me,  I  was  about  to  plunge 
it  into  my  heart,  when  my  hand  was  stayed  by  some  one,  who,  in 


THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE.  239 

the  agony  of  my  mind  I  had  not  previously  noticed  being  admitted 
to  visit  me. 

My  visitor  seated  himself  unceremoniously  upon  the  truckle 
bed  which  stood  beside  the  walls  of  my  cell,  and  I  knew  him  di- 
rectly for  the  youth  who  played  the  part  of  Amiens  at  Wildhawk 
Hall. 

"  I  have  arrived,  it  seems,  at  an  opportune  moment,"  said  he. 
"  Avoid  that  last  resort  of  the  unhappy,  Mr.  Snooks.  Combat 
the  fiend,  I  bring  you  good  news ;  the  real  thief  has  been  discovered. 
Master  Orlando  and  his  companions  were  yesterday  taken  at 
Liverpool.  They  have  completely  exonerated  you  from  all 
share  in  the  theft.  You  may,  therefore,  consider  yourself  at 
liberty." 

It  had  struck  me,  during  the  time  we  had  been  acting,  that  I 
had  somewhere  seen  features  which  closely  resembled  those  of  this 
youth  ;  but  I  totally  failed  in  calling  to  mind  whom  he  bore  so 
great  a  likeness  to  amongst  my  recent  friends.  He  was  a  slight, 
effeminate-looking  lad,  with  hair  dark  as  a  raven's  wing,  and  the 
complexion  of  a  gipsy. 

The  miserable  soon  make  acquaintance  ;  and  we  became  friends 
from  that  hour.  I  was  the  more  inclined  to  meet  his  advances 
towards  an  intimacy,  as  I  found  he  had  exerted  himself  greatly  to 
discover  the  delinquents  in  the  recent  robbery,  and  prove  my  in- 
nocence. He  seemed,  like  myself,  "  out  of  suits  with  fortune," 
and  to  have  moved  in  a  genteeler  sphere  than  that  in  which  I 
beheld  him.  So  much  of  his  history  he  confided  to  me,  that,  being 
at  variance  with  his  relatives,  he  had  taken  to  the  stage,  and  being 
a  good  musician,  with  an  agreeable  voice,  he  intended  to  quit  the 
present  wretched  company,  and  try  for  an  engagement  amongst  a 
better  set.  We  agreed,  therefore,  to  club  our  small  stock  of 
cash  together,  and  together  resolved  to  seek  for  better  fortune. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  I  was  formally  set  at  liberty,  we  took 
our  leave  of  the  town  of  Derby,  in  whose  prison  I  had  thus  been 
for  a  short  time  an  inmate,  and  together  took  our  way  to  Man- 
chester. Here  we  got  an  engagement  with  the  company  at  that 
time  playing  there ;  and  becoming  favourites  with  the  manufac- 
turing audience,  managed  to  put  money  in  our  purse.  With^all 
our  predilection,  however,  for  the  profession  we  had  chosen,  G-il- 
pin  Swart,  for  that  was  the  name  he  chose  me  to  know  him  by, 
found  it  was  not  quite  so  much  to  our  taste  as  we  had  anticipated. 

To  meet  the  tastes  of  the  audience  before  whom  we  exhibited, 
we  were  compelled  to  play  our  parts  according  to  their  ideas, 
instead  of  our  own.  To  speak  and  act  as  nature  dictated  made  no 
.impression  ;  but  to  strain  the  voice  to  an  unnatural  pitch,  then 
suddenly  drop  it  to  a  whisper,  in  fact  to  rave  and  bellow,  attitudi- 
nize and  strut,  was,  we  found,  the  only  way  to  merit  applause 
amongst  the  mob— the  only  way,  too,  to  gain  it.  We  therefore 
-resolved  to  quit  a  town  where  monkeys  and  wild  beasts  were  evi- 
dently more  suitable  to  the  tastes  of  the  inhabitants  than  actors  of 
the  legitimate  drama 


210  THE  SOtDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon  the  straggling  life  we  now  led 
for  many  months,  eating  where  we  could  get  it,  and  at  times  half 
starved  for  weeks  together.  There  is  perhaps  no  class  of  indi- 
viduals more  thoughtless  or  improvident  than  the  poor  player. 
Whilst  pinched  with  hunger,  he  is  compelled  to  appear  merry  as 
a  grig,  in  order  to  move  to  laughter  the  pampered  and  the  ennuyes. 
Yet,  no  sooner  has  he  coin  in  his  pocket,  than  in  the  licence  of  the 
tavern  it  is  spent. 

My  youthful  companion  was  a  great  comfort  to  me  in  my 
adversity.  As  long  as  he  was  with  me,  so  attentive  was  he  to  all 
my  wayward  wants  and  wishes,  that  he  was  more  like  my  servant 
than  my  friend.  There  was,  however,  a  reserve  about  him  which 
I  could  never  sufficiently  account  for.  I  could  never  "  delve  him 
to  the  root,"  and  find  out  the  slightest  cue  to  his  history.  It  was 
a  silent  sorrow  that  he  bore  with  him :  a  grief  he  never  expressed. 
But  his  attachment  to  myself  was  unbounded  since  the  time  we 
had  first  met,  and  I  returned  his  friendship  in  an  equal  degree, 
and  forbore  to  press  him  for  his  secret. 

It  was  whilst  we  'were  amusing  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Gravesend  with  our  professional  powers,  that  I  first  heard  of  the 
intended  organization  of  a  body  of  Englishmen  for  the  service  of 
the  Queen  of  Spain.  Totally  disgusted  with  our  present  mode  of 
life,  the  idea  of  something  in  the  way  of  actual  service  was  de- 
lightful to  me,  and  I  instantly  resolved  to  enrol  myself  under  the 
banners  of  the  British  Legion. 

I  broke  the  subject  to  my  companion ;  but  he  rather,  I  thought, 
disliked  the  idea.  He  turned  pale  at  its  mention,  and  tried  to 
dissuade  me  from  the  project.  I  was,  however,  so  determined  on 
the  adventure,  that  he  at  last  agreed  to  go  with  me.  Like  Archer 
and  Aimwell,  I  resolved,  rather  than  starve  by  slow  degrees  in 
the  streets  of  an  English  village,  to  drag  my  unfortunate  body  to 
some  foreign  counterscarp,  and  die  gallantly  in  the  breach.  I  was 
the  more  resolved  in  this,  as  I  had  learned,  within  the  last  month 
or  so,  that  my  father  still  resided  abroad,  very  much  involved  and 
straitened  in  his  circumstances,  still  completely  under  the  influence 
of  his  wife  and  her  relatives,  though  much  better  in  health ;  and 
he  had  so  great  an  aversion  to  my  very  name,  that  it  was  never 
allowed  to  be  mentioned  in  his  presence.  He  had  completely 
disinherited  me. 

As  we  heard  that  the  part  of  the  Legion  which  had  just  de- 
parted upon  the  expedition,  was  on  its  first  enrolment  in  rather 
a  disorganized  state,  being  composed  of  "  the  cankers  of  a  calm 
world  and  long  peace,"  we  resolved,  as  we  had  a  few  pounds  at 
that  time  in  our  pockets,  to  seek  the  Spanish  shore,  and  there 
offer  our  services,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  commissions  in  the 
force,  or  serving  at  all  events  in  a  somewhat  less  degrading  situa- 
tion than  that  of  private  soldiers. 

When,  however,  we  arrived  in  Spain,  and  sought  the  head- 
quarters, I  found,  on  reconnoitring,  so  many  faces  that  I  had 
seen  and  known  whilst  running  my  brief  military  career  in  Eng- 


THE   SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  241 

Land,  that  I  was  unwilling  to  have  my  story  canvassed.  The 
chances  were,  I  thought,  that  I  should  quickly  involve  myself  in 
fresh  quarrels  with  my  brother  officers,  even  if  I  did  obtain  a 
commission  ;  and,  together  with  my  young  companion,  I  enrolled 
myself  in  the  corps  of ,  a  flank  battalion,  composed  of  despe- 
radoes brave  as  the  weapons  they  carried,  brothers  in  arms  as  in 
adversity,  ready  to  die  for  each  other  as  to  eat  with  each  other, 
and  vowing  neither  to  give  nor  receive  quarter  in  the  field. 

This  corps,  indeed,  suited  our  purpose  to  a  hair.  We  had 
professed  to  each  other  that  we  came  to  Spain  to  die ;  to  be  rid 
of  life  in  battle,  unknown,  uncared  for,  "  sword  in  hand."  For 
myself  this  was  excusable,  as  I  knew  there  was  no  distinction  I 
could  gain,  no  rank  in  the  service  I  had  enlisted  into,  which 
would  restore  me  to  that  which  I  once  had  been,  or  ever  again 
give  me  the  friends  I  had  once  owned.  But  I  ought  to  have 
hesitated  before  I  led  my  youthful  companion  to  take  so  desperate 
a  step,  and  involve  him  in  the  dangers  of  such  a  service. 

However,  young  as  he  was,  he  seemed  equally  ready  to  set  his 
life  upon  this  cast  as  myself.  For  him,  he  said,  existence  had  no 
charm ;  life  held  out  no  hope.  For  a  whole  year  we  had  now 
been  together,  I  had  never  once  seen  him  smile.  With  these 
feelings,  we  were  the  very  fellows  for  the  death  and  glory  men, 
and  were  received  into  this  splendid  battalion  as  worthy  comrades 
of  those  who  professed,  for  the  most  part,  the  same  sentiments  as 
ourselves.  Men  from  various  nations  were  enrolled  in  this  corps, 
amongst  the  hardy  Basques,  Poland,  France,  Italy,  Germany,  and 
other  countries  had  their  representatives,  all  professing  the  same 
dreadful  carelessness  of  life,  and  vowing  neither  to  give  nor  take 
it  in  the  field. 

It  is  unnecessary,  as  it  would  be  painful,  to  describe  the  scenes 
I  witnessed  whilst  serving  amongst  those  gallant  and  desperate 
men.  Death  we  beheld  in  its  most  hideous  form,  till  he  became 
absolutely  uncared  for  from  his  very  familiarity  amongst  us ;  and 
my  companion  and  myself  grew  in  great  estimation  with  the 
whole  corps. 

Gilpin  Swart  especially  had  endeared  himself  to  all  who  knew 
him,  by  his  quiet  manners,  his  affection  to  me  his  co -Tirade,  and 
his  gallantry  and  cleverness  in  action.  Though  so  slight  and 
youthful  in 'figure,  he  was  capable  of  enduring  fatigue  with  the 
strongest  Basque  in  the  company  to  which  he  belonged.  Towards 
myself,  especially,  his  devotion  was  as  extraordinary  as  it  was 
heroic ;  twice  he  had  saved  my  life  in  the  field,  when  severely 
wounded  I  lay  helpless  where  I  had  been  shot  down.  Whether 
or  not  the  experiment  of  seeking  for  an  alleviation  to  the  cares 
and  miseries  of  an  unhappy  life,  answered  with  others  who  had 
enrolled  themselves  in  this  service,  I  know  not ;  to  many  it  brought 
the  bloody  death  they  professed  to  seek,  whilst  others  again 
seemed  to  imagine  that  in  outvying  their  comrades  in  the  reck- 
lessness of  their  deeds,  they  both  revenged  and  forgot  the  sorrows 
that  had  sent  them  as  offerings  to  the  ''fire-eyed  maid  oi  smolij 

B 


242  THE  SOLDIER  OF  TOETUNE. 

war."  Gilpin  and  I,  however  we  might  admire  the  conduct  of 
this  brave  band  when  in  the  field,  saw  many  things  that  filled  us 
with  horror  and  affright,  in  the  dreadful  deeds  which  were  some- 
times enacted  when  the  field  was  'fought  and  won.  One  act 
perpetrated  by  some  members  of  the  corps,  at  length  brought 
down  so  dreadful  a  punishment  upon  them,  that  the  remembrance 
will  never  be  effaced  from  my  mind. 

It  was  whilst  we  lay  in  Grenada,  that  a  party  of  men  from 
various  nations  committed  an  act  of  sacrilege  and  murder  of  so 
heinous  a  nature,  that  the  General,  resolving  to  put  a.  stop  to  the 
repeated  crimes  which  had  lately  taken  place,  after  in  vain  endea- 
vouring to  discover  the  real  culprits  in  the  transaction,  determined 
to  resort  to  the  old  law  of  decimation. 

Accordingly,  the  regiment  being  paraded  in  the  principal  square 
of  the  town,  the  business  proceeded;  I  would  willingly  spare  mv- 
self  the  relation  of  the  painful  scene  which  followed,  but  that  it  is 
necessary  to  my  unlucky  tale.  The  culprits  were,  I  believe,  known 
to  many  of  their  comrades,  yet  no  man,  even  to  save  himself  from 
the  awful  chance,  thought  for  one  instant  of  giving  up  their  names. 
The  act  for  which,  perhaps,  the  innocent  were  about  to  suffer,  had 
been  a  dreadful  and  wicked  act,  but  the  Guides  professed  the 
most  chivalrous  devotion  towards  each  other,  and  to  the  last 
address  of  the  General,  requiring  them  to  spare  him  the  dreadful 
alternative,  by  denouncing  the  guilty,  they  were  silent  to  a  man. 
I  pass  by  unnoticed  the  splendour  of  the  scene ;  the  sun's  rays 
glinted  back  from  the  arms  of  the  different  regiments  drawn  up 
in  that  awful  square ;  the  gallant  staff  which  attended  the  General, 
and  all  the  pride  and  pomp  consequent  upon  the  imposing  nature 
of  the  dreadful  example  about  to  be  given.  Indeed  I  scarcely 
marked  it.  Drawn  out  amongst  the  battalion  about  to  -be  told  off, 
I  felt  no  fear  for  myself;  but  a  dreadful  apprehension  of  the  lot 
falling  upon  my  youthful  comrade,  so  unmanned  me,  that  I  could 
scarcely  stand.  I  glanced  along  the  line,  and  every  face  was  stern, 
as  if  about  to  receive  the  word  of  command  to  charge  upon  the 
enemy's  lines.  I  ventured  one  look  upon  poor  Gilpin,  and  his 
countenance  was  as  placid  and  happy  as  if  he  was  about  to  witness 
a  bridal,  instead  of  the  dreadful  scene  shortly  to  be  enacted.  I 
scarcely  stop  to  notice  the  horrors  of  suspense,  whilst  the  numbers 
were  called,  and  every  tenth  man  ordered  to  the  front,  and  added 
to  the  ghastly  body  so  shortly  to  be  slaughtered. 

To  be  brief,  what  I  dreaded,  actually  happened — the  ninth 
number  fell  upon  myself,  the  tenth  upon  Gilpin  Swart.  From 
the  moment  we  were  enranked  upon  this  ghastly  parade,  I  felt  it 
would  be  so,  and  yet  the  reality  came  upon  me  like  a  stroke  of 
thunder.  I  felt  myself  the  murderer  of  this  poor  and  affectionate 
boy. 

Bushing  from  the  ranks  in  a  frenzy  of  despair,  I  entreated  of 
the  officer  in  command,  that  I  might  myself  take  the  fate  which 
had  fallen  upon  my  friend.  The  whole  battalion,  iron  men  as 
they  were,  would  have  scarcely  hesitated  the  exchange,  so  greatly 


THE   SOLDIEE  OF  FOBTTJNE.  243 

had  the  youth  endeared  himself  to  all.  It  was,  however,  in  vain 
that  I  sought  to  take  the  fatal  lot  upon  myself;  it  was  in  vain  I 
said  he  was  a  boy— a  perfect  child,  who  was  about  tp  suffer— inno- 
cent of  the  crime  as  the  commander-in-chief.  It  was  in  vain  I 
pleaded  that  he  had  friends  and  connexions  of  rank  and  fortune 
in  England,  who  doubtless  grieved  for  his  absence,  and  would  be 
made  happy  by  his  return ;  whilst  I  myself,  alone  in  the  world, 
without  home,  without  friends,  without  country— life  a  burthen, 
unknown,  unmourned,  should  bless  the  chance  which  ridded  me 
of  existence. 

My  vehemence,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  my  friend, 
caused  the  officer,  to  whom  I  addressed  myself,  to  pause,  and 
refer  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

"  'Tis  in  vain  you  plead  for  me,"  saidGilpin,  as  we  stood  locked 
in  each  other's  arms.  "  There  is  no  power  can  alter  the  stem 
law  that  dooms  me;  and  even  if  your  generous  wish  should  be 
allowed,  I  oppose  myself  to  its  being  carried  into  effect.  I  wish 
to  die,  and  embrace  my  fate  with  cheerfulness.  Grieve  not  for 
me,  my  friend,  but  grant  me  one  request,  and  I  am  happy.  Take 
this  letter,  and  with  it  give  me  your  promise,  that  you  will  forbear 
perusing  its  contents  till  the  volleying  musket^  has  for  ever 
separated  us." 

Hardly  knowing  what  I  uttered,  I  gave  the  promise,  and  re- 
ceived the  letter.  The  next  moment  he  was  enranked  amongst 
the  doomed.  I  remember  little  more  of  the  dreadful  scene :  a 
dizziness  came  before  my  eyes  as  I  beheld  him  standing  amongst 
that  unhappy  section.  The  dreadful  sound  of  musketry  seemed 
to  tear  open  my  brain,  and  I  fell  heavily  upon  the  earth. 

For  one  moment  I  had  resolved  to  break  open  the  letter  I  held 
in  my  hand,  in  hopes  something  in  its  contents  might  have  saved 
my  friend ;  but  his  eye  was  upon  me,  even  whilst  the  fatal  muskets 
of  the  firing  party  were  being  brought  to  the  present,  and  the 
remembrance  of  iny  sacred  word  held  my  hand.  Unlucky  in 
that,  as  in  almost  every  act  of  my  life,  had  I  broken  the  seal,  and 
my  promise,  I  had  saved  my  friend. 

When  I  recovered  my  senses,  I  found  myself  lying  on  a  pallet 
stretched  upon  the  flooring  of  one  of  the  cells  of  the  convent  the 
Guides  were  then  quartered  in.  At  first  I  looked  wildly  around 
for  the  faithful  friend,  the  youthful  comrade,  who  had  been  my 
intimate  and  inseparable  comrade,  my  adopted  brother.  In  the 
next,  the  scene  wherein  I  had  borne  so  prominent  a  part,  presented 
itself  in  all  its  dread  reality  before  me,  and  I  recollected  the  packet 
poor  Gilpin  had,  with  almost  his  dying  lips,  recommended  to  my 
perusal.  It  was  still  fast  clutched  in  my  hand,  and  tearing  it  open, 
I  eagerly  perused  its  contents.  Grief,  astonishment,  and  regret 
wholly  pervaded  me  as  I  did  so. 

The  contents  ran  somewhat  thus: — 

"  She  who  pens  these  words,  your  sometime  comrade,  Ghlpin 
Swart,  is  a  female,  and  the  daughter  of  your  bitterest  foe. 

"  A  presentiment  that  the  doom  of  death  surely  awaits  me  in 

E  2 


244  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE. 

the  dread  trial  we  are  about  to  undergo,  has  induced  me  to  change 
the  firm  resolve  I  had  made,  never  to  divulge  my  secret,  and  stand 
confessed  to  one  I  have  loved,  not  wisely,  but  too  well. 

"  Could,  indeed,  the  purest,  the  most  disinterested,  the  most 
Unstained  love,  expiate  the  offences  and  the  villany  of  that  part 
of  my  family,  whose  dark  deeds  have  brought  down  ruin  upon 
your  head,  that  expiation  had  been  mine. 

"  To  be  brief,  for  I  have  now  small  time  to  make  the  confession  : 
from  the  first  hour  I  saw  you  in  your  father's  residence,  I  loved 
you.  Your  generous  nature,  your  high  and  chivalrous  bearing, 
your  sorrows,  and  even  your  pride,  together  with  all  the  evils  that 
fell  upon  you  from  the  machinations  of  my  own  family,  were  addi- 
tional incentives  to  my  ardent  affection.  The  utter  hopelessness 
of  my  feelings  ever  meeting  with  return,  was  no  bar  to  my  indul- 
gence in  the  secret  affection  which  wholly  pervaded  me.  In  fine, 
it  was  my  only  my  dearest  indulgence,  to  contemplate  you  from 
a  distance — to  live  but  on  a  glance  of  your  passing  form,  during 
your  short  visits  to  and  from  the  Grange.  After  you  had  left 
your  home,  exiled  by  the  vile  intrigues  of  my  own  family,  I  sought 
an  interview  with  my  father,  upbraided  him  with  the  injustice  and 
iniquity  which  had  made  you  an  alien  from  your  only  parent's 
heart ;  and,  in  disgust,  resolved  to  quit  his  roof  for  ever.  It  was 
a  rash  resolve  ;  but  once  taken,  it  was  irrevocable.  I  therefore 
took  a  ship  boy's  semblance,  and  followed  him  I  loved.  During 
the  toilsome  march  I  have  listened  to  the  melody  of  your  voice  ; 
in  the  lonely  bivouac  I  have  watched  over  you  as  you  slept ;  'and 
in  the  tented  field  I  have  shared  your  rations.  That  I  might  fall 
before  you  has  been  my  sole  and  continual  prayer.  I  feel  now 
that  the  day,  the  very  hour  has  arrived.  Farewell,  then,  for  ever ! 
The  knowledge  that  you  will  hold  me  in  your  hate  on  learning 
my  name,  will  never  now  sadden  the  heart  of 

"  CATHERINE  LEYISON." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

"  Not  a  soul 

But  felt  a  fever  of  the  mad,  and  played 
Some  tricks  of  desperation.     All  but  mariner? 
Plunged  in  the  foaming  brine,  and  quit  the  vessel, 
Then  all  a-fire  with  me;  the  king's  son,  Ferdinand, 
With  hair  up-staring  (then  like  reeds,  not  hair), 
Was  the  first  man  that  leaped ;  cried,  •  Hell  is  empty, 
And  all  the  devils  are  here.' " 

SHAKSPERE. 

THE  circumstance  which  I  have  just  related  was  as  singular  as 
it  was  unlocked  for.  A  hundred  little  incidents,  which  rushed 
upon  my  memory — incidents  which  had  happened  during  my  in- 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTUNE.  245 

timacy  witli  this  unhappy  being,  now  struck  me  so  forcibly  as  to 
cause  me  to  wonder  I  had  never  suspected  her  sex.  The  mystery 
in  which  her  whole  history  was  involved,  her  secluded  habits,  and 
the  devotion  she  had  shown  to  me,  even  during  the  short  time  we 
had  been  companions,  and  associated  with  this  gallant  band,  all 
now  came  before  me  so  vividly,  as  to  make  me  absolutely  astonished 
at  my  own  blindness  in  not  fathoming  her  secret.  But  the  stir- 
ring life  we  had  led,  the  dreadful  scenes  we  had  gone  through, 
and  the  abstracted  nature  of  my  thoughts,  incident  to  my  fallen 
and  degraded  situation,  had  so  wholly  engrossed  me,  that  I  was 
both  careless  and  regardless  of  matters  which  would  doubtless 
have  struck  me  in  calmer  and  happier  hours. 

As  may  be  surmised,  this  incident  sufficiently  satisfied  my 
cravings  for  active  service  in  Spain.  A  degree  of  horror  of  the 
service  I  was  in  now  pervaded  my  mind  ;  a  carrion  death  seemed 
to  sit  and  grin  at  me  wherever  I  turned  my  eyes.  The  struggle 
in  which  I  was  engaged  seemed  marked  with  unnecessary  cruelty, 
and  I  resolved  at  the  first  opportunity  to  leave  it. 

I  was  destined,  however,  to  meet  with  further  adventures  be- 
fore I  did  so ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  British  Legion  was  vir- 
tually broken  up,  that,  after  I  had  served  in  numerous  actions, 
affairs,  and  skirmishes,  more  than  once  narrowly  escaping  the 
death  I  professed  to  seek  both  by  the  sword  and  pestilence,  that 
I  quitted  Spain,  and,  all  but  penniless,  embarked  on  board  a 
British  steamer  for  the  Thames. 

During  the  night  we  were  visited  by  an  awful  tempest,  and  our 
labouring  bark,  fretting  with  her  paddles,  and  groaning  and  creaking 
in  the  angry  waters,  for  some  time  beating,  heaving,  and  clamber- 
ing amongst  the  surge,  seemed  a  solitary  mark  for  the  darting 
lightning  to  vent  its  fury  upon,  every  flash  showing  more  plainly 
the  horrors  of  the  black-looking  depths  around.  At  length,  after 
lying  like  a  speck  amidst  the  violence  of  the  roaring  tide,  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  night,  we  were  rendered  utterly  helpless, 
our  engines  swamped,  our  fires  extinct,  and  the  vessel,  conse- 
quently, a  log  upon  the  water. 

It  was  lucky  for  us  that  the  storm  had  now  begun  to  subside, 
for,  to  add  to  our  wretched  state,  with  sailors  exhausted,  and  pas- 
sengers at  their  prayers,  it  was  suddenly  discovered  that  the  ves- 
sel was  on  fire.  A  sight  now  ensued  such  as  I  had  never  beheld 
in  all  my  former  career.  A  small,  insignificant,  and  trifling  ma- 
chine, an  atom,  was  alight  upon  the  surging  waves ;  the  frighted 
beings  who  clung  about  it,  apparently  alone  in  a  world,  over  which 
the  dark  flood  seemed  rolling  from  end  to  end. 

The  confusion  was  dreadful.  Many,  unable  to  contemplate  the 
fate  awaiting  them,  threw  themselves  into  the  sea ;  others,  in  their 
efforts  to  gain  the  part  most  distant  from  the  flames,  were  washed 
off,  and,  shrieking,  carried  down ;  whilst  the  mass,  crowded  to- 
gether where  they  had  retreated  foot  by  foot  from  the  flames, 
stood  with  eyes  distended,  crushed  upon  each  other,  as  each  tre- 
mendous wave  threw  the  burning  vessel  from  side  to  side. 


246  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

It  was  whilst  I  stood  clinging  to  the  rigging  that  my  eye  fell 
upon  a  party  of  the  passengers,  whom  till  now  I  had  not  seen. 

I  myself  was  in  the  garb  of  a  common  soldier,  the  uniform  of 
the  Guides,  my  face  begrimed,  and  umbered  with  dirt  and  smoke, 
consequent  upon  my  endeavours  whilst  assisting  the  sailors  in 
their  efforts  at  subduing  the  fire.  Thus  unheeded  in  the  glaring 
light  of  the  conflagration,  I  swung  myself  up  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel, forced  my  way  amidst  the  press,  and  next  moment  stood  beside 
a  female,  the  sight  of  whom  had,  for  the  moment,  driven  even  the 
awful  situation  I  was  in  from  my  recollection.  When  I  had  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  spot,  I  found  that  the  first  glance  had  not 
deceived  me.  Leaning  upon,  and  supported  by  her  father  and  the 
captain  of  the  vessel,  and  regarding  the  scene  with  a  resigned  and 
steady  eye,  her  cheek  like  monumental  alabaster,  and  endeavour- 
ing to  speak  words  of  comfort  to  her  parent's  ear,  was  one,  who, 
in  happier  hours,  I  had  so  well  known — the  Lady  Constance  de 
Clifford. 

My  surprise  at  finding  them  passengers  with  me  in  this  devoted 
steamer  was  the  next  moment  forgotten  in  the  horror  I  felt  at 
their  apparent  inevitable  fate  by  so  dreadful  a  death. 

The  sea  meanwhile  immediately  around  the  vessel,  reflecting  the 
hot  flames,  looked  a  bubbling  caldron  of  molten  gold ;  whilst  all 
beyond  the  immediate  influence  of  the  fire,  was  as  black  and  hor- 
rible as  the  reflected  hue  of  the  crashing  fire  was  terrifically  bril- 
liant and  glowing. 

"Oh,  heaven!"  exclaimed  the  agonized  father  of  the  beautiful 
Lady  de  Clifford,  as  the  increasing  heat  from  the  burning  mass 
gave  him  a  foretaste  of  the  dreadful  death  his  child  must,  before 
many  minutes  ensued,  surely  perish  by.  "  Oh,  heavens !  and  is 
there  then  indeed  no  escape  from  this  most  cruel  fate  ?  O  heaven! 
how  have  I  sinned  that  thus  thy  wrath  should  light  so  heavily 
upon  me  ?  I  cannot  pray,  my  Constance ;  cease  to  urge  it.  Were 
I  alone,  I  might  feel  resigned ;  but  this  is  too  horrible.  I  cannot 
see  thee  perish  thus  by  a  painful  death,  scorching  and  suffocating 
in  the  increasing  heat.  By  heaven,  we  will  follow  the  example 
set  by  the  crew,  and  plunge  and  meet  a  milder  fate !" 

So  saying,  the  duke  seized  his  daughter  in  his  arms,  and,  in  a 
frenzy  of  despair,  was  about  to  leap  with  her  into  the  foaming  sea ; 
but  I  caught  his  arm,  arrested  the  consummation,  and  pointed  to 
a  dark  and  shadowy  object,  just  discernible  as  it  plunged  through 
the  distant  gloom. 

The  next  moment  a  perfect  yell  arose  from  our  vessel :  "  A  sail, 
a  sail!  we're  saved!" 

It  was  true  enough.  A  large  vessel  had,  for  the  moment, 
crossed  our  path,  and  was  again  lost  in  the  darkness.  All  was 
now  silence  and  expectation.  To  the  uninitiated,  the  very  fact  of 
a  ship  being  at  hand  was  a  saving  clause ;  but  the  seamen  knew 
better.  No  boat  could  live  a  minute  in  that  sea.  Our  own  boat 
had  been  seized,  cut  adrift,  and  instantly  swamped,  whilst  the 
crew  of  the  vessel  were  engaged  below  on  the  first  alarm  of  the  fire. 


THE  SOLDIEE  OP  FOBTUNE.  247 

"  There  is  hope,  captain,"  said  the  duke,  doubtfully,  as  he  stood 
with  eye  intent,  and  body  bent  forwards,  trying  to  peer  into  the 
gloom  where  the  ship  had  appeared. 

The  captain  was  silent ;  he  knew  too  well  there  was  none. 
Another  shriek  of  joy.    The  vessel  had  tacked,  and  appeared 
again.     She  came  bravely  on,  running  so  dangerously  near,  that 
we  seemed  once  or  twice  about  to  be  hurled  naming  upon  her 
deck. 

"A  steamer,"  said  the  captain;  "brave  fellow,  whoever  he  is; 
but  he  cannot  aid  us." 

"Can  he  do  nothing  for  us ?"  inquired  the  duke. 
"Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "one  thing  he  might  do  to  save  us 
from  this  increasing  misery. — By  heaven,  my  brain's  on  fire,"  he 
continued  wildly,  as  the  wind  blew  the  flames  towards  us ;  "I 
cannot  longer  endure  this  scorching  heat." 

"Speak,"  said  the  duke;  "for  heaven's  sake,  speak:  what  can 
be  done  for  us?" 

"  He  might  pour  a  broadside  into  our  vessel,  and  send  us  to  the 
bottom,"  said  the  captain,  plunging  headlong  into  the  sea. 

Despair  again  pervaded  our  ghastly  crew.  It  was  evident  the 
stranger  could  render  us  no  assistance.  At  this  moment,  some 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  in  the  after-part  of  the  vessel,  where  the 
fire  raged,  blew  up,  hurling  a  large  fragment  of  the  woodwork 
into  the  sea. 

The  mass  came  surging  round,  and  was  for  the  moment  en- 
tangled in  the  fore-chains,  close  to  where  we  stood. 

"  There's  your  only  chance,  my  lord,"  said  I,  pushing  the 
duke  forward,  seizing  upon  his  daughter,  and  leaping  upon  the 
fragment,  before  the  whole  multitude  beside  iis  had  time  to  swarm 
upon  and  overwhelm  it. 

The  weight  of  those  who  gained  the  wreck  disengaged  it,  and 
the  next  instant  it  was  whirled  clear. 

It  was,  however,  but  a  perilous  and  slippery  craft ;  the  water 
every  moment  washing  over  those  who  clung  to  its  surface,  and 
lessening  the  number  in  each  succeeding  wave.  In  one  minute, 
the  sudden  darkness  with  which  we  were  enrounded,  showed  that 
the  burning  vessel  had  gone  down. 

The  lady  had  fainted ;  but  I  held  her  in  one  arm,  whilst  the 
other  was  twisted  firmly  amongst  some  fragments  of  rigging ;  the 
duke  also  securely  held  on  close  beside  us,  as  we  lay. 

Suddenly,  the  advancing  paddles  of  the  stranger  showed  she  was 
at  hand,  cruizing  about  the  spot  where  our  vessel  had  gone  down, 
in  the  vain  hope  to  save  her.  The  next  minute,  the  rapid  beat 
seemed  close  upon  us.  Still  holding  my  precious  charge,  I  raised 
myself  upon  my  knees,  and  looked  into  the  gloom  before  me. 

'Destruction  from  the  advancing  vessel  seemed  inevitable.  1 
beheld  the  dark  object,  even  upon  the  pitchy  waves,  just  about  to 
dash  9ver  us,  as  I  raised,  amidst  the  roar  of  the  tempest  a  yell  ot 
despair. 


248  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

Under  no  circumstance  is  the  discipline  of  an  English  ship  of 
war  relaxed.  In  the  regularity  and  silence  with  which  the  vessel 
was  worked  amidst  the  storm,  my  wailing  cry  was  heard ;  and  as 
the  sound  was  carried  onwards  in  the  rushing  wind,  it  was 
answered  by  the  roar  of  the  word  of  command,  on  the  deck  of  the 
Hotspur.  The  prow  of  the  vessel  turned  at  the  sound,  merely 
grazing  the  fragment  to  which  we  clung,  and  which  the  next 
instant,  crashing  against  the  paddle-box,  was  driven  beneath  the 
waves.  The  moment  I  had  seen  the  inevitable  fate  of  our 
wretched  raft,  I  had  resolved  to  make  one  desperate  effort  to  save 
Lady  de  Clifford ;  and  as  the  prow  of  the  steamer  dipped  in  the 
water,  in  darting  past,  I  had  seized,  with  the  grasp  of  a  maniac, 
the  fore-chains.  Blue  lights  were  at  that  moment  ignited,  and  we 
were  saved. 

Too.  much  exhausted  to  stand,  I  lay  panting  upon  the  slippery 
deck,  where  I  had  been  hauled  up  by  the  sailors.  My  lovely 
burden  was  safe.  She  had  been  htiuled  up  with  me,  unlocked 
from  my  convulsive  grasp,  and  carried  down  below. 

But  where  was  the  duke,  her  father,  and  the  few  sailors  who 
had  clung  to  the  fragment  when  it  was  struck. 

Their  fate  was  but  too  certain ;  since  the  starboard  paddle  of 
the  Hotspur  was  dashed  to  pieces  with  the  blow,  and  the  vessel 
itself  was  crippled  upon  the  roaring  tide. 

The  Hon.  Augustus  Dareall,  commanding  the  Hotspur,  was  a 
young  man  of  about  five-and-thirty  years  of  age,  a  good  specimen 
of  the  British  sailor.  As  soon  as  the  bustle  consequent  upon  this 
accident  to  his  vessel  had  subsided,  and  he  felt  himself  at  liberty 
to  leave  the  deck,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  two  persons  who 
had  been  so  miraculously  snatched  from  the  waves. 

Struck  with  the  surpassing  beauty  of  the  Lady  de  Clifford,  who, 
still  insensible,  her  long  dark  hair,  mermaid-like,  glittering  in  the 
salt  spray,  as  she  laid  upon  the  sofa  of  the  cabin  to  which  the 
sailors  had  first  conveyed  her,  he  ordered  the  immediate  attendance 
of  the  surgeon  and  the  coxswain's  wife  to  administer  restoratives, 
and  then  directed  her  to  be  conveyed  to  a  berth.  He  then  in- 
quired for  the  man  who  had  been  the  means  of  saving  her. 

"  Mr.  Blowhard,"  said  he  to  his  lieutenant,  as  they  turned  to 
leave  the  cabin,  "if  the  sea  had  swallowed  up  that  specimen  of 
female  loveliness,  I  think  I  should  have  renounced  it  for  ever. 
She  is  another  Venus,  sir,  risen  from  the^leep.  I  do  not  think  I 
ever  beheld  so  exquisite  a  face  and  form." 

"A  splendid  craft,  sir,"  returned  the  lieutenant.  "I  thought  the 
first  time  I  ever  saw  Mrs.  Blowhard,  she  was  a  '  trim  built  wherry;' 
but  heaven  save  us,  this  lady — " 

"  Makes  your  swan  a  crow,  Blowhard,  eh ! "  returned  the  captain. 
"  Did  you  notice  the  poor  fellow  who  held  her  so  firmly  in  his 
grasp.  In  the  hurry  of  the  moment  I  had  scarcely  time  to  look 
on  him." 

"A  common  soldier,  sir,"  returned  the  lieutenant,  "one  of  the 
disbanded  men  of  the  British  Legion,  I  think." 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOETTJNE.  24£ 

.  "  I  must  see  him,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  know  who  this  female 
is.  Let  him  be  taken  to  my  cabin,  Mr.  Blowhard,  while  I  give  a 
glance  on  deck.  The  wind  is  subsiding ;  we  must  make  a  run  for 
the  nearest  port.' 

"  The  poor  felloAv  is  too  much  exhausted,  sir,"  said  the  lieutenant, 
"  at  present  to  be  spoken  with." 

"Let  him  be  carefully  tended,  then,"  said  the  captain ;  "and  as 
soon  as  I  have  been  above,  I  will  come  and  see  to  him  myself" 

Accordingly  when  sufficiently  recovered,  I  was  visited  by  Captain 
Dareall,  and  examined  as  to  who  and  what  myself  and  companion. 
in  misfortune  were. 

"  Your  appearance  belies  your  garb,  young  man,"  he  said :  "  you 
are  not  what  you  seem." 

"  A  common  soldier,  sir,"  I  answered,  "  of  the  Anglo-Spanish; 
legion ;  nothing  more." 

"  Enough,"  returned  the  commander.  "  I  seek  not  to  pry  into 
another  man's  affairs.  You  have  behaved  like  a  gallant  fellow, 
however,  in  managing  to  save  the  female,  your  companion.  Who 
is  she?" 

"The  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Hurricane,"  said  I,  "Lady  tie 
Clifford." 

"Indeed,"  returned  the  captain,  "I  heard  that  the  Duke  of 
Hurricane  was  at  Lisbon  for  his  health.  This  lady,  then,  was  a 
passenger  on  board  that  ill-fated  vessel;  going  out,  I  suppose,  to 
join  her  father.  This  is  a  lucky  chance  for  you,  young  man— your 
fortune's  made.  Doubtless  the  duke  will  reward  you  handsomely 
for  your  exertions  in  saving  his  only  child." 

"  The  duke,  sir,"  said  I,  "is  drowned.  I  saw  him  struck  beneath 
the  waters  by  your  paddles.  He  was  upon  the  fragment  of  the 
wreck,  this  vessel  went  over." 

About  a  fortnight  after  the  events  narrated  in  the  foregoing- 
chapter,  two  ladies  were  seated  in  the  principal  apartment  of  the 
governor's  house  at  St.  Sebastian ;  the  younger  female  was  evi- 
dently an  invalid  —  she  reclined  upon  a  sofa.  Her  companion, 
who  was  very  considerably  her  elder,  paced  the  apartment  as  if 
not  in  the  most  amiable  frame  of  mind.  Both  were  in  the  deepest 
mourning,  and  the  "  dejected 'haviour  of  the  visage"  of  the  invalid 
proclaimed  her  as  melancholy  as  her  garb. 

The  elder  female  was  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane :  the  younger 
was  her  daughter,  Lady  de  Clifford.  The  Duchess  had  but  lately 
arrived  from  England,  summoned  by  the  news  of  her  recent  be- 
reavement, and  her  daughter's  consequent  dangerous  illness. 

There  was  a  pause  in  the  conversation  for  a  few  minutes  ;  at 
length  the  duchess,  stopping  and  regarding  her  daughter  for  some 
little  time,  thus  addressed  her — 

"Lady  de  Clifford,"  said  she,  "lam,  indeed,  surprised  at  the 
continuance  of  your  folly.  I  must  really  insist  upon  your  giving 
up  this  nonsense.  The  interest  you  feel  about  this  youth  is  as 
disgraceful  to  yourself  as  degrading  to  your  family.  I  have  so  far 


250  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

conceded  to  your  wishes,  as  tb  permit  every  inquiry  to  be  made 
after  this  man;  and  had  we  been  successful  in  finding  him,  there 
is  no  reward  I  would  not  have  conferred  upon  him,  even  to  the 
half  of  my  fortune,  in  return  for  the  service  he  has  rendered ;  but, 
to  see  the  daughter  of  a  De  Clifford  thus  pining  after  a  beg- 
garly outcast,  degraded  and  worthless  as  this  man,  this  Blpunt, 
has  proclaimed  himself,  believe  me,  I  had  rather  you  had  perished 
in  the  ocean,  than  that  the  world  should  know  of  your  folly. 
You  are  now  sufficiently  recovered  to  travel,  and  next  week  I 
shall  insist  upon  your  setting  out.  I  hate  the  sea ;  and  this 
last  melancholy  catastrophe  has  given  me  even  a  greater  dis- 
taste than  ever  of  it.  I  shall  rather  therefore  chance  the  dan- 
gers of  a  land  journey,  even  in  this  distracted  land.  We  will 
cross  the  Pyrenees  into  France,  and  winter  in  Paris." 

The  Lady  de  Clifford  made  no  reply. 

"  Is  not  this  too  ridiculous,"  continued  the  duchess,  address- 
ing the  Honourable  CaptainDareall,  who  at  that  moment  entered  the 
room  ;  "I  am  sure  I  have  to  apologise  to  you  for  all  the  trouble 
my  daughter  has  given  in  thus  requesting  of  you  to  search  out 
the  soldier  who  saved  her  life." 

"It  is  worthy  of  her  noble  nature,  madam,"  returned  the  cap- 
tain. "  I  honour  Lady  de  Clifford  for  the  interest  she  has  be- 
trayed." 

t"Have  you  been  more  successful?"  inquired  Lady  de  Clifford, 
without  heeding  her  mother's  angry  looks :  "  I  am  anxious,  be- 
fore I  leave  St.  Sebastian,  to  make  every  possible  effort  to 
discover  this  young  man  ;  not  only  in  order  that  I  may  be  the 
means  of  rewarding  and  extricating  him  from  the  difficulties  in 
which  he  seems  to  be,  but  that  during  the  horrors  of  our  situ- 
ation, I  thought  I  recognised  one  whom  I  knew  in  happier 
hours.  Nay,  I  cannot  have  been  mistaken.  There  was  but 
one  man  who  could  have  saved  me,  amidst  the  terrors  of  that 
niglit." 

"  There  are  many  men,  Lady  de  Clifford,"  said  the  captain, 
drawing  his  chair  closer  to  the  sofa  on  which  she  reclined,  "who 
would  have  tried,  ay,  and  blessed  the  chance  that  sent  them  to 
your  aid." 

"  Your  description,"  said  the  Lady  de  Clifford  (evading  the  in- 
tended compliment),  "  confirms  me  in  my  supposition.  Did  j^ouby 
no  chance,  during  our  passage  hither  learn  his  name?" 

"  Whilst  on  board  the  Hotspur  he  was  studious  to  conceal  it," 
said  the  captain  ;  "but  his  clothes  made  a  false  report  of  him :  he 
was  evidently  of  a  rank  in  life  superior  to  the  situation  of  a  pri- 
vate soldier." 

The  Lady  de  Clifford  heaved  a  sigh. 

"  He  shunned  all  intercourse,"  continued  the  captain,  "  with 
myself  and  officers.  To  his  sad  mind  his  misery  seemed  dis- 
grace ;  that  at  least  was  the  impression  I  had  of  him  whilst  on 
board  the  Hotspur.  On  reaching  the  port,  after  thanking  me, 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  251 

as  I  told  you,  for  the  attention  lie  had  received,  he  was  one  of  the 
first  to  leap  on  shore,  and  I  saw  him  no  more." 

The  Lady  Constance  sank  back  upon  the  couch,  learned  her 
cheek  upon  her  hand,  and  seemed  lost  in  thought. 

"  You  will  pardon  me,"  said  the  captain,  after  regarding  her  for 
a  few  moments,  "  if  I  venture  to  say  that  this  youth  cannot,  I 
think,  be  a  person  you  have  known  in  former  days." 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  said  the  duchess,  quickly;  "then  you  have 
discovered  him,  Captain  Dareall." 

"  I  have  not,  madam,"  returned  the  captain  ;  "  but  those  I  have 
employed  have  at  length  succeeded  in  tracing  him.  He  has  left 
St.  Sebastian^  and  he  will  be  lucky  if  he  escape  out  of  the  country. 
For  his  services  rendered  Lady  de  Clifford,  I  hope  and  trust  he 
will." 

"I  begin  to  think  this  is  our  man,  after  all,"  said  the  duchess. 
"What  has  he  done,  Captain  Dareall? — robbed  a  church?" 

"  No,  madam,  not  exactly  that ;  though,  perhaps,  what  in  this 
country  will  be  considered  even  far  greater  sacrilege ;  indeed,  I 
may  say,  you  are  not  far  off  the  truth :  he  has  robbed  the  church, 
in  one  sense,  for  he  has  broken  into  a  convent  and  stolen  a 
nun." 

The  Lady  Constance  again  threw  herself  back  upon  the  couch, 
and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"I  could  have  sworn  it,"  said  the  duchess.  "Eatcliffe  Blount 
to  the  life;  was  not  that  the  name,  Captain  Dareall,  that  he 
went  by  ?" 

"  JN"o,  madam,"  returned  the  captain  :  "  Peter  Snooks  was  the 
name  the  person  who  saved  your  daughter's  life  went  by." 

"Now,  Constance,"  said  the  duchess,  "I  hope  you  are 
satisfied." 

"I  am,  madam,"  returned  the  young  lady. 


CHAPTEB  XXXVII. 

"How  wildly,  then,  walks  my  estate  in  France* 

"  Hark ! 

It  was  the  owl  that  shrieked,  the  fatal  bellman 
Which  givest  the  stern'st  good  night.    He  is  about  it." 

SHAKSPERE. 

MY  departure  from  St.  Sebastian  was  indeed  earlier  than  I  had 
intended.  It  was  hastened  by  a  circumstance  which  happened 
to  me  a  few  days  after  Captain  Dareall  had  put  in  there  to 

Trusting  that  Lady  de  Clifford  had  not  recognised  me  in  the 
degraded  situation  I  was  reduced  to  whilst  our  crippled  vessel 
made  for  the  nearest  port,  I  kept  myself  as  much  aloof  from  all 
intercourse  with  the  officers  of  the  vessel  as  possible,  and  stu- 
diously avoided  being  seen  by  them  on  shore.  Indeed,  Captain 


252  THE   SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJNE. 

Dareall  had  enough,  to  employ  him  in  keeping  his  vessel  afloat  till 
he  arrived  in  port,  for  the  damage  she  had  sustained  in  the  gale 
was  greater  than  at  the  time  he  imagined.  Lady  de  Clifford,  too, 
was  so  seriously  unwell,  that  I  saw  her  not  again  whilst  we  were 
on  board ;  I,  however,  managed  to  ascertain  that  she  had  been 
received  upon  landing,  at  the  house  of  the  governor,  and  that  soon 
afterwards  the  duchess  had  arrived  from  England. 

The  duke,  I  found,  had,  some  time  before  been  advised  to  try 
a  milder  climate,  in  consequence  of  an  affection  of  the  lungs, 
resulting  from  the  wound  he  had  received  from  Lord  Cceur  de 
Lion.  He  had  •wintered  at  Madeira,  was  greatly  recovered, 
and  the  duchess,  having  preceded  him  to  England  a  few  months 
before,  he  had  touched  at  Lisbon  on  his  intended  homeward 
voyage.  How  that  had  turned  out,  we  have  seen  in  the  fore- 
going chapter. 

Keeping  now,  therefore,  as  much  secluded  during  the  day  as 
possible,  I  resolved  to  make  my  way  across  the  Pyrenees  and 
enter  France.  Upon  deliberation,  I  resolved  to  present  myself 
at  the  Chateau  Koussillon,  where,  when  I  had  last  heard  of  my 
father,  he  was  residing,  and  observe  how  matters  were  pro- 
gressing there.  The  letter  I  had  read  from  the  unfortunate 
being,  Charlotte  Levison,  had  frequently  recurred  to  me  of  late ; 
and  my  ideas  were  a  good  deal  changed  by  it :  I  began  to  think 
that  it  was  my  duty  to  see  after  my  parent,  and  myself  observe 
the  situation  he  was  in.  After  having  visited  him,  it  was  my 
intention  to  try  and  get  into  the  Austrian  service.  A  few  dol- 
lars yet  remained  in  my  pocket ;  I  was  as  hardy  and  strong  as 
the  mountaineers  I  had  served  with,  and  I  only  lingered  from 
day  to  day,  in  the  vain  hope  of  getting  but  a  passing  glance  of 
Lady  de  Clifford  before  she  left. 

One  night,  as  I  wandered  through  the  town,  in  passing  the 
angle  of  the  wall  of  a  convent,  a  small  postern  door  was  hurriedly 
dashed  open,  and  a  man,  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  darted  into 
the  street.  He  glanced  hastily  around,  and  seeing  me  as  I  stood 
in  the  shadow  of  the  wall  called  me  to  him. 

"  A  soldier,"  he  said,  soon  as  I  approacned  him,  "  and  an  Eng- 
lishman. Good !  Bear  a  hand  here  for  a  few  moments,  my  lad. 
My  friend  has  failed  me,  you  must  take  his  place  ;  follow  quickly 
and  silently." 

Returning  the  way  he  came,  he  re-entered  the  dark  pos- 
tern, and  the  next  moment  we  were  withinside  the  convent  walls. 
A  dark  lantern  stood  upon  the  pavement,  which  he  snatched  up, 
and  darting  into  a  cavernous  recess  cut  in  one  side  of  the  passage 
we  had  entered,  he  brought  forth  a  female  closely  muffled  up  from 
head  to  foot. 

"  Take  this  lady,"  said  he,  hurriedly,  "and  await  me  beside  the 
postern  bjr  which  we  entered.  In  two  minutes  I  will  join  you." 
So  saying,  he  bounded  up  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  and  we  were 
left  in  darkness.  I  did  as  he  requested  of  me,  for  I  thought  at 
the  moment  I  recognised  a  voice  I  had  somewhere  heard  before 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  253 

Almost  carrying  my  charge,  who  seemed  too  much  alarmed  to 
walk  without  great  assistance,  I  groped  my  way  back,  and  open- 
ing the  postern  in  readiness  to  make  a  fair  start,  awaited  the 
coming  of  my  employer. 

The  moon  now  shone  full  upon  my  companion  as  I  continued 
to  support  her  trembling  form,  and  I  found  I  had  possession 
of  a  nun,  and  as  far  as  I  cpjild  judge  by  her  clinging  form,  she 
was  both  young  and  handsome. 

Hardly  had  I  made  the  discovery,  when  the  clash  of  weapons 
was  heard  in  the  distance,  withinside  the  building,  and  the  hur- 
ried tread  of  some  one  leaping  down  the  stone  staircase  six 
steps  at  a  bound.  I  knew  not  at  the  moment,  whether  to  stand 
fast,  or  fly,  and  to  add  to  my  discomfort,  the  great  bell  of  the 
convent  began  to  ring  furiously. 

Meanwhile,  the  footsteps  approached,  and  my  new  comrade 
rushed  to  my  side.  "Run  for  it,"  said  he,  "unless  you  wish 
half-a-dozen  stilettos  to  hack  each  other  in  your  body." 

Clasping  the  fair  incognito,  and  sweeping  her  along,  myself 
'assisting  him  in  the  effort,  he  dashed  across  the  street  in  which 
the  convent  was  situated,  and  after  turning  down  one  by  passage 
.and  up  another,  he  made  for  the  suburbs  of  the  town. 

Here  he  led  us  along  a  dark  and  dismal-looking  lane,  till  we 
came  to  a  lone  building,  the  door  of  which  being  unlocked,  he 
dashed  it  open  with  his  foot,  entered,  and  carefully  bolting  it  be- 
hind him,  introduced  us  into  a  good-sized  apartment. 

"  Huzza  I"  said  he,  laughing  as  he  proceeded  to  light  one  of  the 
tapers  upon  the  table,  "  we've  cheated  the  Pope  for  once.  Thanks, 
my  good  fellow,"  said  he  to  me,  "  for  your  assistance.  You've 
helped  me  to  steal  a  nun.  But  how  is  this?"  continued  he,  re- 
turning towards  me,  after  he  had  seated  his  charge  upon  a  couch 
and  disencumbered  her  of  some  part  of  the  disguise  she  was 
muffled  in.  "  Do  my  eyes  deceive  me ;  or  is  this  Eatcliffe 

I  was  as  much  surprised  as  himself.  It  was  my  friend,  Alta- 
mont  de  Montdidier.  He  had  commanded  a  regiment  during  the 
recent  struggle,  and  played  as  many  fantastic  tricks  whilst  in 
Spain  as  Cervantes  describes  himself  to  have  done,  whilst  a  cap- 
tive among  the  Moors.  The  last  of  his  exploits  was  the  present 

There  was  small  time  for  us  to  compare  notes,  as  Altamont 
only  waited  for  his  friend,  Captain  Plume,  who  was  engaged  with 
him  in  this  last  business,  to  make  the  attempt  at  getting  on  board 
a  vessel  and  sailing  for  England  that  night.  Plume  was  to  have 
met  him  at  the  convent  of  Santissima  Donzella:  failing  m  tnat, 
they  were  to  rendezvous  at  the  present  refuge,  which  Altamont 
had  hired  for  the  occasion.  .  .  . 

"  This  meeting,"  said  he  to  me,  during  the  intervals  of  his  at- 
tendance  upon  the  handsome  religieuse,  "is  a  curious  chance. 
Of  all  men  else  I  have  most  wished  to  discover  you.  When  in 
England,  according  to  my  promise,  I  busied  myself  in  your  attairs, 


254  THE   SOLDIER  OF   FORTUNE. 

and  have  discovered  much  that  it  is  of  importance  for  you  to 
know.  Nay,  acting  under  the  advice  of  my  solicitor,  I  have  ad- 
vertised you,  sought  you,  and  offered  a  reward  for  your  apprehen- 
sion. Having  traced  you  to  Spain,  I  obtained  leave  and  came 
out  in  search  of  you;  but  the  love  of  the  profession  drove  your 
business  quite  out  of  my  head,  and  I  offered  to  serve  here  during 
this  war.  In  fine,  my  friend,"  said  he,  "I  advise  you  to  quit 
with  us  to-night.  ^Your  presence,  I  think,  is  necessary  at  your 
father's  residence  in  France,  as  he  is  completely  in  the  power  of 
those  rogues,  the  Levisons,  added  to  which,  it  is  necessary  I  should 
carry  you  off,  as  by  involving  you  in  this  affair  of  mine,  St.  Se- 
bastian is  no  safe  place  for  you  to  remain  in.  Come,  then,  and 
let  us  speed 

" '  For  France !  for  France  I  for  it  is  more  than  need.'" 


There  is  necessarily  a  hiatus  in  the  twisted  and  ravelled  skein, 
as  he  himself  in  his  memoirs  designated  it,  of  Hatcliffe  Blount's 
history ;  for  after  this  adventure  of  his  friend,  Altamont,  Captain 
Plume,  who  was  also  a  party  in  that  action,  became  possessed  of 
the  manuscript  which,  during  his  leisure  hours  at  St.  Sebastian, 
he  had  amused  himself  by  composing. 

It  appears,  however,  from  what  I  have  myself  been  able  to 
learn  on  the  subject,  that  Altamont  de  Montdidier  and  his  in- 
namorata,  together  with  the  whole  party,  were  traced  to  their 
retreat,  and  eventually  surprised  before  they  could  embark  with 
their  prize ;  Ratcliffe  Blount,  with  his  usual  luck,  was  the  only 
one  captured,  however,  the  rest  making  their  escape  to  France. 

Doubtless  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  our  friend,  had  he  not 
managed  to  escape  from  confinement  soon  after  his  capture,  and 
get  amongst  some  of  his  old  companions  in  the  mountains,  from 
whence  it  was  not  very  difficult  for  him,  by  evading  the  outposts 
of  the  Carlists,  to  cross  the  frontier. 

It  was  then,  on  a  raw  and  comfortless-looking  winter's  evening, 
that  a  solitary  traveller  was  to  be  seen  wending  his  way  along 
the  high  road  leading  to  Caen.  He  was  but  scantily  clad  against 
the  severity  of  the  season,  having  merely  the  coarse  red  clothing 
of  a  common  soldier  on  his  body,  the  said  garments  being  con- 
siderably the  worse  for  wear  consequent  upon  hard  service  ;  an. 
old  red  forage  cap  also  graced  his  head,  and  a  knapsack  was 
upon  his  back. 

His  fine  height  and  the  graceful  proportions  of  his  well-formed 
limbs,  his  head  carried  aloft  with  an  air  of  the  most  determined 
courage  and  resolution,  was  not,  however,  to  be  disguised  by  the 
soiled  and  tattered  condition  of  the  poor  habiliments  he  wore  ; 
and  the  peasant  girl,  as  she  tripped  across  his  path,  was  fain  to 
stop  and  look  back  upon  the  handsome  appearance  of  the  young 
soldier  as  he  passed.  There  was,  however,  no  answering  glance 
in  the  corner  of  the  traveller's  eye,  as  the  lively  villager  re- 


THE  SOLDIEB  OF  FOBTTTNE.  255 

garded  him  ;  but  stern  resolution,  and  a  determination  to  devour 
space,  and  get  over  the  long  miles,  seemed  to  possess  him  as  he 
strode  onwards. 

A  stout  oaken  cudgel  was  in  his  hand,  useful  either  as  an  assist- 
ant in  his  journey,  or  as  a  defence  against  assault.  The  night 
was  settling  down  dark  and  sudden,  and  the  pattering  rain  upon 
the  foliage  of  the  densely  wooded  country  he  traversed,  together 
with  the  distant  rumble  of  the  thunder,  announced  to  the  travel- 
ler the  approach  of  a  storm. 

He  had  made  inquiry  at  the  last  post-house  he  had  stopped  at 
in  the  road  (some  five  miles  back),  for  the  Chateau  Eoussillon,  and 
after  receiving  a  direction  to  it,  had  also,  with  apparent  careless- 
ness, added  a  few  questions  about  its  present  occupiers. 

An  English  family,  he  was  told,  had  been  residents  in  the 
chateau  for  some  time  ;  but  the  neighbourhood  knew  little  about 
them.  They  kept  much  within  the  grounds,  and  except  travelling 
occasionally  to  and  from  Caen,  were  seldom  to  be  seen. 

The  name  of  the  old  gentleman  for  whom  the  chateau  was 
first  of  all  taken  was  Blount,  he  understood ;  "  Le  Sieur  Blount, 
camarado,"  said  the  ostler  of  the  cabaret.  "I  was  hired  there 
myself  when  they  first  came,  as  a  helper  in  the  stables.  That 
was  when  Sir  Blount  first  came  from  Angleterre.  At  that  time- 
he  brought  carriages,  horses,  hounds,  and  many  servants,  just 
as  any  other  English  noble;  but  since  that,  things  had  gone  on 
differently,  and  although  the  chateau  had  been  almost  newly 
furnished  by  the  quantity  of  articles  sent  for  from  England  at 
that  period,  together  with  plate  and  other  valuables,  yet  the 
whole  had  been  lately  removed  at  different  intervals,  and 
sent  to  Paris,  where  my  Lady  Blount  was  wintering.  Sir  Blount 
himself,"  added  the  Frenchman,  "I  have  heard,  is  unpeuvolage. 
Ha,  ha ! "  he  continued,  as  he  turned  off  towards  the  stables ; 
"  you  English  swallow  so  much  fog  in  your  swampy  island,  that 
you  are  always  troubled  with  de  vapeurs,  as  you  call  it.  Milor 
Blount,  I  have  heard,  has  not  been  seen  outside  the  chateau  for 
some  months.  He  must  be  watched,  or  he  might  cut  his  throat 
some  fine  day.  Ah,  bah !  un  mauvais  sujet,  with  a  d — d  bad  set 
about  him."  „ 

The  traveller  stayed  not  to  hear  more,  but  throwing  down  a  lew 
sous  for  what  he  had  taken,  hitched  up  his  pack,  and  addressed 
himself  to  his  journey.  As  soon  as  he  came  to  a  part  of  the  road 
which  was  intersected  by  a  narrow  and  shadowy  lane,  he 
stopped,  and  paused  for  a  few  minutes,  looking  carefuUy  around 
him,  to  mark  the  spot,  as  the  increasing  gloom  covered  t 

"  This,"  he  said,  "must  be  my  route,  according  to  the  direction 
given  me :  I  was  to  turn  to  the  right,  when  I  came  to  a  rough 
lane,  some  five  miles  and  a  half  from  the  inn  I  inquired  at.  In 
saying  this,  the  soldier  brandished  his  cudgel,  and  entering  tn< 
gloomy  thoroughfare,  continued  his  progress  up  the  ascent  leading. 
into  the  thick  woods  on  his  right.  After  about  half  an  hour  s 


256  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

quick  walking,  he  arrived  at  some  large  gates,  flanked  by  a  stout 
wall  surrounding  a  sort  of  park  or  chace,  and  from  whence  he 
could  plainly  discern  the  chateau  straight  before  him. 

The  gateway  which  thus  brought  him  to  a  stand,  was  as  ancient 
and  forlorn-looking  as  the  mansion  it  led  to.  Two  large  pillars 
flanked  it  on  either  side,  square,  massive,  and  lofty.  One  was  dis- 
mantled, a  broken  statue  lying  half-buried  in  the  long  grass  at  its 
base  ;  the  other  was  adorned  by  the  figure  of  the  antlered  Acteon 
in  the  agony  of  being  pulled  down  by  his  own  dogs.  The  gates 
themselves  were  elaborately  wrought,  and  of  iron,  and  so  ponder- 
ous withal,  that,  had  they  been  open,  it  would  have  required  the 
efforts  of  a  strong  arm  to  swing  them  back  upon  their  hinges ;  at 
the  present  time,  however,  they  were  fast  locked. 

Our  traveller,  after  looking  through  the  bars  for  a  brief  space, 
showed  he  was  not  likely  to  be  stopped  in  his  progress  by  locks, 
bolts,  or  bars,  for  taking  his  oaken  clump  between  his  teeth,  he 
clambered  up  them  with  the  agility  of  a  cat ;  and  as  quickly  sur- 
mounting them,  spite  of  the  iron  spikes  with  which  they  were 
garnished,  he  descended  on  the  other  side,  and  stood  next  mo- 
ment in  the  park  of  Roussillon,  and  bent  his  steps  towards  the 
chateau. 

Chateau  Houssillon  was  one  of  those  comfortless  looking  edifices, 
at  which  the  English  are  occasionally  to  be  found  economizing  in 
the  land  of  frogs  and  red-legged  partridges,  yclept  France.  It 
bore  the  stamp  of  by-gone  grandeur,  and  had  evidently  felt  the 
blasts  of  three  centuries  at  least ;  but  it  had  nothing  of  that  time- 
honoured  and  venerable  appearance  of  our  own  Elizabethan  Halls 
in  merry  England. 

There  was  an  indescribable  air  of  discomfort  about  it — a  sort  of 
private  mad-house  appearance.  It  wanted  something  as  a  resi- 
dence which  the  spectator  could  hardly  define  ;  whilst  even  the 
grounds  around  it  had  that  rubbishing,  unpicturesque  look,  so 
often  to  be  found  in  a  foreign  domain. 

The  stranger,  after  trying  the  foredoor  of  the  mansion  with  a 
force  that  made  the  lintels  shake,  stepped  a  pace  4or  two  back, 
and  gazed  at  it  for  a  few  moments.  The  shutters  of  the  various 
casements  were  fast  closed,  and  it  looked  uninhabited  in  the  front ; 
he,  therefore,  very  deliberately  walked  round  to  the  rear.  There 
was  no  domestic  to  be  seen  about  to  interfere  with  his  promenade, 
and  his  appearance  being  merely  that  of  a  sturdy  applicant  for 
bread,  a  disbanded  legionist  making  his  way  homewards,  the 
chances  are,  if  he  had  met  with  any  of  the  out-door  dependents,  a 
sacre  and  an  order  to  leave  the  premises  would  have  been  perhaps 
all  he  would  have  been  greeted  with. 

He  was  somewhat  more  fortunate  in  his  application  for  admit- 
tance on  this  side  the  gloomy  building,  for  on  lifting  the  latch  of 
the  door,  after  entering  a  sort  of  courtyard  in  the  rear,  he  found 
himself  in  a  long,  narrow  passage,  evidently  leading  to  the  ser- 
vants' offices. 

The  mansion  he  now  found  was  inhabited,  as  the  passage  was 


THE  SOLDIEE  OP  FOBTDSTE.  257 

lighted  by  two  or  three  common-looking  lanterns  fixed  to  its  walls, 
without  whose  dull  flame  the  passenger  would  scarcely,  even  in 
the  day-time,  have  found  his  way. 

Directing  his  steps  along  this  passage,  the  soldier  now  entered 
the  kitchen.  There  was  fire  in  the  grate,  and  even  signs  of  its 
recently  having  been  used,  articles  of  culinary  use  being  strewed 
about;  but  no  one  was  in  it.  He  therefore  passed  onwards,  and 
cautiously  ascended  to  the  great  hall  of  the  mansion. 

Whilst  he  paused  to  look  around,  he  heard  voices  in  an  apart- 
ment near;  and  as  he  was  about  to  introduce  himself  amongst  the 
speakers,  he  distinctly  heard  his  own  name  pronounced.  He 
therefore  thought  it  no  degradation  to  stop  and  ascertain  so  much 
of  the  purport  of  the  dialogue  as  related  to  his  own  person;  be- 
sides, he  had  introduced  himself,  he  considered,  into  the  enemy's 
camp,  and  stratagem  was  all  fair  in  war.  He  was  determined  to 
proceed  with  something  more  of  caution,  since  he  had  so  far 
prospered  in  his  exploratory  movements. 

"  "  Monsieur  Ratcliffe,"  he  heard,  in  the  accent  of  a  foreigner, 
"  may  yet  turn  up,  Monsieur  Levison.  I  think  you  are  too  hasty 
ill  your  movements.  According  to  your  own  account,  Monsieur 
Blount  cannot  last  much  longer.  Food,  you  say,  is  bad  for  his 
complaint.  That  is  a  bad  sign,  mon  ami— an  empty  sack  can't 
stand.  If  the  Englishman  no  eat,  he  most  die;  what  more  you 
have,  sare?  Non!  I  shall  set  my  face  against  rough  measure; 
'tis  dangerous,  and  may  be  discovered." 

•"'  I  do  not  agree  with  you,  count,"  returned  the  second  speaker ; 
*'  tor  our  own  sakes  we  must  make  all  sure:  since  the  old  dotard 
signed  the  will  in  our  favour,  I  have  kept  him  close.  This  Eat- 
cliffe,  too,  I  have  traced  all  through  his  miserable  career.  He 
was  wrecked,  I  tell  you.  My  informant  writes  me  from  St. 
Sebastian;  not  a  soul  escaped  but  one  passenger— a  lady.  There 
are  many  reasons  why  this  business  should  be  brought  to  a  termi-- 
liation  to-night.  I  have  removed  every  domestic,  and  given  you  a 
fair  field,  count.  'Tis  yourself  must  do  the  deed— that,  you  know, 
is  part  of  our  contract.  Hark!"  he  said,  pausing,  what  noise 
was  that  in  the  hall?  I  thought  I  heard  a  footstep.  Mem  Grot, 
count,  get  up  and  look!"  .  , 

The  count  arose  from  his  seat ;  and  smiling  at -his  companion  s 
face  of  alarm,  he  took  the  candle,  and  throwing  open  the  door, 
without  stepping  into  the  haU,  held  the  taper  aloft,  and  took  a 
careless  look  into  the  gloomy  recesses  of  the  vast  apartment. 

"  It  is  noting  my  friend,"  he  said,  "but  the  thunder  that  dis- 
turb you,  and  the  old  man  groaning  up  stairs.  Why  not,  lie 
said,  resuming  his  seat,  "wfiynot  settle  this  business  yourself, 
Monsieur  Levison?  I  not  like  the  job.' 

"  I  cannot  do  it,  count,"  returned  the  other. 

"Ah!  you  are  afraid,  Monsieur  Anglais. 

«8 1  have  not  been  a  soldier  like  yourself,  count.    I  am  afraid  I 

Baidthe  count;  "you  rob  the  old  gentle- 


258  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

man ;  yon  get  all  his  moneys ;  you  make  him  sign  de  will  for  you ; 
you  get  him  down  to  my  chateau,  and  lock  him  up,  and  try  to 
starve ^him  to  death ;  and  yet  you  cannot  give  him  the  coup  de 
grace." 

"  You  forget  to  add,  count,  that  I  am  to  give  you  your  share ; 
and  also" 

"  Hien,  I  remember  dat ;  and  my  Lady  Blount  is  to  be  Countess 
Houssillon,  to  reward  me  wid  her  fair  hand — good.  Wkere  does 
belie?" 

*'  In  the  chamber  on  the  right,  when  you  reach  the  corridor; 
the  key  hangs  above  the  door.  I  repeat,  it  must  be  done,  Count, 
and  to-night :  psha !  'tis  but  to  pluck  the  pillow  from  beneath  his 
head." 

"  And  the  Lady  Blount,"  said  the  count,  "  eh?" 

"  She  is,  as  you  know,  only  too  anxious  to  become  Countess 
Boussillon.  You  are  to  settle  the  estate  upon  her.  The  papers 
are  all  drawn,  and  nothing  awaits  us  but  the  old  man's  death." 

"  And  you  are  afraid  to  strike  the  blow,  Monsieur  Anglais  ?" 

"  I  am,"  returned  the  other,  "  I  confess  it ;  and  you  also." 

"  Me,  sare?"  said  the  count,  sternly,  "  me  afraid,  sacre  !  I  am 
soldat  francais,  Monsieur.  I  serve  in  the  revolution ;  in  the 
grand  army,  at  Marengo,  at  Austerlitz,  in  Egypt.  Eh  lien  !  sare, 
in  Spain,  in  Portugal — I  chase  your  cursed  nation  to  Corunna. 
Afraid,  sare  ? — Non  !  I  hate  your  cursed  nation  ;  my  grand  curse 
upon  it!  The  affaire  isjinie.  The  old  man  diesl—allons  done, 
show  me  the  chamber!" 

The  traveller  stayed  to  hear  no  more.  He  stepped  noiselessly 
across  the  hall ;  and  guided  by  the  glimmering  lamp  which  burned 
above  the  staircase,  he  cautiously  and  noiselessly  ascended  the 
stairs,  unlocked  the  door  he  had  heard  described,  and  entered  the 
chamber.  It  was  a  spacious  apartment :  a  lamp  stood  upon  the 
table,  and  a  heavy-looking  bedstead,  antique  and  faded  as  the 
tapestry  with  which  the  room  was  hung,  stood  with  hearse-like 
grandeur  at  the  farther  end. 

Seizing  the  lamp  from  the  table,  the  soldier  approached  the 
bed,  drew  aside  the  curtains,  and  gazed  upon  its  occupant.  Wasted 
and  attenuated,  with  a  beard  of  a  month's  growth  upon  his  visage, 
his  father  lay  sleeping  before  him. 

He  had  scarcely  time  to  set  down  his  lamp,  and  conceal  him- 
self amongst  the  dark  furniture  on  one  side  the  bed,  when  he 
heard  the  approaching  footsteps  of  the  assassin.  The  count 
appeared  surprised  at  finding  the  key  in  the  door,  instead  of 
hanging  withoutside.  He,  however,  supposed  that  his  nervous 
comrade  had  forgotten  it  in  his  last  visit,  and  cautiously  entered. 
After  raising  the  candle,  and  carefully  examining  the  countenance 
of  the  sleeper,  he  glanced  round  the  room,  set  the  lamp  again 
upon  the  table,  drew  a  long  American  b  e-knife  from  the  breast 
of  his  coat,  and  stepped  beside  the  bed. 

"  Ah !"  he  said,  as  he  again  regarded  the  sleeper,  and  felt  its 
point,  "  'tis  not  necessary." 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  259 

Plucking  the  cushion  from  the  chair  beside  the  bed,  he  laid 
the  knife  in  its  place,  and  again  approached  it. 

The  soldier  had  time,  meanwhile,  from  his  place  of  conceal- 
ment, to  observe  the  assassin  narrowly.  He  was  an  athletic- 
looking  figure,  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  dressed  in  a  military 
frock-coat,  padded  out  in  front  like  the  breast  of  a  pouting 
pigeon,  and  he  wore  large  moustaches  upon  his  upper  lip,  which 
descended  over  his  mouth  like  a  portcullis. 

The  next  moment,  after  poising  the  pillow  on  high  with  both 
hands,  the  Frenchman  made  a  quick  step  towards  the  bed,  and 
was  about  to  throw  himself  upon  the  sleeper,  when  he  was  caught, 
midway,  by  the  throat,  by  a  gripe  as  if  a  vice  had  closed  upon  his 
windpipe  ;  and,  with  eyes  starting  from  their  sockets,  he  was  borne 
backwards  along  the  apartment,  and  held  firmly  against  the  wall. 

For  a  moment  the  count  was  paralyzed,  as  with  blackened  and 
swollen  face  he  glared  upon  the  infuriated  assailant  who  thus 
pinned  his  head  against  the  wainscot.  The  next  minute  he  made 
the  most  tremendous  efforts  to  free  himself.  It  was,  however,  in 
vain  that  he  struggled ;  his  capturer  held  him  with  tl  e  strength 
and  resolution  of  a  raging  madman ;  and  then  drawing  mm  from 
the  wall,  half  choked,  he  hurled  him  to  the  ground,  and  fractured 
his  skull  with  one  blow  of  the  oaken  towel  he  held  in  his  right 
hand. 

The  reader  has,  doubtless,  by  this  time,  surmised  that  the  dis- 
banded soldier,  and  our  old  friend,  Ratcliffe  Blount,  were  one 
and  the  same  person.  His  uncompromising  and  resolute  dispo- 
sition had,  for  once,  stood  him  in  good  stead.  He  had  arrived  in 
the  nick  of  time,  caught  his  enemies  red  handed,  and  in  the  fact, 
and  saved  his  parent  from  a  violent  death.  Having  thus  summa- 
rily dealt  with  the  French  count,  he  kicked  him  out  of  his  path, 
with  as  little  remorse  as  if  he  had  been  a  bundle  of  foul  clothes, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  the  intended  victim. 

Awakened  from  his  slumbers  by  the  sudden  conflict,  the  old 
gentleman  had  raised  himself  in  his  bed  to  behold  the  deadly  and 
violent  struggle  taking  place  in  his  apartment ;  and  having  been 
the  horrified  spectator  of  its  termination,  he  now  saw  the  tall 
form  of  the  soldier  approach  him  with  the  intent,  as  he  supposed, 
to  finish  the  affair  by  his  murder. 

Almost  helpless,  and  at  the  mercy  of  the  fiends  who  had  for 
some  weeks  made  him  a  close  prisoner  in  his  apartment,  coerced 
him  into  signing  various  documents  in  their  favour,  and,  for  the 
last  few  days,  even  kept  him  without  food,  he  had  for  some  time 
lain  in  expectation  of  being  even  more  summarily  dealt  with.  . 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  he  now  thought  the  dark  hour 
had  arrived. 

His  wife,  who  had  for  two  years  led  him  a  life  of  misery,  in 
comparison  to  which  slavery  at  the  galleys  would  have  been 
pastime,  had  for  the  last  three  months  been  residing  at  the  Hotel 
Eoussillon  in  Paris,  having  turned  her  sick  husband  over  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  his  respected  Jew  father-in-law. 


260  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

"When,  therefore,  the  old  gentleman  beheld  an  athletic  figure, 
in  the  garb  of  a  common  soldier,  after  the  violent  contest  we  have 
described,  advancing  towards  him,  he  naturally  looked  upon  him* 
self  as  the  bone  of  contention. 

"  The  infernal  scoundrels,"  he  said,  "cannot  even  agree  in  their 
villany.  They  have  quarrelled  about  the  spoil,  before  they  have 
cut  the  victim's  throat !" 

With  more  agility  than  could  have  been  expected  from  one  so 
emaciated,  he  leaped  to  his  feet  upon  the  floor.  The  knife  which 
the  count  had  dropped  upon  the  chair,  beside  the  bed,  caught  his 
eye  as  he  did  so.  Sick  and  weak  as  he  was,  the  old  gentleman 
possessed  the  courage  of  a  lion  :  and  with  the  sudden  strength  of 
despair,  he  seized  the  knife,  and  opposed  himself  to  his  supposed 
assailant. 

The  soldier  was  about  to  drop  upon  one  knee  before  his  father  ; 
when  the  latter  hindered  the  movement  by  throwing  himself  upon 
him,  and  burying  the  knife  in  his  son's  bosom. 

Batcliffe  Blount  made  no  effort  to  ward  off  the  blow,  and  fell 
heavily  to  the  ground:  whilst  his  father,  exhausted  by  the  effort 
he  had  made,  also  reeled  and  fell. 

At  this  moment  a  stealthy  step  ascended  the  stairs,  the  door 
was  cautiously  opened,  and  the  Asiatic  visage  of  Mr.  Levison  was 
thrust  into  the  apartment.  Holding  the  light  he  carried  on  high, 
for  some  time  he  gazed  into  the  room,  with  a  countenance  of  ter- 
ror arid  amazement;  till,  finding  the  occupants  of  the  apartment 
apparently  kors  de  combat,  he  ventured  with  stealthy  pace  to 
enter.  After  walking  upon  tip-toe  a  few  steps,  he  stooped  and 
gazed  into  the  face  of  his  late  ally,  and  then  came  to  the  right 
about  as  hastily  as  if  he  feared  that  the  assailant,  who  had  thus 
strangely  cut  off  his  companion,  was  at  hand  to  confer  upon  him 
a  similar  favour.  Approaching  next  the  prostrate  form  of  the 
soldier,  he  thrust  the  light  into  his  face,  and  recognised  him. 

"  Ha !"  said  he,  quickly,  "  Eatcliffe  Blount ! — and  slain,  too !  No, 
no  :  mein  Got,  he  breathes  !  The  squire  dead,  too  !"  he  continued, 
starting  up  and  approaching  the  bed.  "  This  is  strange.  But  stay, 
it  may  be  made  much  of:  yes  ;  however  this  has  come  about,  it 
makes  me  secure." 

Glancing  round,  he  possessed  himself  of  the  fatal  knife  which 
lay  beside  the  bodies ;  and  raising  it  on  high,  was  about  to  sheath 
it  in  the  heart  of  the  youth,  when,  at  that  moment,  the  sharp  crack 
of  a  postillion's  whip  was  heard  beneath  the  casement. 

"Hillo,  ho,  ho!"  cried  a  voice  at  the  same  time;  "within, 
there;  what,  ho !  House,  I  say !  Signor  Brabantio,  ho!" 

A  violent  knocking  also  now  shook  the  fore-door  of  the  man- 
sion ;  and  the  bell  was  assailed  by  a  jerk,  that  tore  it  from  its 
fastenings. 

The  Jew  leaped  to  his  feet  at  the  sound,  threw  the  knife  to 
the  farther  end  of  the  room,  seized  upon  his  lamp,  threw  open 
the  chamber  door,  and.  rushing  down  stairs,  fled  from  the 
scene,  along  the  passage  by  which  Eatcliffe  Blount  had  entered. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  261 

He  had  nearly  gained  the  exterior,  when  he  was  met  by  the 
person  who  had  clamoured  for  admittance ;  and  who,  unable  to 
gain  an  entrance  at  the  fore-door,  had  essayed  the  rear  of  the 
building,  and  the  two  ran  against  each  other. 

The  thief  thinks  every  bush  an  officer,  it  is  said ;  and  accordingly, 
the  Jew  made  as  violent  an  effort  to  pass  out,  as  the  traveller 
seemed  determined  to  get  into  the  house. 

"Halloo!  there,  my  master,"  said  the  traveller,  keeping  his 
opponent  back ;  "  after  all  this  delay  at  the  front,  you  seem  in  a 
vast  hurry  to  attend  us  at  the  rear  of  your  dwelling.  Is  this  your 
country  manners,  comrade,  that  you  knock  folks  down  when  they 
come  for  assistance,  eh  ?  Here's  a  carriage  broken  down  in  your 
lane,  without  the  gates,  and  a  party  of  ladies  nearly  frozen  to 
death.  I  want  assistance,  or  at  least  information  where  I  am  to 
seek  it." 

"  In  h— 1,  if  you  like,"  said  the  Jew  •  "  for  you'll  get  none  here 
from  me.'' 

In  saying  this,  the  Jew  made  another  effort  to  rush  past,  and 
the  traveller  immediately  knocked  him  down  with  the  heavy  but- 
end  of  Ids  riding  whip,  and  entered  the  .mansion. 


CHAPTEE  XXXVIII. 

"  Now  is  Cupid  a  child  of  conscience, 
He  makes  restitution." 

SHAKSPERE. 

IN  the  last  chapter,  we  have  seen  two  most  opportune  arrivals. 
The  first  comer  was  our  unlucky  acquaintance,  Ratcliffe  Blount ; 
and  the  document  from  whence  these  circumstances  have  been 
gleaned,  goes  on  further  to  state  that  the  second  unceremonious 
personage,  who,  after  clamouring  for  admittance,  forced  his  way 
into  the  interior  of  the  chateau,  was  no  other  than  his  friend 
Altamont  de  Montdidier. 

To  account  for  his  presence  at  this  moment,  it  is  sufficient  to 
state,  that  haying  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Pyrenees  with  his  fair 
charge,  disguised  as  Spanish  muleteers,  he  found  it  necessary  to 
make  a  halt  at  Bayonno,  in  order  to  recruit  her  somewhat  bated 
strength,  and  finding  the  church  property  he  had  thus  appropri- 
ated to  himself,  like  Macbeth's  murders,  "  sticking  on  his  hands," 
the  fun  of  the  adventure,  also,  having  given  place  to  reflection  and 
consideration  for  the  situation  of  his  companion,  he  thought 
proper  to  marry  her. 

Whilst  at  Bayonne,  he  fell  in  with  an  English  lady  of  rank,  who 
had  also  just  crossed  the  Pyrenees  from  Spain,  and  who,  accom- 
panied by  her  daughter,  was  endeavouring  to  make  her  way 
through  France.  Being  without  an  escort,  and  rather  choleric 
withal,  she  had  been  considerably  annoyed  during  the  journey ; 


262  THE  SOLDIEE  OF  FORTUNE. 

and  our  friend  de  Montdidier  instantly  offered  his  services,  joined 
their  party,  and,  after  a  fashion  sometimes  practised  by  English 
gentlemen  when  travelling  on  the  continent,  he  encased  himself  in 
jack- boots  and  a  short-tailed  jacket,  and  rode  courier  to  his  own 
carriage. 

It  was,  then,  on  the  night  we  have  described,  that,  overtaken  by 
the  storm,  in  passing  towards  Caen,  the  self-constituted  courier 
mistook  his  road,  and  the  carriage  having  broken  down  in  the 
deep  ruts  of  the  sandy  lane  leading  to  the  Chateau  Houssillon,  he 
had  ridden  forward,  dismounted  from  his  steed,  and  making  his 
way  to  the  "lone  chartereux,"  arrived  at  the  very  critical 
moment. 

After  he  had  overturned  the  wandering  Jew,  as  we  have 
described,  and  made  good  his  entrance,  rambling  all  over  the 
lower  regions  without  being  able  to  find  a  soul  to  answer  his  shouts 
and  outcries,  ascending  to  the  great  hall,  he  continued  his 
clamours. 

"Poor  house  that  keeps  thyself,"  said  he,  pushing  open  the 
door  of  the  room  where  the  Count  and  Monsieur  Levison  had 
held  their  diabolical  committee.  "  Ho !  —Who's  here  ? 

4  If  any  tiling  that's  civil,  speak;  if  savage, 
Take  or  lend.     What  ho  !  no  answer?  then  I'll  enter.'" 

Here  he  found  the  remains  of  a  goodly  supper  upon  the  table,  a 
flask  or  two  of  champagne,  a  most  inviting  Perigord  pie,  a  boar's 
head,  big  enough  for  the  sign  in  Eastcheap,  and  half-a-dozen 
delicacies  besides. 

After  refreshing  himself  with  a  glass  of  the  champagne,  which 
stood  so  invitingly  upon  the  table,  he  resolved  to  proceed  farther 
in  his  search,  and  straightway  walked  up  stairs,  with  the  intent  of 
arousing  the  sleeping  family  ;  and  arriving  at  the  corridor,  kicked 
open  the  door  of  the  first  apartment  he  came  to. 

Here  he  met  with  a  sight,  at  which  even  his  firm  nerves  were 
shaken :  and  starting  back,  more  quickly  than  he  had  entered,  he 
stood  transfixed  at  the  spectacle  wrhich  presented  itself. 

Three  prostrate  bodies  were  upon  the  floor,  the  polished  oak  of 
which  wras  crimsoned  with  the  tide  in  which  they  lay.  The  gloom 
of  the  apartment,  dimly  lighted  by  the  one  solitary  lamp  which 
stood  flickering  upon  the  table,  together  with  the  deserted  look  of 
the  building  into  which  he  had  intruded,  and  which  seemed  only 
tenanted  by  the  dead,  quite  overawed  him ;  after  gazing  for  a  few 
minutes  upon  the  sight  before  him,  he  felt  inclined  to  turn  about, 
and  taking  a  flying  leap  down  the  great  staircase  by  wrhich  he  had 
just  ascended, 'he  ran  out  of  the  house  as  fast  as  he  was  able.  As 
he  continued,  however,  to  gaze  upon  the  bodies,  he  thought  he 
beheld  one  of  them  move ;  the  next  moment  a  deep  gro^n  was 
uttered,  and  then  a  hand  was  raised  a  few  inches,  anc\  dropped 
heavily  upon  the  floor. 

Stepping  into  the  room,  at  the  same  time  grasping  his  heavy 
hnnting-miip  in  his  hand,  he  looked  around,  raised  the  candle 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FOBTTJNE.  263 

from  the  table,  and  stooping  down,  peered  into  the  face  of  the 
person  who  had  thus  shown  signs  of  life.  It  was  a  man  in  the 
garb  of  a  common  soldier— his  friend,  Katcliife  Blount ! 

Forgetting  all  his  former  fears,  he  set  down  the  candle,  raised 
him  in  his  arms,  took  the  flask  of  brandy  from  the  pocket  of  his 
courier's  jacket,  and  poured  half  the  contents  down  the  wounded 
man's  throat.  In  fine,  he  succeeded  in  restoring  his  friend  once 
more  to  life,  and  binding  up  iiis  wounds,  proceeded  then  to  ex- 
amine the  state  of  the  old  gentleman  who  lay  beside  him ;  and 
he  had  the  satisfaction,  in  a  short  time,  of  seeing  both  his  patients 
in  a  somewhat  better  and  more  hopeful  condition  than  he  had 
found  them  in. 

The  wound  which  Eatcliffe  Blount  had  received  was  a  severe 
and  dangerous  one  ;  and  had  the  old  gentleman  possessed  a  trifle 
more  strength,  it  would,  doubtless,  have  been  instantly  mortal. 
As  it  was,  the  corning  of  his  friend,  Altamont  de  Montdidier,  who 
was  no  contemptible  surgeon,  and  who  succeeded  in  stanching 
the  blood,  saved  him.  Sir  Blount,  too,  as  the  Frenchman  termed 
the  father,  he  also  had  the  happiness  of  restoring  to  his  senses,  by 
the  aid  of  the  same  panacea  he  had  administered  to  the  son, 
namely,  a  draught  from  his  flask  of  eau  de  vie.  The  Frenchman, 
however,  puzzled  him  the  most. 

"  This  fellow,"  said  he,  "  is  peppered  for  this  world,  at  all  events. 
I  think  I  see  the  sign-manual  of  my  friend  here,"  he  continued, 
turning  him  over,  and  gazing  upon  his  face ;  and  then  regarding 
the  cudgel  which  lay  beside  him,  he  said,  "And  I,  moreover, 
monsieur,  suspect  '  most  foully  did  you  play'  for  what  you  have 
gotten." 

After  returning  to  his  belated  party  without,  and  guiding  them 
through  mud  and  mire  to  the  chateau,  which,  without  informing 
them  of  the  events  which  had  taken  place,  he  hinted  belonged  to 
a  friend  of  his  own,  he  proceeded  to  do  the  honours  of  the  man- 
sion, setting  the  servants  who  had 'accompanied  the  travellers,  to 
work,  to  make  a  glorious  wood-fire  upon  the  hearth,  and  serve  out 
the  refreshments  the  ladies  stood  so  much  in  need  of. 

"  Here,  your  grace,"  said  he  to'  the  portly-looking  personage, 
who,  enveloped  in  furs,  spread  her  extended  palms  over  the 
grateful  blaze  of  the  crackling  logs,1-"  Here,  your  grace,  are  the 
remains  of  a  goodly  supper,  which  the  knave  butler  has,  doubt- 
less, been  too  idle  to  clear  away.  I  entreat  you,  in  the  name  of 
my  friend,  to  do  justice  to  the  viands,  afoer  having  so  long  been 
frozen  in  yonder  inhospitable  lane.  Lady  de  Clifford,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  follow  Mistress  de  Montdidier's  example ;  after  a  glass 
of  champagne,  you  see,  she  is  already  deeply  engaged  in  discus- 
sing the  merits  of  that  pate  defoie  gras." 

In  short,  Altamont  not  only  managed  to  play  the  host  to  his 
fellow  travellers,  arranging  matters  for  their  accommodation  dur- 
ing the  night,  stabling  their  horses,  and  aiding  them  in  every 
possible  way  :  he  also  contrived,  soon  after  dawn,  to  procure  the 
assistance  of  a  surgeon  for  his  friend,  he  himself  attending  to  both, 
the  invalids  during  the  intervals  which  he  could  devote  to  them. 


264  THE  SOLDIER  OP  FORTUNE. 

Indeed,  it  was  not  till  the  next  morning,  through  some 
temps,  or  the  prying  curiosity  of  the  chattering  grisette,  her  maid, 
that  her  Grace  of  Hurricane  discovered,  to  her  astonishment,  that 
the  reason  the  host  of  the  chateau  had  not  made  his  appearance, 
was  because  he  was  unable,  from  illness,  so  to  do ;  that  his  son 
also  lay  dangerously  wounded  in  the  chamber  next  to  the  one  she 
herself  had  slept  in,  that  Chateau  Eoussillon  was  the  name  of  the 
mansion  in  which  she  had  found  a  refuge,  and  that  she  was  under 
obligation,  for  the  hospitality  of  the  said  Chateau  Houssillon,  to 
the  father  of  her  eternal  enemy,  Ratcliffe  Blount. 

This  was  rather  a  disagreeable  interruption  to  the  harmony  of 
the  breakfast  party :  and  Altamont  de  Montdidier,  who  had  been 
suddenly  called  out  of  the  room  to  his  friend,  whose  wound  had 
broken  out  afresh,  returned  to  find  the  duchess  with  eyes  ex- 
tended, and  no  pleasant  expression  of  countenance,  listening  ir 
amazement  to  the  story  her  maid  had  heard  from  Claude  Maralli, 
the  chasseur,  who  had  gathered  it  from  Pierre,  the  postillion, 
that  Sir  Blount  had  been  shot  through  the  head  last  night  by  a 
gang  of  robbers,  and  that  his  son,  who  had  returned  from  the 
wars,  had  been  nearly  killed  by  the  same  ball,  whilst  the  Count 
Koussillon  himself  was  actually,  at  that  moment,  lying  dead  in 
the  tapestried  chamber  above  them. 

"  Mr.  de  Mont-di-dier,"  said  her  grace,  with  deliberation,  "  I 
am  greatly  obliged  by  your  exertions  in  our  favour  here,  and  the 
refuge  you  have  procured  us  ;  but,  sir,  I  fear,  in  the  present  dis- 
tressing circumstances  of  this  family,  we  are  greatly  intruding. 
Will  you,  therefore,  do  me  the  favour  to  order  my  carriage  round 
as  soon  as  possible,  that  we  may  proceed  onwards  to  Caen  with- 
out delay  ?"_ 

"  It  is  quite  unnecessary,  Lady  Hurricane,"  returned  Altamont. 
"  So  far  from  our  presence  here  being  an  intrusion,  my  friend 
would  be  delighted  if  we  spent  the  Christmas  here.  Besides 
•which,  I  cannot,  at  the  present  moment,  leave  the  chateau,  till  I 
am  assured  of  our  hosts  being  out  of  danger." 

"  But  I  can,  sir,"  returned  the  Duchess,  drawing  herself  up ; 
"  and  having  particular  reasons  why  I  wish  to  reach  Caen  early, 
I  must  insist  upon  setting  out  forthwith.  Carlostein,"  said  she 
to  the  attending  servant,  "  order  the  carriage  out  at  once." 

"  It  is  impossible,  Lady  Hurricane,"  returned  Altamont;  "per- 
fectly impossible,  I  assure  you." 

"  Impossible!  Sir,"  returned  the  Duchess;  "how  impossible?" 

"  Because  I,  this  morning,  lighted  the  kitchen  fire  with  one  of 
the  hind  wheels,"  said  Altamont,  turning  off.  "  There  was  no 
wood  cut  in  the  chateau  ;  the  snow  is  a  foot  and^a  half  deep  with- 
out doors,  and  no  water  was  boiled  for  breakfast." 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

The  winter  of  the  year  183 —  was  a  particularly  severe  one.  The 
enow  in  the  gardens  of  Chateau  Houssillon  was  on  a  level  with 
the  hedge,  whilst  the  park  and  open  country  around,  in  many 
places,  also  lay  enrobed  four  or  five  feet  deep  in  the  same  white 
garment. 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  §65 

"  Then  icicles  hung  by  the  wall ; 

And  milk  came  frozen  home  in  pail ; 
Then  blood  was  nipped,  and  ways  were  foul, 
And  nightly  sung  the  staring  owl 

To-who : 

Tu-whit,  to-who,  a  merry  note, 
While  Greasy  Joan  did  keel  the  pot." 

Christmas  day,  on  that  same  year,  was  kept  at  Chateau  Bous- 
sillon,  in  the  regular  Old  English  style.  The  party,  'tis  true,  was 
but  small ;  but  as  they  sat  and  feasted  in  the  great  hail  of  the 
chateau,  looking  down  from  the  elevated  position  they  occupied, 
upon  the  assembled  domestics  and  dependants,  who,  seated  at  a 
lower  board,  discussed  the  roast  beef,  turkeys,  plum-puddings,  and 
minced  pies,  set  before  them,  it  was  altogether  a  scene  of  hospi- 
tality, such  as  had  not  been  witnessed  in  that  mansion,  at  that 
festive  season,  for  the  last  half  century,  at  the  least. 

As  soon  as  the  tables  were  drawn,  and  the  ladies  had  sipped 
their  coffee  in  the  _  withdrawing  room,  Altamont  de  Montdidier 
commenced  organizing  a  little  dance  amongst  the  domestics,  him- 
self leading  off  with  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane,  in  order  to  set  the 
thing  going  with  proper  spirit. 

Ratcliffe^  Blount,  meanwhile,  was  seated  beneath  the  ample 
chimney-piece,  holding  converse  sweet,  and  whispering  a  nat- 
tering tale  in  the  ear  of  Lady  de  Clifford.  He  was  still  pallid 
from  the  effects  of  his  wound,  which,  but  for  the  unremitting  care 
and  attention  bestowed  upon  him  night  and  day,  during  the  fever 
which  had  supervened,  a  care  such  as  only  the  affection  of  woman 
can  bestow,  would  have  doubtless  provecffatal. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  hearth  sat  his  respected  sire,  and  the 
bfack-eyed  bride  of  Altamont  de  Montdidier.  As  the  old  gentle- 
man watched  the  pallid  features  of  the  returned  prodigal,  and 
blessed  his  own  stars  that  he  had  been  spared  the  dreadful  retalia- 
tion he  had  so  nearly  inflicted  upon  the  child  who  came  to  save; 
improved  too  in  health  and  strength,  by  the  load  of  care  that 
coming  had  relieved  him  from,  as  he  listened  to  the  cheerful  sound 
of  the  French  horn  and  tabor  within  the  hall,  contrasted  with  the 
violence  of  the  storm  without,  he  experienced  a  greater  share  of 

happiness  than  he  had  known  for  years. 

#  *  *  *  *  * 

The  history  of  Hatcliffe  Blount,  now  necessarily  draws  to  a  con- 
clusion. Indeed  all  further  circumstances  connected  with  his 
subsequent  fate  we  might,  perhaps,  never  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  presenting  to  our  readers,  but  from  the  perusal  of  a  letter 
received  by  Lieutenant  Snaffle,  from  Major  Sabretash.  The  latter 
officer  had  been  dedicating  a  twelvemonth's  leave  of  absence  to 
foreign  travel,  and  whilst  viewing  the  wonders  of  the  world 
abroad,  had  fallen  in  with  one  or  two  of  the  dramatis  persona 
who  have  figured  in  the  foregoing  tale. 

It  happened  that  Lieutenant  Snaffle,  (by  the  way,  he  was  now 
at  the  top  of  the  list  of  lieutenants,  with  money  lodged  for  the 


266  THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE. 

purchase  of  his  troop),  chanced,  whilst  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  again 
to  fall  in  with  Captain  T^'ume,  and  the  meeting  naturally  leading 
them  to  recur  to  the  subject  of  the  curious  manuscript  they  had 
perused  in  the  cabaret  at  Ballyoflaherty,  Lieutenant  Snaffle 
offered  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of  his  friend  by  reading  part  of  the 
epistle  he  had  received  from  Sabretash,  a  few  days  before.  We 
therefore  give  the  extract  to  our  readers  exactly  as  the  Lieutenant 
gave  it  to  Captain  Plume. 

MAJOR   SABRETASH   TO   LIEUTENANT   SNAFFLE. 

"  It  is  so  long,  my  dear  Snaffle,  since  I  have  had  the  favour  of 
a  line  from  you,  that  lam  surprised  at  my  own  forgiving  disposition, 
in  condescending  to  write  again.  Not  a  bit  of  news  have  you 
given  me  since  the  — th  Hussars  left  Canterbury,  at  least  three 
months  ago.  Where  I,  indeed,  to  treat  you  according  to  your 
deserts,  I  should  abandon  so  dilatory  a  correspondent;  but,  in 
truth,  I  have  news  of  these  parts,  which  I  think  likely  to  interest 
you.  Ah,  my  dear  fellow,  Paris,  and  Naples,  and  Vienna,  are  all 
very  well,  but  I  sigh  for  those  delightful  scenes  in  which  we  were 
actors,  during  the  last  season  in  London.  By  the  way,  I  have 
made  use  of  my  introductions,  here  at  Vienna,  and  becoir~ 
acquainted  with  some  splendid  specimens  of  female  excellence,  i 
various  in  style  as  the  portraits  which  adorn  the  walls  of  tl 
gorgeous  palaces  they  dwell  in.  The  Princess  of  Schloss  Johai 
nisberger,  for  instance,  is  a  perfect  specimen  of  the  Rubens 
school.  The  Baroness  Altenberg,  again,  is  as  dreamy-looking  and 
lovely  as  her  own  Titian.  Madame  V;vndenhenden  might  have 
sat  for  the  spouse  of  Vandyke ;  VA  hilst  the  Duchess  of  Landsdorf- 
hausen  is  exactly  like  the  portrait  of  good  Queen  Bess,  by  Haiis 
Holbein.  But  to  see  them  all  waltz,  my  dear  Snaffle,  would  be  a 
year  away  from  your  life. 

"  There  is,  however,  a  something  wanting  about  these  foreign 
beauties,  which  I  am  at  a  loss  exactly  to  define.  They  fall  short, 
very  short,  of  our  own  swan-like  and  peerless  dames  of  Britain, 

such,  for  instance  as  aN n,a  S d.or  a  Sey r,  with  intellect 

throned  in  beauty.  By  the  by,  I  was  much  struck  with  an 
English  lady  of  title,  whom  I  saw,  the  other  night,  at  the  Grand 
Duke's  ball.  The  intelligence  that  rested  upon  her  noble  fore- 
head, the  delicately  but  proudly  formed  nose,  the  chiselled  lip, 
that  never  parted  but  to  show  the  pearly  teeth  within,  altogether, 
made  me  desirous  of  gaining  a  nearer  view  of  this  fair  creature, 
as  she  whirled  along  in  the  maze  of  the  waltz.  In  doing  so,  I  was 
induced  to  notice  the  cavalier  whose  arm  she  sought  after  the 
dance  was  over.  Judge  of  my  surprise,  when,  in  the  splendid 
regimental  of  an  officer  of  Austrian  Hussars,  I  recognised  our 
friend,  Ratcliffe  Blount. 

"  After  the  first  greetings  were  passed,  he  introduced  me  to  the 
lady  whose  beauty  had  so  struck  me,  the  daughter  of  the  Duchess 
of  Hurricane,  now  Lady  Constance  Blount.  His  wars,  he  said, 
were  now  over.  He  had  been  married  six  months,  and  intended 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE.  2o7 

to  reside  some  years  abroad.  As  I  continued  on  terms  of  intimacy 
with  them  during  my  short  stay  at  Vienna,  I  learned  many  things 
appertaining  to  his  history,  some  of  which  will,  I  dare  say,  surprise 
you.  Amongst  other  matters,  he  informed  me  that  Wharncliffe 
Grange  was  being  rebuilt,  some  coal-mines  having  been  discovered 
on  the  estate,  which  had  increased  the  value  of  the  property  at 
least  a  couple  of  hundred  thousand  pounds.  The  Levison  party 
were  at  length  dispersed  and  discomfited.  The  elder  Israelite, 
after  making  his  way  to  Paris,  and  informing  his  daughter  of  their 
intrigues  being  all  blown,  fled  to  America,  in  order  to  save  himself 
from  transportation.  Mrs.  Blount,  senior,  soon  afterwards  eloped 
to  the  same  land  of  freedom,  in  company  with  Captain  Catchflat, 
carrying  with  her  all  the  property  she  had  succeeded  in  scraping 
together,  and  her  infant.  The  young  cub  being  completely  left  in 
the  lurch,  turned  bonnet  to  a  hell  in  Paris  ;  in  which  capacity  he 
might,  perhaps,  have  thriven,  but  for  the  impertinence  of  your 
old  acquaintance,  Captain  de  Montdidier.  That  most  eccentric 
of  individuals  accompanied  Lords  Hardenbrass  and  Cceur  de 
Lion,  one  night,  to  a  hell,  in  the  Eue  Rivoli,  carrying  with  them 
a  sackful!  of  Napoleons,  in  order  to  break  the  bank.  They  would, 
no  doubt,  have  succeeded,  but  for  the  circumstance  of  a  row- 
taking  place  during  the  play,  and  the  Frenchmen  showing  fight. 
The  two  noblemen  being  unknown,  de  Montdidier  persuaded 

E)ung  Levison  to  tweak  Lord  Hardenbrass  by  the  nose ;  whilst 
ieutenant  Bullyman,  who  was  also  amongst  the  players,  at- 
tempted to  confer  the  same  favour  upon  his  companion.  The 
consequence  was  easily  to  be  conceived.  Young  Levison  got  so 
tremendous  a  thrashing  that  he  has  never  recovered  it.  Mr.  Bully- 
man suffered  a  similar  martyrdom  at  the  hands  of  Lord  Coeur  de 
Lion  ;  and  the  whole  party  were  arrested,  and  carried  off  to  the 
guard-house. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  fellow,  I  think  I  have  given  you  all  the 
news  that  will  interest  you.  Yet,  stay,  there  are  yet  one  or  two 
of  your  friends  I  have  not  mentioned.  Lady  Hardenbrass,  whom 
you  remember  as  Miss  Villeroy,  has,  I  hear,  been  for  some  time 
separated  from  her  husband ;  difference  of  temper  is  the  alleged 
cause,  she  having  turned  Puseyite.  Mrs.  AUworthy  still  con- 
tinues to  spend  half  the  year  in  foreign  travel,  and  is  expected 
shortly  on  a  visit  to  Lady  Blount,  at  Vienna.  But  the  most  ex- 
traordinary thing  of  all  is,  that  Altamont  de  Montdidier,  to  whose 
society  the  Duchess  of  Hurricane  took  a  great  fancy,  before  the 
'party  broke  up  at  Chateau  Eoussillon,  managed  to  make  up  a 
match  between  her  Grace  and  the  elder  Blount ;  and  as  the  old 
gentleman  still  continued  a  great  invalid,  and  both  were  rather 
warm  in  temper,  he  dispatched  them  off  to  Grafenberg,  in  Silesia, 
to  the  care  of  Vincent  Priessnitz,  to  undergo  the  cold  water  cure." 


THE  END. 


LONDOW 

SAY1LL   AND    EDWARDS,   PB1NTEES, 
CHATTDOS-STBEIT. 


Rafter,  Michael 
The  rifleman. 


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